Freda contrasts the wild and abundant with the tame and structured. One backyard garden in Chelsea featured a pergola with a retractable awning; a fence with built-in planters for evergreens, grasses, and trailing vines; and a stainless-steel Jacuzzi. (ecofriendly)
These dynamic designers created the much-ballyhooed roof garden at 684 Broadway. They recently transformed four acres surrounding a home in Bedford, New York, using wood, stone, concrete, and plants to blur the line between indoor and outdoor space.(ecofriendly)
Hollander creates lush outdoor spaces tailored to the client’s needs, from classic country to urban-contemporary. Recent award-winning projects include a Fifth Avenue courtyard garden that features borders of Green Gem boxwood around seasonal white flowers.
These urban-landscape designers enjoy adding splashes of color to the gray concrete jungle. Case in point: Their cool, geometric roofscape design for the Carroll Street MTA Plaza features swathes of grasses and flowering perennials in stacked Corten planter boxes. (ecofriendly)
Chris and Lisa Goode teamed up with Amy Trachtman to launch Goode Green in 2008. The three have done projects like the organic Eagle Street Rooftop Farm and a meadow for a suite at the Crosby Street Hotel. Aside from looking lush, Goode Green’s roof gardens provide insulation, reduce storm-water runoff, and often yield fruits and vegetables. (ecofriendly)
Alec Gunn designs gardens and outdoor spaces that offer tranquillity and functionality. He’s done chef’s-grade grilling facilities and outdoor dining rooms—and even a rooftop basketball court. He sources local building materials and emphasizes diverse and native plants. (ecofriendly)
While every garden is tailored to the client, Harrison Green approaches all projects looking to do more with less. They often use evergreens and simpler plantings to create classic landscapes that still have a contemporary edge.
The guiding principle at this firm, founded by Hank White, is building holistic, ecological systems that establish harmonious longevity and vitality. Whatever the region or scale, their approach to design is always based in science.
Heilner works with the particulars of your home’s environment to choose plants that thrive year after year. To provide privacy at a Fire Island house, she incorporated a wall of cryptomeria, which proliferates in sandy soil.(ecofriendly)
Trained in environmental design at Parsons’ Paris branch, Cox works everywhere from Manhattan to Morocco, juggling high-profile jobs like the New York Botanical Garden with smaller backyard and terrace projects.
A recipient of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, Ruddick has a pioneering environmental approach to landscape design that integrates ecology, urban planning, and city culture.
Pons’s firm can concoct wild or highly manicured creations. One Long Island garden overflowed with colorful flowers, while the courtyard of a Manhattan townhouse boasted a hedge of trees framing a gravel courtyard.
Nomad Studio may be based in New York, but it has a host of international clients. The firm has built futuristic urban plazas in Guadalajara and Frankfurt. Back home, they construct conceptual gardens and Astroturf parks.
Hayes creates artful gardens using a subtle range of colors and textures. Her signature sculptural elements incorporate a wide range of recycled materials such as metal, stone, wood, and glass. (ecofriendly)
This seasoned team of horticulturists, landscape architects, and designers boasts some 40 years in the business and delivers everything from urban green roofs to a holiday-décor setup, complete with Christmas tree, wreaths, and lighting design..