FALL/WINTER 2024
Clockwise from top: photo by Daniel Jenkins of phase 1 of Dry Prairie Garden in Denver, CO; natural beehive encountered on site walk at Juneberry Ridge, Norwood, NC; fall color in the perennial border at Emily Henderson’s, Portland, OR; Juni playing at in the gardens of Palazzo Moroni, Bergamo, IT; and Pico Playground designed by our incredible friends at De Molfetta Strode in Lugano, CH.
WELCOME NOTE | 11.24
It has been a busy fall. With new work in new locations, long-planned projects under construction, and a garden conference in Italy, we have been zigging and zagging, flying and caffeinating.
And so, on this cold sunny morning here in Colorado, I am taking a moment to reflect on this season, our 5-year anniversary, and the work ahead. This issue will cover hedgerows, takeaways from Nigel Dunnett’s workshop in Italy, and our new studio space. Thanks for the read!
Cali
ANNIVERSARY | 11.24
Studio Campo Turns 5
This fall marks the fifth anniversary of our office. It began with a dream to build landscape studio dedicated to craft and beauty. In the early days, I started by gardening for acquaintances and serendipitously my friend’s grandmother, Sidney, who gave me freedom and camaraderie in her garden.
I went from gardening to garden design (a profound reset from the large-scale projects I worked on previously) and through a handful of wonderful clients began to thread my family’s farming experience into more complex and increasingly rural projects. I am grateful to Amanda Jeter for joining me on this ride, my husband Chad Saxton for building the furniture in my head and bringing his craftsmanship to our work, and to our staff and collaborators–past and present–who have shaped the office.
In defining our true North, we find ourselves bending further towards the land, towards smaller moves, towards other makers. Throughout this, we have been led by a core belief that thriving ecosystems benefit the human imagination as much as the species they support. We are inspired by a sense of enoughness, by the peculiarities of place, and by the abundance of the natural world. Nothing profoundly different than any other landscape architecture firm but increasingly coming into focus for us.
Today, we have a workload I could have only dreamed of five years ago. To this, we owe a great deal to our clients, whose wild dreams– of a residential library in the mountains, of hobbit holes and winter truffle harvests, of camping in a coastal rainforest, of chickens in a walled garden, of, of, of– provide the canvas and motivation for our work. For all your dreams, your trust, and your partnership, we thank you. Cards will be in the mail soon.
OFFICE | 9.24
New Office in Historic Washhouse
We’ve moved. Still in the same charming corner of Denver’s Lower Highlands. Same 1890’s building. But now we are the sole tenant of the historic washhouse, a cute-as-pie outbuilding off the alley. We have furniture to make, art to hang, and a basement showroom / lounge-y space to get up and running but are happy to be here and for all that our landlord Dan has done to house and support our business in these early years.
EDUCATION | 9.24
Dispatch from Bergamo
Amanda Jeter
To celebrate our firm’s fifth anniversary, we headed to Bergamo, Italy for the International Landscape Festival in September. Garden Masterclass, a British-based organization that curates workshops to bring “together gardeners and designers with the very best and most innovative people in the gardening world,” hosted a master class with renowned plantsman Nigel Dunnettat the ancient Monastery of Astino.
Mr. Dunnett and Ms. Guilfoyle’s workshop centered on the idea of planting design as an art form. They asked participants to share photos of landscapes that evoked strong emotion. The class opened with the instructors running through several of these photos and leading a discussion on why these types of natural, undesigned landscapes were so evocative, contrary to designed landscapes that can feel insipid in comparison. Ideas of the sublime, rich textures, rhythm, repetition, and curating a path (line) through naturalistic landscape patterns came up in the discourse.
Following this discussion, Mr. Dunnett explained the steps of the FLOW approach to planting design.
Develop a vocabulary of local vegetation types and plant communities (e.g., grasslands, woodland edge, wetland, etc.)
Understand and “feel” what the site needs. What would this site do if left alone for a few years? He said that solutions come from the place instead of designers imposing one upon it.
Develop a mass-space plan to create a dynamic vegetation structure for the site as a unified scheme.
Create connections and flow between spaces to immerse people in the feelings evoked by the planting design. Mr. Dunnett accompanied the FLOW workshop step 3 with music to help inspire creative energy. Participants used pastels and parchment paper to gesturally draw ideas for a reimagined monastery courtyard that could host exhibitions, festivals, restaurant activities and museum visitors.
The class concluded with each small group sharing the pastel drawing planting schemes. Several participants struggled with the abstract nature of the class, wanting to dive in to more functional and ecological considerations. However, all gained an appreciation of prioritizing an artistic process as a guide to enriching landscape design that shares some of the evocative qualities of undesigned, natural landscapes.
Photo Captions
1: Repurposed Astino Monastery is now a museum and event center with surrounding flax fields managed with sustainable eco-friendly techniques.
2: Evocative landscape image from Manatee Springs State Park in Florida
3: Courtyard landscape of Astino Monastery and site for the FLOW workshop.
4: Participants in small-group FLOW step 3 to create a mass-space plan for the courtyard. Participants included landscape architects from Italy, BOGL from Denmark and Schroer Studio in Germany.
5: Urban landscape in Sheffield, England by Nigel Dunnett using ‘The Sheffield School’ approach of designed planting communities for modest maintenance, rich biodiversity, and high aesthetic impact.
HEDGEROWS | 10.24
A Love Letter to Hedgerows
Cali Pfaff
Our topical deep dive this month is hedgerows: how to use them and plant them. Hedgerows are often associated with the nice part of town. Well-kept lawn, big trees, tidy hedges. While this association is valid, I come at this primarily from an agricultural bent. I see the hedgerow as an antidote to one of the greatest challenges of modern farming: the monoculture. As the part owner of a vineyard, farming a single crop (for us, 160 acres of 490 are under vine) can often feel at odds with ecological goals and more grindingly, my worldview. In comes the hedgerow.
Hedgerow as a Habitat Powerhouse
While there are lots of methods to insert biodiversity into a monoculture (subspecies diversity, polycultures, co-cropping, cover crops, no till farming, etc), none is as potent as a multi-species hedgerow. A hedgerow can agilely fit within the armature of row crops, whose size and layout is informed by tractor width and turn radiuses. A hedgerow can also just as agilely fit into remnant spaces created by these same strict geometries and connect to existing habitat areas. A hedgerow creates an ecological peninsula all yearlong, extending the life of forest into the vineyards, housing and feeding pollinators, birds, and small mammals. Because the hedgerow is woody and permanent, it provides habitat as well as forage, supporting both resident and migratory species.
Hedgerow as Palette Cleanser
Another magical function of the hedgerow is its use as a palette cleanser. While hedgerows can be showy, most of the year they are quiet green walls. This quietude is one of its secret powers. It allows a designer to emphasize other visual elements in a scene. Lawns play a similar function but far more ubiquitously than hedgerows. The verticality of a hedgerow allows it to play with perspective more powerfully.
Hedgerow as World Expander
The next world-bending function of the hedgerow is its ability to frame, conceal, and expand views. Because of its inherent inconspicuousness, the hedgerow is a chameleon. Placed along a property line, it can borrow views from the landscapes beyond. Placed along an outer boundary it can create a sense of enclosure that paradoxically makes a space feel larger, rather than smaller. And interwoven, hedgerow can help shape one’s journey through a landscape, constricting and revealing views, quietly directing your glance and feet.
Hedgerow Best Practices
Having planted successful and unsuccessful hedgerows, here are a few tips:
Site prep is essential. A hedgerow, particularly a native one, planted in a weedy margin will not outcompete invasives.
Irrigate during establishment. Temporary irrigation in the first two growing seasons will allow a native hedgerow to establish and thrive. If not possible, plant prior or during the wet season.
Woody mulch aids establishment. I have tried underseeding hedgerows as a green mulch but have found using woody mulch during the first three seasons leads to better outcomes. Underplanting is preferable after the hedgerow is established, not concurrently.
Hedgerows are for everyone! Bareroot plants are an incredibly cost effective way to plant. You can get 50 plants for $100. Give it a try. I recommend this line of power drill extenders to speed up planting. Mine is pink.
Thanks to Morgan Bonnem who developed these beautiful hedgerow graphics for Meadow Lake Farm
OVER AND OUT | 11.24
Oregon Office Hours
Starting in December, Cali will be hosting regular office hours in Oregon to better serve our projects there. First week of the month, every other month from Thursday to Tuesday, and on Saturdays by appointment. 2025 months will be February, April, June, August, October, December. December dates are 12/5-12/9. Let us know if you’d like to get on the calendar!
The Winter / Spring Issue will cover winter planning, seed starting, stonework, and a visit to Amanda’s half-acre production garden. Thanks for the read! If you prefer to opt out, please click the link below.
THE END