Lately my passion has been guiding me towards the use of plants in combination with our stonework.
Herbs and vegetables thrive in this planting bed create by the use of terracing in this West Asheville Backyard.
One of the main reasons to use stone in the creation of outdoor spaces and living areas is to create something lasting and durable. Once the outdoor space is built in stone, time and nature begin their work and the opportunity to create something magical begins.
Evergreens creep over this Boulder wall outside Asheville, making it seem like its been there forever.
My experience with gardening, landscaping, and stone construction gives me a unique perspective on how to enhance our designs, softening the hard edges of the stone, and working with nature to improve over time what we have done. Thats the beauty of a stone landscape- with a little maintenance and care given to the plantings- it will only get better as it ages.
A ramshackle fieldstone wall in Newfane, VT is the perfect backdrop for a carpet of moss and ferns.
I've been lucky to see one of my projects in particular- an amazing outdoor living space in the heart of West Asheville- as it weathered over the last two years, and I've been given the opportunity to participate and guide some of the plantings in collaboration with the owner. This experience has shown me how important it is to see the project through and go the extra step to get amazing results.
Plantings around this West Asheville stone bench will fill in over time, softening and greening the sharp edges of the stone 
Melissa and Layla help plant Lavender, Creeping Thyme, other Herbs and Sedums in the West Asheville outdoor Living space. They will complement the stone and be useful in the kitchen!
Sedums flourish and spread in the nooks and crannies of stone features. In an outdoor living space or hardscape, the plants are usually just the last 10% of the time and money involved, but they have a huge impact going forward on the whole vision. Plantings can make or break all the hard work and money invested in a project, so my goal for the coming years is to become more involved with that aspect of outdoor living.
This sedum was blooming when I came by for a visit. Planted last fall, they survived a harsh Winter and are now well established to spread throughout this stone living space we created.
I'm looking for clients who want a comprehensive design, magical synergy of plants and stone, collaborations with other stone and plant workers as well as a greater knowledge of plant species and varieties, especially those that love stone as much as I do!
I take my inspiration from nature, like plants growing atop Grandfather Mountain. They need little to survive, clinging to the stone in harsh conditions and almost no soil. Magical!
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