A Japanese Sukiya Style Entrance

This is another sequence of photographs that show how a ranch style home has evolved with a cultural adaptation of Japanese Sukiya style garden. The new views from the front windows reveal a green, restful, and private garden. The chain-link fence is replaced with a custom designed cedar fence that screens traffic. The play of light changes throughout the year and the garden is beautiful throughout the seasons.

Redefining the Front Yard

This is another project that shows the sequence of changes that occur when creating a new landscape; in this case redefining the front yard and making it a usable space by removing a poorly designed traditional suburban yard and using materials that complement the existing architecture.

A New Front Entrance

Photographs of this reconstruction of a new entrance show before, during, and after of a ranch style home. Integration of new stone steps, landings and outcroppings, new and existing plants, waterfall and pool, and mass plantings create an environment that is strong, welcoming, and restful.

These are photos of my garden; the front of the house is full sun and drought tolerant; the back garden is a shade garden.

Bluestem Cottage

This is our home and we named it Bluestem Cottage after a prairie grass that is native to this region. It has a blue-gray hue in the summer and turns copper in the fall that persists through the winter. It is very drought tolerant as the root systems can reach fifteen feet into the ground. It is a cornerstone in the prairie community that created the rich agricultural soils. It also is a mainstay for the American Bison providing sustenance through the winter. The blue violet flowers in the foreground of this photo are Russian Sage.