The Designers

Hello again!

It’s always difficult to know exactly where to start, so I thought I would begin by covering a few of the landscape designers that are an important influence in the fields of design and landscape architecture. These are some of the most well-known, most talked about and undoubtedly most important players in the field of landscape design. While none of these will be a surprise to anyone with a design background, it is a good starting place for those of you wanting to begin understanding how to layout and design outdoor living spaces. I had thought about starting with more of a history based beginning, but ultimately I think people would be more interested in the people and styles.  

I’ll keep the posts to a couple-three a day – versus writing a book – from the overall list below. I am not intending to be an expert on everything about these individuals, and honestly, someone else has already covered it. What I am intending to do is provide you a look at the key players and provide you with a good list of further reading, websites, etc. so you can continue to learn and develop as you see fit.

I am a wholehearted believer in copying the masters, at least until you are comfortable enough to bring your own creations to light. But, before you can copy, you need to know who they are, so let’s start by covering some of the greats.

1. Lawrence Halprin (1916-2009)
     · Modernism

2. Garrett Eckbo (1910-2000)
     · Modernism

3. George Hargreaves (1944- )
     · Post Modernism/ Landscape Urbanism

4. Dan Kiley (1912-2004)
     · Modernism

5. Martha Schwartz (1950- )
     · Landscape Urbanism

6. Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932)
     · Arts and Crafts Movement/ English garden

7. Peter Walker (1932- )
     · Landscape Urbanism

8. Piet Oudolf(1944- )
     · New Perennial Movement

9. Thomas Church (1902-1978)
     · Modernism/ California Style

10. Richard Hagg (1923- )
     · Modernism/ Minimalism

11. Humphrey Repton (1752-1818)
     · Pastoral/Picturesque/ English Garden

12. Hideo Sasaki (1919-2000)
     · Modernism

13. Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994)
     · Modernism

14. Frederick Law Olmstead(1822-1903)
     · Pastoral/ Picturesque/ Naturalism

15. Michael Van Valkenburg (1951- )
     · Landscape Urbanism

16. Carl Theodor Sørensen (1893-1979)
     · Modernism

17. Capability Brown (1716-1783)
     · Pastoral/ English Garden

18. Geoffrey Jellico (1900-1996)
     · English Garden

19. Jens Jensen (1860-1951)
     · Prairie Style

20. Andre Le Notre (1613-1700)
     · French Formal

I hope you will find this useful. I can’t even begin to remember the number of times I wished there had been a nice, succinct listing of the key information I was looking for. By the time I finish this list, there should be a nice resource for you to review in the future when looking for ideas and inspiration.

Until next time…..