Landscape & Garden Design Examples

Stone garden path bordered with colorful plants

Reflection Path

Our client sought a tranquil retreat for rest and reflection after stressful workdays and a long commute. Low maintenance was a paramount garden design consideration. We created a stone pathway flanked by colorful, aromatic, resilient, and drought-tolerant plants. A slow stroll along the path melts away the day’s stress, reconnecting one with nature—and with self.

Shady Garden Pathway

The addition of a fence and gates at both ends of the path leading to the side entry and backyard gardens creates a private, enclosed space—perfect for enjoying a morning coffee or an evening cocktail at a bistro table. This low-maintenance home garden design in Madison thrives in shady conditions, offering a zen-like sense of calm and relaxation.

Plants were selected to perform well in shade while providing subtle variations in texture, form, color, and height. The garden design incorporates several native species, including Early Meadow Rue, Carex shortiana, Heuchera ‘Autumn Bride,’ and Christmas fern, along with Geranium, Hosta, and other Carex varieties.

Pocket Prairie

On a quiet Madison street, a narrow strip of weedy grass once clung to life along the sidewalk—overlooked, compacted, and uninspiring. Today, that same space tells a very different story.

Designed almost entirely with plants native to southern Wisconsin, the garden transformed this forgotten edge into a vibrant, living landscape. More than 20 native species were carefully chosen to provide beauty and interest in every season: Spring brings the delicate nod of wild columbine and the soft foliage of Amsonia illustris; Summer erupts with the color and movement of Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea pallida and Echinacea purpurea), Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), Prairie
Coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata), and the architectural drama of Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolum). As Autumn arrives, Prairie

Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) glow in warm tones, while seed heads and grasses carry the garden into winter with texture and structure.

Beyond its beauty, this garden plays an essential ecological role. New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Eastern Beebalm (Monarda bradburiana), Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), sedges such as Carex shortiana and Carex albicans, and prairie species like Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) and Prairie Smoker (Geum triflorum) provide food, shelter, and nesting material for birds, pollinators, and beneficial insects year-round.

What was once a strip of tired turf is now an exemplary Madison garden—one that proves even the smallest spaces can support wildlife, reflect regional character, and bring daily joy to those who pass by.

[Installed spring 2023. Pictured September 2023.]

Pocket prairie garden with young native plants.

Whispering Oaks,
Permaculture Farm

Work in Progress

This is a multi-year landscape and garden design commission that began in 2024. The photo shown was taken before work started. In view of the farmhouse are rolling hills, an apple orchard, vegetable gardens, barns, a collection of animals, a creek, and a pond. The possibilities for this place are endless. Extensive stone paths and gardens are on the drawing board. The land and home are rich with history and character, and our goal is to remain true to the spirit of the place—thoughtfully enhancing its beauty and ecological health in a respectful way.

New Beginning

Work in Progress

More to come on this full front- and back-yard residential garden renovation in Madison, started in 2025.

Folly Afield's Display & Trial Gardens

Location: Buena Vista, Wisconsin (translation: beautiful view)

Home, plant nursery, playground—this is our haven, where gardens bloom, a place for continuous experimentation and learning. Nestled among the hills of the Driftless Region, our Italianate Victorian home, built in 1885, speaks to the history of those who came before us, while the plants in our expansive gardens whisper their own lessons about growth and resilience.

This is where design ideas and garden dreams are sown, and where we propagate some plants for our clients’ gardens. It’s a magical place, and one we invite our clients to visit.

Low walls, steps, and paths constructed of native sandstone guide the way. Weathered wooden fences enclose a horse paddock and the prairie-inspired “field” garden. A solitary windmill stands sentinel—a timeless echo from before modernity’s hum.