Winter Garden
January 17, 2016
There is no better time than now to rethink the Winter garden. Keep the plan simple…implement it in the Spring…let it take root through the Summer and wait for the rewards come Fall and Winter. You might be inspired by the gardens of Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, with great drifts of native perennials and grasses, their varied color,texture and structure framed by clipped hedge rows or a distant borrowed vista. Maybe a simpler plan is more to your taste with the selection of a few species planted together in a sort of modern meadow. Simpler still, the work of San Franciscan landscape architect Scott Lewis might lead you to bold stokes of a single variety, neatly framed and punctuated with a mature specimen. The best part of this exercise is your reduced carbon footprint, time freed up this summer to spend doing anything but weeding and deadheading and a simplequietmodern new view through every window from October to the following March.
http://www.gardenista.com/posts/10-garden-ideas-to-steal-from-superstar-dutch-designer-piet-oudolf
Maybe Next Year
August 25, 2013
Getting the lawn crew on board might be the biggest challenge. The mowing of meandering paths of turf through “islands” of meadow might be just the ticket to 1) freshen up a stale yard 2) invite nature back in to your home environment 3) reduce emissions from petroleum fueled power equipment. It’s just a thought, but it seems much more modern than acres of turf that has been fertilized, weed killed, edged and plucked to within an inch of its natural life. A paradigm shift like this would do everyone a world of good on so many levels, from a tiny urban plot to sprawling suburban acres. I’m loving it.
http://www.danpearsonstudio.com/#/selected-works/private/oxfordshire/
Any volunteers?
June 17, 2013
Really, look around…do a quick survey of your site…and make a few notes as to the indigenous plant material that has made a home there on its own…the volunteers. If they are doing well, you have the added benefit of knowing that in addition to being happy they’ll be safe from attacks by local fauna. This is a great jumping off point when selecting the plant material for your new landscaping project. The juxtaposition of modern meadow against structures, clipped yew, tallhedge or boxwood may be just the simplequietmodern statement you’ve been looking for. Dutch landscape master Piet Oudolf illustrates this point to perfection in the design of the Highline in Manhattan as well as both public and private spaces around the world. If inspiration like this can come from a quick inventory of flora in an abandoned elevated train track I imagine you could pull a little magic from the “surprises” popping up in your yard. 
http://www.oudolf.com/piet-oudolf
http://remash.tumblr.com/
simplequietmodern 