As important a tool as geometry is my Nikon D-60 digital camera. I could not overestimate the impact this tool has had on my design work. I take endless panoramic pictures of projects. The house, the land, the placement of trees, the views out the windows-I take many more pictures than what I could possibly need, as they are as easy to get rid of as they are to keep. The camera is a single-eyed machine. The printed pictures come with edges; what I photograph is a composition. It records what we have become accustomed to, and don’t see anymore-like the trash cans on the terrace.
My clients are sometimes surprised by these pictures; the camera enables them to take a step back from what they think they have, and see with some detachment. A landscape designer I worked for many years ago was fond of saying “the plants don’t lie”. A client who insisted they were not overwatering their landscape would be gently reminded that the plants will tell you what’s not being done properly; you only need to listen. The camera is a party to the design process with no agenda. It can help you see what’s there, and it can help you understand what’s being proposed.
I sometimes draw on these photographs for clients who have trouble visualizing from a drawing. I am very used to drawings, but why should they be? Interested in what furniture would look great on your terrace, or which pots would work at your front door? Bring your pictures.
As a designer and gardener, I have favorite tools. I have a certain ancient Dutch hoe I favor, and a small but very sharp stainless steel spade. I am willing to endure the weight of this tool, even before I have a chunk of wet dirt balanced on it, as it is small. My Dutch hoe is weightless, and deadly to weeds. It dances around the crowns of my perennials, with minimal direction from me.
I like my hands far better than any trowel I have ever tried, so workable soil, and whatever it takes to get that is important in my garden. I am not a garden glove girl. My fingers develop cracks every spring and fall. There is no substitute for my hands, in the soil-this is my point of view.
I am happy to discuss at great length my process for designing a landscape. I plan to go over this in excruciating detail, for those who can last! Tools and skills are just that-nothing more, and nothing less. I would reveal anything and everything-and still be completely confident that I have something worthwhile to offer. I have made a living almost 25 years, designing. Enough said.
I have plenty of clients that are eminently able to be on their own. Not professional designers, they shortchange their talent and heart. It has been my good fortune to have clients of all kinds, with talent and heart. I know this better than most.
This is stage 3 of the schematic plan. By schematic, I mean a plan that details only the big gestures and spaces. It does not tell you which pots to buy, or which cultivar of daylily to plant. That comes later. The big decisions get made first. Where do I want my grill, and my terrace? Where can my kids play? Could I host a large party in that spot? Where do I need shade? Where can I plant my vegetables?