Landscaping Ideas That Work

I’m back! Julie Moir Messervy Rejoins FG

landscaping ideas that work

Our new book with Taunton Press, full of fun tips, befores and afters and case studies of projects from all over the country and Canada.

It’s been about seven years since I last wrote for Fine Gardening, and a busy seven years it’s been. Since 2007, my colleagues at JMMDS-my landscape architecture and design firm-and I have written three books on landscape design with The Taunton Press, Fine Gardening‘s publisher, including Outside the Not So Big House (with Sarah Susanka), Home Outside, and the just-released Landscaping Ideas that Work, also the name of this blog.

Our Work

We’ve continued to design landscapes for our many residential clients, who live in our home state of Vermont and other parts of New England and New York, but also in Virgin Gorda, New Mexico, and even British Columbia. We love designing parks and master plans, working on projects big or small in Greenville, SC, Overland Park, KS, Richmond, VA, and Sandwich, MA.

A JMMDS residential project in Massachusetts that features fastigiate Ginkgo trees set 20' on center.
A JMMDS residential project in Massachusetts that features fastigiate Ginkgo trees set 20′ on center.

A recent Vermont project on a beautiful site that features native plants.
A recent Vermont project on a beautiful site that features native plants.

A recent Vermont project on a beautiful site that features native plants.
A recent Vermont project on a beautiful site that features native plants.

JMMDS designed Hidden Hollow, a new three-acre children's garden at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, MA.
JMMDS designed Hidden Hollow, a new three-acre children’s garden at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, MA.
This client took our Home Outside design and turned it into a beautiful and very personal garden.

Coming Home

I’m so pleased to “come home” to Fine Gardening once more! My team and I have so many new ideas and ways of thinking to share with you all and we look forward to being able to communicate so much more easily now, thanks to the wonders of the internet. Please let me know what you’d like me to blog about, ask questions and send comments, and download our app and send your designs to JMMDS so I can post them on these pages.

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Comments

  1. 4mandy 04/05/2014

    Where can we get this app? I have about a 2 in. to 1 ft. area along a driveway that really could use some help! It is south / south west facing, and varies along the length of the driveway. I had a landscaper design it for me, but he did not take into account the varying space available to plant. It just isn't working for me, so I could really use some help!
    Thanks so much in advance!

  2. Julie_Moir_Messervy 04/18/2014

    Hi 4mandy,

    Sorry for the delayed reply…we just saw this! Thank you for your inquiry about our Home Outside Palette app. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can find the app here in the app store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/home-outside-design-create/id440420011?mt=8&ls=1). If you don't have an Apple device, just wait a few weeks--we'll be bringing it out for desktop and Android devices soon!

    That does sound like a tricky spot to try to design, but with the right mix of perennials and ground covers, you won't have to worry about it any more. We hope you'll find Julie's blog posts informative and inspiring!

    Best,
    Jennifer (JMMDS)

  3. user-4747352 06/03/2014

    I loved the garden in PA. How in the world do you get all those plants to grow? How long has it taken? Do they constantly mulch or let the leaves compost? I have a (what to me) is a huge front/back and two side yards and lots of woods and shade but I can't get my plants to grow. However my son and wife have shared manure from their horses with me (last summer) and it has made a good difference. What is the cheapest way to go if you are on a fixed income age 76 and can't afford those stepping stones? Any ideas will be appreciated.

    1. jmmds 06/16/2014

      Hello and thanks for your comment! Do you mean the Vermont project with the huge perennials beds? Well-prepared beds, the right choice of plants for the conditions, and good compost are the keys. The cheapest path we know of is a dirt path. Keep it clear of weeds with a scuffle-hoe, and you won't even have to bend down! Mown grass paths can also be very nice on a large property. Good luck!

  4. mixingreen 01/21/2015

    i love the landscapes
    how id the application for the phone?

  5. user-7008312 11/21/2016

    Great to see your back....and with another fantastic article too

    Your Calgary Landscaper

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