For years, I've wrestled with buzzwords like "sustainable" and "resilient" in landscape design. While these terms are well-intentioned, they often oversimplify the complex, ever-changing nature of our environment. The truth is that factors beyond our control — drought, fire, pests, disease — are constantly reshaping what's possible in our landscapes.

It turns out that the Romans marked time, not with numbers, but with named days: the Kalends (the first), the Nones (the fifth or seventh), and the Ides (the fifteenth). 

I’ve realized that we also find intimacy with places. We notice details and create memories and stories in our backyards, favorite trails and city parks. We pay attention to how they change season by season and over time. This attention can also be understood as love.

Lately, I have been reflecting on the many ways we create a sense of place and groundedness. How do we decide on where we feel we belong?

I have also noticed that  wasps in my garden are more active and aggressive in the fall. They have built themselves the papery mansion pictured above. All kinds of insects become extra busy at this time of year as they prepare for winter dormancy.  

As a native Californian, residential projects were always on my mind. My grandmother had been friends with Thomas Church, landscape architect and pioneer of the ‘California Style’. He designed my grandmother’s gardens, my parent’s garden, and many of their friend’s gardens. I am sure that spending time in these gardens shaped my point of view as a designer and inspired me to create my own practice.