I was honored to twice create a landscape plan with this amazing family! A few years ago, we completed a master plan for their property, but then they had to move before completing the project! This time around, they needed a smaller design that would still bring beauty and a bit of revival to their […]

Heating costs are expected to rise just about every year – it costs a lot to keep our houses cozy during winter. Growing up in North Carolina, winter didn’t seem like a big deal.  However, now that I’ve spent 7 winters in New Hampshire and 3 in Iowa, I know winter is game time. Cold weather […]

In the final phase of our signature design process, we get to the stuff that you can touch, keep, and see. After all the preliminary background work, and all the conceptual design, and the final design work is finished, it’s time to get our clients some lovely and useful materials that they can use to install […]

The next step in our design process is the “real” design.  Combining the background practical information from phase 1 with the aesthetic, stylistic direction we got from phase 2, we rely on solid design fundamentals to site actual things in physical places.  We’re not dealing with concepts any longer- we’re making the plan that will be […]

This lovely brick home was newly built in Ankeny and the owners were desperate to get some landscaping to soften it.  We worked with them on a landscape design that was inspired by prairie plantings –  and just wild enough to give a nod to their roots – while still able to stand up to […]

Next up in our tour of the Red Fern Landscape Design signature process is Phase 2: the Conceptual Design.  Once we are done with all the basic core discovery work from Phase 1 and we have the background we need to make good decisions, we move towards the design concepts for your landscaping. In our conceptual […]

Maybe your landscape is a blank, new-construction slate, complete with a tiny, useless deck, some not-so-interesting sod and a couple of spindly trees.  Or maybe (like me) you inherited someone else’s shrubs around the house, a patio and deck that need lots of work, and a walkway that makes no sense.  If you’re hoping for […]

Adding an outdoor gathering area is a great way to bring your party outside and increase the living area of your home.  Choosing how big or small to make it can be intimidating.  The quick answer?  Well, you can always use more space.  Bigger is often better for outdoor seating areas, and it’s hard to […]

I miss all kinds of things about growing plants in the Southeast and in New England, but probably the biggest loss for me is the giant, blue bombs of color in summer you get from a mophead hydrangea.  Sure, you can grow mophead hydrangeas in Iowa, but their flowers will be pink.  I love that blue so […]

Sure, the planting beds around your house can look pretty.  But have you thought through how investing in plantings can reduce your home’s energy needs? So many benefits come from shade trees – Areas with trees have reduced crime, increased property values, less road rage and traffic accidents, and people even drive slower on tree-lined streets! PRO […]