The Study Garden

2022- ongoing

Ossining, NY

A landscape in transformation.

When we arrived, the garden was defined by a few ornamental remnants—a dead weeping cherry, struggling ornamental plums, and a vast monoculture of pachysandra. The only plants we chose to keep were a mature viburnum and two Cornus florida, though even they now contend with a changing microclimate. The most impressive presence was an old white mulberry, which provided shade and privacy, but over time, we discovered it was succumbing to root rot, a reminder of the garden’s delicate balance.

Set on a slope, the land came with its own set of challenges—drainage issues, basement leaks during summer storms, and soil instability. The original planting offered little in terms of ecological value, beauty, or resilience.

The Study Garden is not static—it’s a place of observation, learning, and transformation.

  • tree foliage and sky

    01

  • landscape garden study garden design

    02

  • geraniums sloped garden grasses

    03

  • pink dogwood flower tree

    04

  • beekeeper landscape garden

    05

  • irises perennial trough cat garden steps

    06

  • garden perennials flowers slope design

    07

  • primrose white flowers grass perennial garden

    08

  • rhododendron orange deciduous

    09

  • slope landscape lights garden design

    10

  • thalictrum purple perennial garden design

    11

  • perennial garden underplanting pink flowers

    12

  • shrub evergreen winter

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  • snow garden shrubs trees winter

    14

  • winter shrub seed heads landscape garden

    15

  • shrub branches in winter tree snow

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The Shift

Rather than maintain an outdated planting scheme with little ecological value, the goal became rethinking the ground layer—choosing plants that could hold the slope while being both productive and beautiful.

This garden is a study in adaptation—an evolving experiment in how a landscape responds to its history, its conditions, and careful stewardship.

Inherited Landscape

When we arrived, the garden was home to a dead weeping cherry, ornamental plums, and a white mulberry that, while impressive, was slowly succumbing to root rot. The only existing plantings we kept were a viburnum and two native dogwoods.

The site’s steep slope brought its own challenges—drainage issues, soil erosion, and major basement leaks during summer storms. The existing pachysandra monoculture offered little ecological value or interest.

  • Before 2021