Sandbox Land Studio Landscape Design

Ecological landscape and garden design

In Washington D.C. and Maryland

A hand sketch of an Aronia melanocarpa twig with leaves and berries

Why Hire Sandbox Studio?

I am at heart a problem-solver. I love to fix awkward, uncomfortable, or unusable spaces and enjoy working past the obvious to envision three-dimensional solutions and design options that you may not have considered. I enjoy working on challenging sites with steep slopes, tricky grade changes, small yards, and other constraints that daunt other designers. Hiring me to develop a concept plan for your property before spending money on piecemeal projects will prevent you from making expensive mistakes and missing opportunities to make the most of your space. I have been working with and around plants since 2005 and will design your garden based on existing conditions, your preferences, budget, and preferred maintenance level. Learn more about me.‍

  • Improve access to the outdoors and views to outdoor spaces from inside your home
  • Prevent damage from stormwater by reducing flooding and erosion
  • Improve ecological functioning and biodiversity
  • Spend more time outdoors enjoying nature
  • Turn your steep slopes into an asset
  • Stop feeling on view of your neighbors
  • Retaining walls and steep slopes
  • Learn to garden and feel empowered
  • Connect to the earth by eating fruits, nuts, and vegetables produced on your property.

Selected Projects

Craftsman Rustic & Native Plants

These clients had a dilapidated old deck and garage that constricted access to the yard, full shade from a large mulberry tree and neighbors' bamboo, and a desire to spend more time outside and create habitat. We designed a new deck with tiered steps that opened up the back yard, an irregular flagstone patio and walkways, a rain garden to infiltrate roof runoff, and a pollinator garden featuring straight-species native plants that was planted in the fall of 2022. I drew up deck and pergola construction details, which received County approval with no revisions. The house is still undergoing renovations. A local architect worked with the clients to create a cabana on the same footprint as the tiny garage, creating a garden office and entertainment space in keeping with the home's Craftsman roots.

Construction details for a residential deck including plans, elevations, and sections

Midcentury Stormwater Management and Outdoor Living

This homeowner was concerned about an eroding slope, a muddy back patio, and stormwater entering through the lower door of the house. To complicate matters, an easement limited options in the side yard. A wall just outside of the easement prevents runoff from reaching the back door and new patio. A gravel walkway infiltrates stormwater between stone steps, which can be moved in the unliikely event that work must be done in the easement. Native shade-loving plants also slow down runoff. The shed was relocated and the area planted with ferns, which thrive in the moist soil. As part of the project the narrow deck was expanded by several feet, creating a much more usable perch from which to enjoy the season long-blooms in the back yard.

Before and after photos of a landscape design. Before shows a steep, muddy slope and a dilapidated low fence along the side of a midcentury house. After shows the same slope regraded with monolithic bluestone steps and a gravel walkway of 3/8" river stone. A new wooden deer fence with vertical slats and a Craftsman gate surrounds the back yard, and native shade-tolerant perennials frame the walkway in green.
Before and after photos of a landscape design, looking down from the top of a slope. Before shows a steep, muddy slope, dilapidated low wooden and chain-link fences, and a muddy, uneven patio. After shows the same slope regraded with monolithic bluestone steps and a gravel walkway of 3/8" river stone. A new wooden deer fence with vertical slats defines the yard, native shade-tolerant perennials frame the walkway in green, and a new retaining wall ensures that stormwater does not drain onto the new bluestone patio.
Before and after photos of a landscape design, looking at the house from below. Before shows a muddy and uneven patio, a small deck, and a curved walkway from one to the other. After shows a new bluestone patio protected from stormwater runoff with a retaining wall, an expanded deck, new bluestone steps from the deck to the patio, and expanded native plantings with seasonal blooms.
Photo of an installed landscape design with new monolithic bluestone steps and 3/8" river gravel between them. A new vertical deer fence acts as a background for native shade-tolerant plantings including Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), ferns, Erigeron pulchellus 'Lynnhaven Carpet', Phlox, and more.
Photo of an installed landscape design showing a new bluestone patio in full color range to complement the midcentury house and a stepped retaining wall holding back grade. A new wooden deer fence protects plants from roaming herds of deer. Purple irises transplanted from elsewhere on the property bloom in the foreground.
A closeup of native Maryland plants, specifically low purple Phlox in front of ferns.
Native planting we designed in the back portion of the yard including foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), ferns, phlox, Packera Aurea (Senecio aureus), Red Buckeye, and more.

Rowhouse Modern Steel Deck

The owners of this rowhouse previously had to descend dilapidated stairs from the main level of their house to reach their yard, which contained a narrow path and no liveable space. A new steel deck with a pergola added 85 square feet to this 500 s.f. back yard, creating two gathering spaces where there had been none. The pergola was designed with steel cables to support flowering vines that will attract hummingbirds. Once the vines grow up they will create a shady, private oasis from this hot, south-facing space in full view of the neighbors. A rain garden is being installed soon and will infiltrate stormwater and provide a patch of habitat for city pollinators.

Space to Gather in Kensington, MD

These clients wanted space to host large parties, and their existing patio wasn't cutting it. The tiered aluminum pergola has a 24' x 24' central gathering space and two 12' x 12' wings, one with an outdoor kitchen. The pergola also has motorized louvers that can be closed in the rain, and fans to ensure the space is enjoyable even when mosquitoes are present. A new stone fireplace acts as a focal point and, along with river birch trees, partially encloses the space. A low deck to the side provides an additional space to enjoy a hot tub.

A late evening photo of an installed landscape design in Kensington, Maryland. Dark vertical trunks of trees frame a pergola aglow with light and filled with 50 to 60 people. A stone chimney with a wood-burning outdoor fireplace anchors the end of the pergola, which also holds an outdoor kitchen. Light spills out onto the lawn, which is streaked with the shadows of trees.
An early evening photo of a landscape design in Kensington, MD. A louvered white aluminum pergola with lights and a fan frames the space overhead, and a new bluestone patio below provides a large space to gather. A stone fireplace with chimney anchors the space, and a round table is set out with brightly-colored snacks, all set up for a party.
An early evening photo of a white aluminum two-tiered pergola and a stone fireplace with chimney taken from above eye level. Chairs line the space, snacks are set out, and several people work in the outdoor kitchen, getting ready for the party to start. A new birch tree and plantings sit in alcoves to frame the space.
An early evening photo of a landscape design in Kensington, Maryland. A louvered white aluminum pergola with lights and a fan frames the space overhead, and a new bluestone patio below provides a large space to gather. The last light of the day illuminates the trees behind. A stone fireplace with chimney anchors the space, and two chairs with bright cushions frame the fireplace.
An early evening photo through the nearly bare fall branches of a young river birch tree to a new gathering space beyond, showing the new bluestone patio and in the background, people preparing for a party. The river birch's three slender trunks and delicately peeling peach and white bark evokes the white aluminum supports for the pergola behind.
Two pieces of patio furniture with patterned blue, black, and white upholstery and wicker bases sit on a new bluestone patio and underneath a white aluminum patio, waiting for party guests to arrive.
A before image of the project in Kensington, Maryland with a small bluestone patio with a curved edge, large enough for only a single table and chairs.