Category Archives: My Work

LET IT SNOW

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McCullough, My Work, Post Holiday, winter
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Well, since Christmas we have had quite a beautiful showing of snow storms.  My theory is, if it is going to be cold it might as well snow.  And I will say since last winter was so mild a few inches of snow is very welcomed. I took the opportunity in between storms to go out and grab some pics of the beautiful white blanket on a few of our clients Christmas lights.

 

This is from this morning out my back window of my hedge of Fernleaf Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula ’Asplenifolia’ – for all you plant nerds.

Front Door Containers

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C O N T A I N E R S, McCullough, My Work, Uncategorized | Tagged ,
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I finally remembered to get a photo of our front door container planted this year. Our landscape has a lot of greens, whites and purples, so I try to use the same colors in our container with modern influences taken from our home’s ranch architecture.

The plant combo this year is limited to four, but only three are currently visible. The height comes from Birds of Paradise (Nicola strelitzia) planted in the back and the trailing is Ipomoea batatas ‘Blackie Sweet Potato Vine’ and Tradescantia pallida ‘Pink Stripe’. What you cannot see is Asparagus deniflorus ‘Myers‘ – Foxtail Fern, which will take off here shortly and fill in middle section. Here is a photo of what the Foxtail Fern will look like (via Monrovia):

Here is a look at the containers compared between this year and last. The physical planters were changed to provide more contrast to the house color. Also these were taken early (2012) and late (2011) in the season so the density is not comparable yet.

 

Holiday Decorating – a Modern Take on Traditional Favorites

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Holiday, My Work
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One of the projects we worked on last week was decorating the interior of the client’s home. We had free reign on the design, so we used the client’s artwork and decor to pull the color and design. We focused on the stairs and fireplace in the great room.

The great room is smokey black, lots of white trim and 10 windows, filling the room with natural light. We choose to use red as a dramatic accent to the black and white room.

The mixed green garland is accented with magnolia leaves and juniper branches. Red glitter ribbon draws the eyes across the mantle. 
We also created this arrangement that will last the whole season. Pussy willows, variegated oregano and magnolia leaves. This could be created at home with clipping similar plants from your landscape. Swap the Pussy willow for Red Twig Dogwood and the oregano for boxwood.

Next we worked on the stairs in the entry hall. Here we wrapped mixed green garland with LED lights, accented with juniper berries and eucalyptus. To give a bit of a more modern feel, we added Yellow Dogwood stems. The stems add a smooth swoop to the textural garland and a bright pop of color.

We had a wonderful time decorating the house as a team, and hope the homeowner was surprised (and happy) with the transformation. Oh and here is a look at the lights outside the house we also did.

Hello, My name is Nick.

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My Work
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I figured with the Country Living Blogger Award, there might be some new visitors wondering: who is this guy? Here is some background on me, why I am passionate about landscape design and why I started this blog. 
I live in central Ohio with my wife and my two year old son, James.
My son James from earlier this summer.
I attended The Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) and received a B.S. in Landscape Horticulture and minor in Art History. I started my family managed landscape design/build/maintain business (McCullough’s Landscape & Nursery) when I was still in high school by mowing lawns and it grew from there. We are now verging on our 15 year in business.

This is one of the first big design projects I completed and one of my favorites.
The bottom image is of a 3 acre hill of wild flowers we planted. 
I am a plant geek. I am known to call out the Latin names of plants no matter where I am. For “fun” I like to weed and work around the garden at the home or at the Farm, where our offices are located. I think mowing the yard is relaxing.
(PHOTO OF LANGFORD COURT)
One of the most influential experiences on my career and design esthetic was a study abroad program in England while I was in College. While there I was able to tour amazing gardens, from traditional to modern. Top on my list of places to visit is Holland. 

These two photos are from a modern garden in England from my study abroad trip.
My personal design aesthetic is tight hedges, limited palate of hues and limited plants used in mass. My favorite plants are Japanese Maples.
This garden includes my all time favorites, boxwoods and German Automobiles.
See more photos here. 
Besides landscape design I am passionate about German cars, The Buckeyes and Columbus Blue Jackets.  And if I am not working I am visiting favorite Columbus haunts with my family, watching Columbus sports teams,  or renovating our 1970′s home.
You can see the whole family are Blue Jackets fans.
 I started this blog because I had so many inspiring photos, amazing gardens, and design knowledge that I wanted to share. Also, I thought there was a hole in the blog world of someone talking about design in the garden beyond plant types and vegetables. I wanted to provide the knowledge and tools for homeowners to get the look they see in books/magazines and feel confident to experiment in their own yard.  I hope you enjoy reading this blog and if you ever have any questions, please comment. I will do everything I can to get you an answer.