NE Portland Yard Gets a Pollinator Friendly Makeover
I’m Hilary Hutler and I am thrilled to be joining Carol and Landscape Design in a Day! Carol asked me to introduce myself and share one of my pollinator friendly landscape designs here on our blog.
About me: While this is my fifth year working full-time as a landscape designer, I’ve been interested in horticulture and plants for many years. My first job was working with edible gardening on an organic produce farm, next I trained as a Portland Master Gardener which gave me a solid foundation for understanding all things plant-related in the Pacific Northwest. I continued taking landscape design courses while working at Pomarius Nursery, one of Portland’s most unique retail plant nurseries.
Helianthemum nummularium ‘Ben Hope’ (Rock Rose Ground Cover) in NE Portland Pollinator Garden Design for front yard. May photo.
They specialize in growing and selling a much wider range of plants than a garden center. Working at a plant nursery is an incredible way to broaden your plant palette so within just a few years I learned the existence of more ornamental plants (and how to use them) than I could have ever dreamed of. I worked as a landscape designer on the Oregon Coast for several years and while I loved it and learned so much I live in NE Portland – that’s a long commute.
Before Photo – North Portland landscape needs a landscape design to give the new homeowner pollinator friendly plantings, lots of color and friendly curb appeal. Photo by Hilary Hutler
How I met Carol founder of Landscape Design in a Day, a Portland Oregon company.
While Carol and I had met a handful of times over the years, we decided to consider working together in 2022. Carol was a fabulous business mentor to my friend and fellow designer Alana Chau, and had a unique approach to landscape design services, so when she invited me to meet up for coffee to discuss working together I said yes. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn from her. We collaborated on a few designs in the fall of 2022, and I gladly accepted her offer to join Landscape Design in a Day.
Hilary’s Favorite Front Yard Landscape Design in N.E Portland
One of my most cherished projects is a landscape design opportunity I fell into by luck. I was walking my regular neighborhood route in the University Park neighborhood when I stopped to chat with a woman who was placing boulders out in her driveway to give away.
The boulders are planted with lots of Hens and Chicks filling in nicely between boulders with a mound of dark burgundy leafed Sedum above. (Sempervivums and Sedum hylotelphium ‘Matrona’.)
Her front yard was devoid of beauty – it was over planted with numerous (as in over ten) Japanese Maples placed too close together and no understory plantings to speak of. The previous owner had attempted to build a large pond, but the project had fallen into disrepair and there were way too many boulders. She wanted to change the existing landscape from bleak to wonderful. On a whim, I gave her my telephone number.
Well, our meeting up that day turned out to be one of those wonderful gifts from serendipity, because not only did I create a total landscape redesign of her front yard, we’re also now good friends. She loved making the focus of the planting plan about feeding pollinators and colorful plants. I loved being part of such an amazing new front yard.
These pollinator friendly plantings are also low water. Purple Salvia, Cistus – Rock Rose and in the back the very dark purple is a spanish lavander named ‘Otto Quast’. Spanish lavander blooms earlier than most lavander and that helps feed bees and bumblebees. May photo.
Front Yard Pollinator Paradise Landscape Design
I love this no lawn front garden design for colorful plants, fragrance, interesting textures and a perfect pollinator paradise. Here are just a few of the plants I used in our very collaborative design process.
(These are all super duper pollinator friendly)
English lavander in bud underplanted with “Elfin Pink’ thyme is a study in textures in May but by mid June their flowers will come on strong and feed many kinds of bees.
Hellianthemum n. ‘Ben Hope’ – Sunrose
Sedum h. ‘Autumn Joy’ and also ‘Matrona’
Salvia n. ‘May Night’
Cistus Purpurea – Rock Rose
Helictotrichon sempervirens – Blue Oat Grass
Senecio greyi (Brachyglottis) – Evergreen Daisy Bush
Contact Us for a Collaborative Design Experience
We prefer collaborating with our clients at their kitchen table to get a perfect fit landscape design. Are you looking for a designer who wants to help you find your style? Would you like to support bees and other pollinators? We love city landscapes and bringing the color and vibrancy of nature to our clients. Contact us today!
