The design process begins with an informal interview in order for me to assess what you envision for your garden. In the initial consultation, we will explore your horticultural and design interests. We will discuss your long-term vision for the garden you want to see flourish through the years. We will examine how we can best use the available outside space to create the ideal garden for you. In developing a design, I will take into account your budget: how much you want to invest in the materials, design, and implementation. Following this initial planning stage, I will develop a proposal outlining in detail how the garden will be designed and built. This will give you all necessary information about materials and cost, as well as a schedule for the garden’s completion. Once you have reviewed the proposal and agreed on its content, a contract will be drawn up and signed. The proposal will include the following details:

• Site inventory and analysis that will create a base map at an appropriate scale
• Conceptual drawings and preliminary plans, which will include the house and surrounding buildings (if any), trees, stonework, major landmarks, drainage futures, and pertinent elevations

Once the proposal is completed, a second meeting is then scheduled to review the drawings. At this point, we can adjust the plan and schedule and make any necessary changes before we start the final drawings that will be used to create the garden. A master design plan itemizing the location of the plantings will include a list of all the plant species and other materials used, each detailed by cost.

My interest in working with plants and their place in nature began at an early age when I began helping my father maintain our vegetable plot at home. In 1982 I entered the College of Viticulture in Maribor, Slovenia. After completing my degree, I continued studying agriculture and related pursuits at the University of Maribor. While a student, I was awarded a six-month internship at the Holden Arboretum in Mentor, Ohio. After my return to Europe, I worked as a horticulturalist and landscaper in Osnabrueck, Germany. In 1992 I returned to the United States to continue my pursuits in landscape design and horticulture. For eight years I worked for a large perennial a nursery and landscaping company in the Baltimore area. During that time, I attended George Washington University, where I completed a certificate in Landscape Design. In 1997 I started my own company, Urban Designs, focusing on the design and implementation of private gardens in the Baltimore and Annapolis area. I also install speciality gardens and work together with various landscape contractors as needed.