Great landscape design is a little like magic. Control the eyes, direct the feet, and draw people towards focal points in the landscape. In most landscapes this means hiding less desirable elements. A/C units, house foundations, neighbors all threaten the illusion your landscape design is creating.

Screens and fences are the answer to this landscape design problem. See how using horizontal slats can help you design and build distinctive fences and screens.

Almost all our sprinkler systems are now getting smart irrigation controllers.

I have installed Rainbird’s entry, plus Hunter’s wifi controlled unit, looked into Hyve, managed a bunch of Hydropoint controllers, and installed a bunch of Rachios- all three generations. Guess which one I like best?

Over the last 11+ months Ross NW Watergardens has been working on our largest project ever- a triple lot on Lake Oswego. Here are some progress pictures!

Garden Design (used to be magazine, now, sadly, just a website) has a series of recommended day trips for garden tours. The one for Portland, created with the help of JJ De Sousa, includes trips to Leach Botanical, Crystal Springs Botanical Garden, and (new to me) the Rogerson Clematis Garden.

For a couple of months you worked with Ross NW Watergardens on a landscape design. Then you signed off on a contract to install the landscape. You waited even longer for your slot in the schedule to arrive. Now, finally, it is time to plant. Guess what?

Some of the plants, so carefully chosen, are not available. Why?

Most of the time I do blog posts about stuff Ross NW Watergardens does well. This post is about something we do not do at all, ever- sell pond supplies.

Ross NW Watergardens has two vineyard / winery projects in the pipeline, one a home above a couple’s winery and the other a new garden at a winery that is soon to be built. Wondering what design principles come into play? Here are three things we have learned while planning for these projects:

Once your ADU is completed you will probably realize that your landscape is gone, available space is tighter, and there are now two structure that feel like the yard belongs to them.

How can you create garden that works as well as your ADU does? You can hire a landscape designer or DIY, either way these principles will help as you develop a plan.

What if your landscape is already completed, and isn’t as modern as you would like? Or maybe you are having a hard time completing the look because most garden accessories are traditional in style.

Here is a collection of truly modern accessories (some from Portland) that will put the finishing touches on your modern garden:

Pictures from a landscape designer’s visit to the Portland Japanese Garden!