Oak Leaf Hydrangea [Hydrangea quercifolia]

phenology research

2014 Award of Honor in Research
National ASLA
2013 Award of Merit in Research
ASLA Alabama Chapter

Plants contribute tremendously to the perception and experience of the landscape. Far beyond the conventional “softening” of “foundation planting,” plants are structural, spatial, active, dynamic, revelatory, functional, performative. The Phenology Project is a multiyear investigation that monitors the spatial and textural qualities of plants as they change through the seasons. A palette of plants are photographed each week for the entire year to record how the transparency, tone, and texture of each plant changes. As the ephemeral attributes are captured through photographs, the team experiments with representational techniques that enable designers to understand, conceptualize and employ these dynamic plant qualities in landscape design. For further design explorations in phenology, see Gravel Garden, Woodland Garden, and Field Lab no. 1.