Current Projects: English Country meets Portland Agrarian

Recently, we were working in Northeast Portland. In collaboration with our client designing a backyard that would set the stage for all the activities one would expect from a young couple - summer outdoor dining, informal get-togethers and gardening opportunities galore. In determining the design direction for the backyard, we looked to the agricultural history of the neighborhood as well as the English countryside - the childhood stomping grounds of the client.


Prior to being partitioned up for residential homes, areas of Northeast Portland consisted of an impressive patchwork of agricultural fields and orchards. In exploring the design of this backyard, we gave a nod to this agrarian past by proposing a singular orchard tree as the focal point of the backyard.

The Prunus serrula
in our design scheme serves as the garden's living sculpture - providing year-round visual interest.

Important to the client was recalling aspects of the English countryside. Beautifully crafted dry stack stone walls are synonymous with the farming fields of England. Our design proposed a stone seating wall to frame the outdoor patio.
















Talk of English gardens pique your interest? Interested in learning about landscape architects who looked good in powdered wigs? Check out the combined design genius of William Kent and Capability Brown.