I finished my master’s degree 19 years ago, and have practiced as a landscape designer in various capacities ever since- that’s well over a third of my life in this field. I’ve run this business, worked for other companies, moonlighted while I taught school full-time, and fit in projects while I kept two babies alive. […]

One of the best parts of my job is seeing the designs we come up with become real life outdoor spaces in my clients’ homes. but the thing is…I don’t do that work! I have to rely on quality landscape contractors to install the projects that my clients and I work so hard to create. […]

As the Shade Tree Short Course starts up this week, I’m thinking about questions my clients might have about trees and tree work, and I often get asked how to choose a “tree guy”.  But first let me say I wish there were more women in this industry! Caring for the trees on your property […]

Oh, winter.  For five months, if we’re not intentional, our landscapes will be mostly brown and grey with a little bit of white now and then.  And we long for color!  Especially when it’s cold out.  Once the perennials die back and the deciduous plants drop their leaves, what’s left in your yard? While anything […]

Happy August! At this time of year, garden centers in Iowa and in other cold parts of the country are beginning to mark plants down.  Well, this girl loves a bargain!  How do you decide if it’s worth it to pull over when you see those 30% off (or more) signs? Don’t be swayed by […]

I’m so grateful for peony season … when my very favorite perennial shows off! There is just nothing like the enormous ice cream cone blooms of an old-fashioned peony.  Scent, cut flowers, great foliage – these perennials have it all.  Maybe you have some questions about peonies and are thinking of planting some, now that […]

One of my very favorite ornamental trees, Magnolia stellata, or star magnolia, is just a showstopper in the springtime.  Its strappy white blooms flutter in spring breezes (or sometimes FLAP in Iowa’s bluster!) and are such a welcome sight early in the season. The tree is native to Japan and handles our central Iowa culture […]

While I’m certainly ready for my surroundings to turn green again, I’m also grateful for beautiful springtime days that highlight the outline and structure of the trees around me. Form is a powerful element of design.  The shapes we’re surrounded by can affect the mood and feel of a space.  Landscape trees come in a […]

When I started Red Fern Landscape Design, our kids were babies and my office was carved out of a corner of our bedroom.  Since that first year I’ve had an office in each home we’ve lived in that was dedicated to the business – that has been wonderful.  Design work involves spreading out lots and […]

People often ask what plants to combine in a garden – How does a person choose? Take this clematis as an example.  What blooms would work with this simple stunner? There are many factors that inform a decision about plant combinations.  One way to help the decision is to get to know the delicate intricacies […]