Creating a Vision

Above: A sampling of Janice Parker’s work.

Recently honored with the 2016 Stanford White Award from The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art for Landscape Design, landscape architect Janice Parker’s new book, Designing a Vision (The Images Publishing Group; $59.95), features the accumulative experience of her stellar career as a landscape architect, horticultural specialist, garden consultant, teacher, floral designer and speaker. Her hands-on experience in every facet of landscape and design combined with her award-winning creativity inspired the work in the book.

Containing firsthand accounts of Parker’s experience and practice, Designing a Vision is replete with case studies, anecdotes, illustrations, insights and visual aids. A beautiful and informative book, it contains lush, verdant photography, striking graphics and insightful and entertaining narratives, accompanying color renderings, watercolors, inspiring artworks and project plans. This is a book for anyone who loves beautiful gardens and appreciates the art of landscape design. Janice Parker Landscape Architects, Greenwich; 203-340-2824; janiceparker.com


PLANTING IDEAS

Landscape plugs ready for planting.

Lindquist Design Associates has been incorporating plant communities into their designs with impressive results. With this concept, plants are selected for their compatibility to the site and to each other, and the ground is densely covered using plants with ground-hugging foliage tucked under ones that grow more upright. Landscape plugs that are typically five inches deep are used whenever possible and usually planted on twelve-inch centers. These communities are designed to be managed rather than maintained, so the need to stake, divide, deadhead and water after establishment is reduced. They also increase biodiversity, support bees, butterflies and other pollinators, and reduce the need for mulch. Learn more with Planting in a Post-Wild World by Claudia West and Thomas Rainer. Bridgeport; 203-335-9895; lindquistlandscape.com


IN GOOD SPIRITS
Jan Johnsen’s latest read celebrates the beauty of stone

Stone has long been revered for bringing a special “feel” to the garden. But a new generation of gardeners is discovering the importance of incorporating natural stone in the landscape for function as well as beauty. It’s all about achieving low-maintenance stonescapes with high-end appeal.

Award-winning garden designer Jan Johnsen’s new book, The Spirit of Stone: 101 Practical & Creative Stonescaping Ideas for Your Garden (St. Lynn’s Press; $21.95), is a richly photographed, authoritative guide to creative and practical uses for stone in outdoor spaces. “Rocks can be a still, small voice or a dramatic, booming song, depending on how you use them,” Johnsen says. “Bringing natural stone and stonework into your garden can elevate it and anchor it, all at the same time.”

Stone’s practicality is especially appreciated for its low maintenance, sustainability and water conservation. For an environmentally conscious yet aesthetically pleasing landscape, stone ticks all the boxes. The Spirit of Stone is an essential idea book and how-to for designers, homeowners, stonemasons, builders and DIY-ers. Johnsen Landscapes & Pools, Mount Kisco; 914-666-4190; johnsenlandscapes.com

 

Photographs of Janice Parker Landscapes: Neil Landino Jr.; Photograph of The Spirit Of Stone: Jan Johnsen

 

 

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