Landscape Design Articles
Wabash Backyard Landscape Design Part 4 – Arbor Lodge in NE Portland
Wabash Cabana project before: view of old garage doors (and family dog). Cabana Project Recap In Wabash Backyard Landscape Design Part 1, we discussed the design challenges of reimagining a small space next to a garage into a beautiful outdoor space plus a...
Wabash Backyard Landscape Design Part 3 – Arbor Lodge in NE Portland
Tiny backyard in Arbor Lodge gets an experienced designer to make space for outdoor living East face of the garage before we open up the cabana side and add a set of small garage access doors. Arbor Lodge tiny backyard landscape design remodels the garage to get...
Wabash Backyard Landscape Design Part 2 – Arbor Lodge in NE Portland
Let’s talk about one of the smartest, most sustainable moves we made: saving and reusing their old patio pavers. The polymeric sand should be replaced occasionally as normal maintenance. Giving Old Pavers a New Life The “Money-Saving and Environment-Saving Award” for...
Wabash Backyard Landscape Design Part 1 – Arbor Lodge in NE Portland
Small Portland Backyard, Big Northwest Dreams: Designing a North Portland Outdoor Living Space Clients love their house and neighborhood but want dining, lounging and grass for their dog. It's too small. What do do? The Dream: Reimagining Outdoor...
Sauna in the City: Adding a sauna to a tiny backyard in Portland
Small Backyard Sauna and Outdoor Living Design in Irvington Neighborhood of Portland Oregon In the 1990s I sat on the steps in teacher Barbara Fealey’s backyard garden while she coached a group of us on proportion. She mentioned her favorite stair riser for...
Growing Blueberries in Portland, Oregon – My Advice to Clients
A Care & Fertilizing Guide for Growing Blueberries in Portland, Oregon Gardens, from your landscape designer — for clients with backyard blueberries (and maybe a dog or two). 1. Safety First — For Dogs and Plants Before adding any fertilizer or mulch, think about...
A Low-Water Landscape Design for Two Creative Portland Gardeners
Could we magically transform a small water-hog backyard to low-water plants with modern style and beauty galore? Here’s a story about one of my favorite recent backyard remodels — a small North Portland garden that turned into a low-water landscape design success. My...
Fall & Winter Devastation of My Portland Shade Plants by Root Weevils
Protecting Your Shade Plants from Root Weevil Damage in Portland Oregon As a landscape designer, one of my jobs is to help clients protect the value of their investment. A beautiful design only holds its value if the plants stay healthy and attractive, and that...
Tricky, Skinny Back Yard for North Portland Corner Lot – 2 of 2
Tackling a Tricky Back Yard in North Portland-Corner Lots can be Extra Tough Every once in a while I meet a client who reminds me why I love designing landscapes. This client lives on a corner lot in North Portland (zip 97217), and while her house is full of...
Tricky, Skinny Back Yard for North Portland Corner Lot – 1 of 2
Tackling a Tricky Back Yard in a North Portland-Corner Lot Can Be Extra Tough Every once in a while I meet a client who reminds me why I love designing landscapes. This client lives on a corner lot in North Portland (zip 97217), and while her house is full of...
Fun with Portland Dogwood Trees on N Wabash Street, Early Summer 2025
Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Trees, Coffee and Bakery, Art... and Goats Wabash Street dogwood flower explosion late May I was so fortunate to have worked for an arborist for several years before I started my landscape design practice over 30 years ago. My training and...
Creating Small City Backyard Retreats in Portland
Why Experience Matters in Backyard Landscape Design I was pleased to share the before photos of this Portland backyard garden retreat with you earlier this year in this blog post. Today, I’m thrilled to reveal some after photos—and tell a few stories along the way...
Spring Landscape Transformations 3 of 3
Hi everyone! I’m Carol Lindsay, Portland landscape designer since 1992. In those years I have seen just about every front and back yard situation you can imagine. I’m excited to share several landscape transformations right here in NE Portland. March brought us...
Spring Landscape Transformations 2 of 3
Hi everyone! I’m Carol Lindsay, Portland landscape designer since 1992. In those years I have seen just about every front and back yard situation you can imagine. I’m excited to share several landscape transformations right here in NE Portland. March brought us...
Spring Landscape Transformations 1 of 3
Hi everyone! I’m Carol Lindsay, Portland landscape designer since 1992. In those years I have seen just about every front and back yard situation you can imagine. I’m excited to share several landscape transformations right here in NE Portland. March brought us...
Landscaping A Mixed-Use House & Office Property in Eliot Neighborhood: Part 3
Integrating Pacific Northwest Native Plants Into A Dream Garden Design Native plants (including Vine Maple trees ) accompany the pedestrian access path for the in fill homes behind Leslies home. (Read parts one and two of this series.) Part 3 of Leslie’s Dream Garden...
Success with Olive Trees (and other Drought-Tolerant Plants) in Portland
Designers test tree. This Olive tree stands the test of time. I drive by this tree often and have watched it handle 10 Portland winters. In summer it gets hot south sun with reflected heat from paving in NW Industrial area of Portland (NW Pettygrove). Why Olive...
The Beauty of Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) in Flower Arrangements
Rudbeckia lacinata Herbstonne' with Gold Band Miscanthus grass in Portland summer garden. It's still flowering in October. My clients (in Portland, Oregon) often want a garden design with lots of flowers for making flower arrangements. I'm happy to create...
Three Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) for Color and Bee-Friendly Gardens in Portland Oregon
Rudbeckia f. 'Little Henry' in Portland garden design. Standing at just 24”, this petite version of black-eyed susan has uniquely rolled petals. I use it in my low maintenance landscape designs as well as pollinator gardens. Meet Little Henry Rudbeckia, for...
Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan) for Color and Bee Friendly Gardens in Portland Oregon
Growing Joy: My Love for Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) and Other Garden Favorites Let's get to know black-eyed susan (rudbeckia) for colorful pollinator friendly Portland landscapes and gardens. Welcome to Portland Oregon, my little corner of the world where greenery...
Preparing Your Landscape for Selling Your Portland Home
Spruce Up Your Yard for Curb Appeal: Expert Tips from a Landscape Designer Are you planning to downsize in the next few years? You might be ready for a simpler life, but before you sell your house, giving your yard a touch-up—or a full redesign!—could make a...
Native Plants and Functional Backyard Design for a Steep Hillside
Taming the slope for a family that loves to be in their back yard! Imagine walking into your own lush, forested oasis, where every corner is alive with the buzz of pollinators and the chirping of native birds. If you value sustainability, desire to sequester carbon,...
Winter Garden Tip: Wood Chips to Protect and Enrich Your Portland Garden
Wood Chips including Cedar Chips are a great way to have healthy plants. For many of our non-lawn garden designs, we opt for cedar chips instead of the traditional dark brown bark dust as a top dress. While some prefer the more conventional look of bark dust, cedar...
Winter Gardening Tip for Portland, Oregon: House Overhangs Can Create Overly Dry Winter Soil for New Plants.
Be careful: dryness under your house overhang can kill your new plants over their first winter. If you have an overhang on the house, your new shrubs will need watering on the back side this first winter to make it. It will be stone dry back under the overhang. This...
