Blossom

Have you been thinking about a green walled garden? Small spaces call for vertical solutions, so we installed trellising and climbing star jasmine to surround the space with walls of green. 5 years later and the jasmine is fully grown in! Two trees, a Stewartia and a Japanese Maple, create light and airy “walls” that shelter and define the deck, dining and fireside areas.

Sometimes all you need after a long day is to sit by the pond in your back garden and reconnect with nature. This lovely project included a new flagstone patio, platform deck, a pond with a small waterfall and a bench and dock for kids to play, wade in the water, and let their imagination run wild.

This newly planted garden is already a vibe. Native plants create a landscape that is full of life and feels at home in its surroundings.

Multiple canopy layers and fruiting shrubs create safe haven and fodder for birds, while certain perennials are often the only host plants for native butterflies and other pollinators.

Wildlife features such as bird bath boulders provide a water source and nursing logs encourage beneficial mycorrhizal growth.

There’s nothing like sitting out for a cup of tea while the birds sing their morning songs. Have you also created habitat in your gardens? We’d love to hear about the visits from wildlife!

Under the canopy of a large Black Walnut tree we transformed the back garden into an entertaining space filled with “outdoor rooms.” Circulation and dedicated spaces are the first aspect of every garden we design. Pathways from the deck lead to a dining patio, fire pit lounge, hot tub by the house, and new studio space.

The journey along the paths through the dappled shade garden is brightened with shades of green and chartreuse plantings.

What was once a tree, unused lawn, and oversized deck became an outdoor space with multiple destinations.

Prior to colonization, the Willamette Valley was primarily White Oak Savanna maintained by the Kalapuya people. Fire was used as a tool to clear brush, open up the prairie for hunting, and stimulate the production of acorns and camas bulbs.

These diverse ecosystems have almost disappeared due to settler occupation, fire suppression, agriculture, and urbanization. You can still experience them in conservation areas such as the Camassia Natural Area in West Linn.

If you have a stately Oregon White Oak in your landscape we encourage you to plant companion species such as Camas, Checkermallow, Madrone, Oregon Iris, Baldhip Rose, Showy Milkweed, Mahonia, Red Flowering Currant, Fawn Lily, Foothill Sedge, and Roemer’s Fescue.

Have you experienced the Camassia Natural Area? For a brief time at the end of April/Early May the camas bulbs are absolutely stunning.

Where else have you hiked through an Oak Savanna in Oregon?