Project Galleries
Before and after shots are fun to look at, but are you curious about the process in between? These galleries give you a glimpse into the messy middle of each job.
Karen & Rex - 2025
Karen & Rex’s Craft Garden
This is a great example of a young garden. Installed and photographed in Fall of 2025.
The short staggered walls were in existence as defense from the occasional car that swerved onto the property. The rocks were also existing and we were able to place them with intention as a part of the design. The goal was to incorporate as many native plants as possible while also matching the character of the house and not hiding it.
What natives?
It is a wonderful mix of Willamette Valley Natives, Southern Oregon and California too.
Some are familiars from the Willamette Valley like Mahonia, Yarrow, Pearly Everlasting, Manzanita, Milkweed, Tufted Fairy Grass, Oregon Sunshine, a dwarf cultivar of our Philadelphus, Sidalcea (3 kinds), Iris, Lillium Columbianum, Sedums, Goldenrod and Aster.
While others hail from further South or more Central Oregon like Frangula, Lupine Albinfrons, Zauschneria/Epilobium and Opuntia Cacanapa ‘Elisiana’ (a spineless prickly pear) and a few hardy Agave. I am so excited for Spring and Summer!
See more in the gallery below.
Kathryn - 2022
Kathryn’s Craft Garden
Kathryn’s garden has had 3 years to get established. It is surrounded by a friendly open metal panel fence that shares garden views while also providing a bit of privacy and a boundary for her dog.
Raised beds for growing veggies and cut flowers float in a 1/4 inch open gravel area that provides room for bocce with friends.
Native plants pepper the palette and it is buzzing with all kinds of bees and life throughout the year.
See more in the gallery below.
Susan - 2022
Susan’s Craft Garden
Susan’s transformation began in 2022. She asked for a Fairytale style garden to play with her unique clinker bricks and stained glass windows. Her custom craftsman light fixture and hand forged iron porch railing called for a Craft Garden Design.
The entryway was widened using flagstone with a natural uncut outer edge. Pathways have intermittent flagstone sections connected by compacted 1/4 inch gravel that is retained with a corten metal edge that makes graceful curves echoing that iron railing.
Quack grass roots run deep and an excavation of the site allowed for a fresh start and not an endless struggle. It also helped to address grade changes to accommodate a seating area. Irrigation was added with the help of a trenching machine and to nurture the new plants until they get established.
Windswept boulders were carefully placed and berms were constructed to make the landscape feel more mature and nestle in the seating area.
A mostly native plant palette has made itself right at home and reseeded as we had hoped. Editing allows for some continued artistic orchestration. Some non natives also exist here and add contrast and interest. This is one of my favorite gardens.
See more in the gallery below.
Mike - 2025
Mike’s Craft Garden
Mike’s project was installed in 2025 and photographed shortly after. It is still a young garden in these images. Mike brought a lot of new plants to my attention with this garden and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn here.
The addition of a parking space was created and a staggered fence line gave immediate screening until the plants fill in. A designated place for bins and a separate entrance for the resident in the back was also considered in the design.
A custom soil mix was delivered to increase drainage and mimic the conditions many of these plants are accustomed to. Mike wanted to forgo irrigation and I am so curious to see how these plants adjust to their new conditions. There are lots of natives to Texas and California, Mike has been experimenting with their cultivation in our climate and further North as well.
With climate change upon us, who will be our new natives? Many of these plants are technically in our climate zones for hardiness but aren’t found frequently here, yet. Quercus Hypoleucoides was chosen by Friends of Trees in Portland as their millionth planted tree, touting it as an excellent tree for our current and future climate challenges.
Manzanitas, Epilobium, Garrya, Bacharis and other natives from Oregon will grow along Salvias that Mike has raised from cuttings and hopefully Sophora, Tecoma and Lantana to name of few of the newbies to my world. Time will tell.
See more in the gallery below.
Nan’s Craft Garden
Nan already has a stunning mature garden behind her house and we have worked together in it for years. The front had been a work in progress but much of it was dominated by a messy sweetgum tree and a struggling lawn begging to be removed.
In 2022 we cleared the slate and added a small paver seating area where you can observe and ponder. It is tucked away almost like a bird blind. A new entryway welcomes guests through the garden with a winding path of compacted 1/4” gravel and staggered pavers that are tied together with engineered treads. This path also branches for a longer meander through the new plants allowing for garden access with maintenance and just enjoying. The 1/4” gravel drains and gives traction and is a stable walking surface.
Many native plants offer habitat and have made themselves right at home. Sidalcea and Gaillardia have reseeded freely. Manzanita and Garrya are evergreen and beautiful additions. Sea Thrift seems as happy as it does at the coast. It was an honor to build this garden with and for Nan as I know her garden is her sanctuary.
See more in the gallery below.
Nan - 2022
Annie & Colin - 2025
Annie & Colin’s Craft Garden
Annie and Colin had chosen a small outbuilding to serve as an office/guest quarters and needed my help designing a space that included outdoor gathering, veggie growing and layered privacy.
Outdoor Aesthetics handled site prep and pavers. I can’t recommend anyone more! I found a large round culvert piece that fit our space and need for a veggie bed. Blueberries mixed into the layered border along with perennials full of flowers, some natives and some not but all fit our color scheme and easy care.
Green space was seeded with a Dog Park Eco-Lawn Mix from PTLawn Seed for the dog and cat. I actually enjoy a little green visual rest that these spaces can offer.
See more in the gallery below.
