WHAT EVEN IS AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN? In Iowa, we are cooped up half the year. While the weather is pleasant, we want to be outside as much as possible.  I get a lot of questions about outdoor kitchen design – what’s needed? How do you plan? To help you get started, I want to teach […]

Let’s start with the front yard on this fun project.  This is really a case of “business in the front, party in the back”!!  The front yard plantings are lovely, but the real fun happens when we get to the back yard. Here in the front we have a great mix of colors and textures […]

Every pathway should get you from point A to point B. That’s the lowest bar. I think it’s not a path if it doesn’t! Really, the journey is what matters. You can tell when you’re on a well-designed pathway. It has a purpose. Its shape, layout and materials all support that purpose. We can create […]

If you’ve spent any time on our website, you surely recognize this beautiful home. This landscape project was one of Red Fern’s first design jobs in New Hampshire many years ago, and it has never made it to the blog until now! We love the gracious front porch, the green on green on green peaceful […]

We put together a plan for a great couple in Pleasant Hill.  This project focused on both the front yard’s curb appeal and privacy in the back yard. Building on what they already had in the landscape, we created a retreat from busy life and shelter from the noisy main road near their home. The […]

When working with clients on a landscape design, I balance so many different things. We want an instant landscape, but we need to watch the budget. We want low maintenance plantings, but we want instant gratification. I often remind my clients that landscapes take time to grow. Just about every picture on Pinterest or Houzz is […]

WHAT EXACTLY IS FINE GARDENING? Fine Gardening is our maintenance service, where we come to your property and make sure your gardens look gorgeous. It’s how you get good-looking planting beds while you’re at work or at home. This service is for our busy clients who don’t have the time to dedicate to their garden […]

This gorgeous farmhouse in rural Adel needed its landscaping finished. While the builder had already poured a back patio, this farmhouse needed more landscaping to feel like it was settled into its surroundings. The homeowners plan to build a lovely barn and needed landscaping around it- plantings and a patio seating area.  They also wanted help […]

This beautiful old home in downtown Des Moines needed a new front yard landscape that could handle many jobs.  First of all, the existing front stoop was added some time ago and was beginning to disconnect from the house. A grander entrance that fit the Arts and Crafts style of this house would make such […]

Plenty of us have garden beds with plants in them, walkways to our front doors, and patios out back. Yep – nothing particularly special or earth-shattering. Maybe your front walkway and the skinny beds around it are weed-free, but not impressive. Maybe the garden bed out your back door has some nice colorful blooms in […]