timetable

Landscape artist Colleen Holmes is known for wonderfully thoughtful and entirely distinctive projects. In the one she describes here, she was asked to do her usual in designing and executing an intricate job complete with a pond and waterfall, extensive plantings, retaining walls, pathways, lighting, a teahouse and more – and to make it all happen in a frantic 60 days that saw her and her crews working around the clock, seven days a week.

Pastoral Frenzy

My first experience with these clients had to do with their backyard pool: They let me know they weren't quite satisfied with what they had and wanted me to come in and set things straight. The result of this collaboration was a tropical, Hawaiian-style paradise they truly love. The next time they called, it was about their large front yard. I initially assumed, of course, that they would want me to carry themes established in the backyard out to the street, but I was mistaken: What they desired instead was a Japanese garden-style woodland complete with a pond/waterfall system, a teahouse and more. Admittedly, it's somewhat unusual for a property to have so pronounced a split personality, but in this case, it was not only what the clients desired, but it also made perfect sense because