OvS is thrilled to be a part of the Hine

OvS is thrilled to be a part of the Hines-Urban Atlantic winning team on the Walter Reed Campus redevelopment! http://ow.ly/qWCmQ

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New Website and Blog Email Subscription

We’re pleased to announce that Oehme, van Sweden has launched a new website at www.ovsla.com. The new site includes a blog, and as a result, we will no longer be posting to this WordPress blog and will be shutting it down in the next month or two. In the meantime, we encourage those who have subscribed to the blog by email to subscribe to the new blog on our website. You can do this, and read our latest blog post on Eric Groft’s talk at the Parrish Art Museum’s Landscape Pleasures event, by clicking here: http://ovsla.com/east-hampton-garden-designed-by-ovs-featured-in-parrish-art-museum-tour/. The “subscribe by email” form is located in the right sidebar.

Thank you!

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Galanthus Elwesii

Galanthus Elwesii - the "Elwesii" Snowdrop

Is there a better announcement of spring then the first glimpse of a Snow Drop? There is none more elegant and regal than this Galanthus elwesii seen at Jack Lenor Larsen’s Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton, NY on Thursday March 10th. While the rest of the east coast was drenched with grueling rain the east end of Long Island was chilly and partly cloudy with brief rays of sunlight peaking through the clouds.

The Elwesi Snowdrop boasts giant white flowers with predominantly green inner segments and broad, often glaucous foliage. It grows to between 4 and 5 inches high (7+cm). As seen here, the Galathnus Elwesii has lovely, nodding, 3 lobed, bell-shaped, clear white, fragrant flowers; and inner segments, resembling a corona (often green-tipped). It blooms here in the late fall, throughout the winter and into spring. This is a great flowering plant for rock gardens, woodlands and the fronts of borders. It performs best in shade in rich, well-drained soil.

Happy Spring!

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Arnold’s Promise

Our Hamamelis ‘Arnold Promise’ is blooming and quite fragrant this week.  This dependable late February bloomer reminds us of what is around the corner.  It’s time to cut back your perennial garden in preparation for spring! We highly recommend this deciduous, medium size flowering shrub for your front garden.

As one of our favorites among the woody plants, the hybrid Chinese witch hazel ‘Arnold Promise’ flowers dependably for about a month from February to March. The bright bursts of highly fragrant tiny yellow blossoms will remind you of sunnier days ahead. Planted in sun or partial shade, it’s excellent in woodland gardens.

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Save the Date for a Celebration of James van Sweden!

If you are an avid Oehme van Sweden follower, you’ve probably heard that our newest publication, The Artful Garden: Creative Inspiration for Landscape Design, was released February 1^st, 2011.

In celebration of the book’s release, the Cultural Landscape Foundation and the New York University’s Cantor Film Center will host an evening dedicated to the life and work of James van Sweden. The event will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 5:30 pm.

A screening of selections from the van Sweden Oral History project will be shown followed by a panel discussion with clients and colleagues. The Oral History includes a downloadable transcript of the interviews featured on the Web site, and reflections by 18 of his friends, family, colleagues, collaborators and co-workers about his life, career and legacy.  

There will be a book signing held at the conclusion of the event. It is free and open to the public, courtesy of the New York chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Horticultural Society of New York and the New York Botanical Garden. Space is limited however, so reservations are required.

James van Sweden’s book will teach you how to think in ways you could never imagine, while providing all of the tools and tips necessary to turn his inspiration into something amazing.

Join us in New York on March 16^th and help us celebrate the hard work and dedication of an amazing landscape architect.

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Scott Arboretum Visits Danieli Garden

This September, Oehme van Sweden principal, Eric Groft, will lead members of the Scott Arboretum on a tour of the lush East Hampton garden in The Springs on September 22^nd of 2011.

The Scott Arboretum is the campus of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The members of the group are avid gardeners and many are regular volunteers at the Scott Arboretum.

The Arboretum has invited several members to join them on a four-day, three-night excursion to travel the Gardens of Long Island from September 20-23, 2011. Jeff Jabco and Julie Jenney will guide each member to experience the beauty of various public and private gardens spanning from the Oyster Bay area to the east end of the North and South Forks.

Here’s a glimpse of some of our work that will be featured during the tour.

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Historic New England Gala

On Friday, January 7^th, Oehme van Sweden principal Sheila Brady attended the sixth annual Historic New England Gala in Boston, Massachusetts. The Gala is a benefit supporting the Preservation Maintenance Fund, which helps to raise money for projects that contribute to the long-term sustainability of Historic New England’s properties.

For the last century, Historic New England has worked to preserve the original architecture and culture that characterizes one of the loveliest regions in the United States. It is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the country.

The black-tie event was held at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. Bunny Williams, world-renowned interior designer and garden expert, was featured as the guest of honor during the cocktail and dinner hours. Rare items from Historic New England’s collection were on display for everyone’s viewing pleasure.

The Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Connecticut is just one of the 36 Historic New England properties.

All proceeds from the gala went directly to the preservation fund and were matched one-to-one by an anonymous foundation. If you would like to make a contribution to the fund, visit Historic New England’s Online Shop.

To learn more about the Preservation Maintenance Fund, please call 617-994-5951.

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The Chicago Botanic Garden Trellis Bridge

There is exciting progress on the Trellis Bridge at the Chicago Botanic Garden! Construction began this past fall and with the stone piers and steel beams in place, the bridge is ready for wood decking.

The Trellis Bridge is the third in a series of bridges designed by Oehme, van Sweden at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Each bridge was designed with classic elements of the garden in mind. The Serpentine Bridge recalls the gentle meandering form of a garden path. The Arch Bridge and adjacent plantings were inspired by Monet’s famous bridge paintings and an Impressionist color palette. The new bridge features a cable trellis to guide vines planted on the shore out past the water’s edge and along the span of the bridge, providing a contemporary take on the traditional garden trellis.

Once completed, the Trellis Bridge will link Evening Island to CBG’s Plant Evaluation Garden and the new Plant Conservation Science Center. The Plant Conservation Science Center is a LEED Gold Certified 38,000 square foot facility housing state-of-the art laboratories and teaching facilities to support the garden’s ongoing mission of plant conservation. The building’s viewing gallery and green roof (designed by OvS as well!) are open to the public and offer visitors a unique opportunity to get a firsthand look at the science and study of plants.

Stay tuned as construction on the Trellis Bridge progresses!

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A Visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

On Wednesday, October 27th Oehme, van Sweden Principal Eric Groft and long standing client Barbara Slifka were hosted to a lunch and tour of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden by President Scot Medbury and Dr. Gerry Moore, Director of Science. From its humble beginnings as an ash dump in the late 1800s, Brooklyn Botanic Garden has come to represent today the very best in urban gardening and horticultural display, attracting more than 700,000 visitors and serves over 150,000 school children each year.

Scot has been with with the Garden five years and has initiated some ambitious projects including a new herb garden, visitor center and expansion of the local plant collection.

A highlight of our visit to the Garden was the beautiful fall color in the Native Flora Garden, and the emerging colors in the maples located in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. To view photos of the beautiful fall foliage, check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Flickr photosharing page.

What a delight to revisit this gem of a garden located right in the heart of Brooklyn!

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OvS Blooms on the Shores of Lake Champlain

One of the things we love most about landscape architecture is watching the reaction of our clients as they experience the beauty of their gardens unfolding over time. We were recently reminded of this when we received an email from Jamie and Bob Craft, whose camp “Wits End” features landscape architecture by Oehme, van Sweden.

In their words…

“We arrived here at Wit’s End at about 5:00 this afternoon and could not believe our eyes. The Mountain Mint is up to my chest, as is the Monarda. The little purple geraniums, which were an inch or two high last year and spotty at best, seem to be about two feet high and totally covering the area. You have seen photos of the Nepata, which is also very full, tall and happy. The bank is very full, not much in bloom yet. I will send photos. We are ecstatic. The grasses just above the patio are about my height. I just came in the house, shaking my head and said to Jamie ‘I am flabbergasted. It is just unbelievably glorious.’ Thank you again!”

Thank you Jamie and Bob for allowing us to share your appreciation of your garden. This really is what its all about for us!

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