I was recently presented with a Community Service Award from the Oregon Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architecture (actually it was months ago, but better late than never!). This award puts me up in the company of leading regional landscape architects like Carol Mayer-Reed who have received the same Community Service Award in past years. It’s a real honor! ASLA is the professional organization
Homestead Tour
Check out before-and-after photos, garden plans and lots of pretty photos of our homesteads. See how our current home is in the process of transforming into a productive homestead after just two years. Or view images from our original homestead where we planted roots for eight lively years.
Homestead Garden Update
It has been two years since we uprooted ourselves from our first homestead and planted roots into our new digs – still in Portland, but closer in to the center and closer to family. I wanted to give you a peek around the place to show you how things are growing in. The front yard is a drought-tolerant design that includes lots of ornamental grasses, which will
How to Build a Fairy Garden Planter
This spring I began adding nature play “stations” throughout the homestead to make our outdoor space feel even bigger. I created a series of small fairy gardens at these stations using simple materials with Juniper’s help. They were easy projects to do together and have made a fun addition to the homestead. Our homestead has different use zones: intensive vegetable growing in the raised beds, an all-season outdoor
Favorite Edible Evergreens
Winter is the perfect time of year to size up the evergreen structure, or lack thereof, in your garden space. Evergreens are often overlooked and unappreciated, leading the otherwise fullest summer gardens looking sadly bare during the cold months. Consider adding an assortment of these wonderful, edible evergreens to your homesteads. Bay leaf tree (Laurus nobilis) grows as a large shrub or small bushy tree, getting
2016 Vegetable Garden Plan
This year my vegetable gardening plans are bursting at the seams! I poured over seed catalogs this winter, put in a huge seed order from my favorite suppliers and spent way too much time planning out every plantable inch of our homestead. The result is this colorful diagram that shows what will grow where this season in our raised beds. It’s important to take the time
Landscape Design
LANDSCAPE DESIGN Renee Wilkinson received her masters degree in landscape architecture from the University of Oregon. She works as a residential landscape designer in the Portland metro area helping homeowners transform their outdoor spaces. Renee partners with licensed contractors to ensure the design vision becomes a well-constructed reality. Renee is especially interested in planting design, edible landscapes, nature-play spaces and sustainable landscape practices. She incorporates ecologically-sensitive design
Holiday Solstice Tree
Our holiday traditions have evolved over time, as they should. The childhood season of presents has given way to a season of simplicity in adulthood – quiet hours, comfort foods, making warm memories with family and friends. It’s less about the “stuff” and more about celebrating the season of the Winter Solstice. Our annual holiday tree is a reflection of that evolution: transforming what was once a traditional Christmas tree
Simple Backyard Nature Play
Our homestead garden plan includes a small area reserved for an evolving nature play space for our little ones. We didn’t have a budget to work with, so most the play elements were based on what we had on hand. It’s a flexible space that can change over time as the kids grow and their interests change. That means none of the play elements are permanent or expensive.
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