Allen Hirsh / Landscape Design Firm in Silver Spring, Maryland

I was raised by the leading landscape designer in central New Jersey (my mother) and became involved in the family nursery beginning at the age of 11 in the 1950s. I was a fanatic right from the start about introducing new plants into the New Jersey landscape and my parents, who were pioneers in the retail nursery industry in many ways, were only too eager to oblige. So, as early as the 1960s I was experimenting with palms, monkey puzzles, eucalyptus, evergreen dogwoods, evergreen Sophoras, etc. My success rate was much lower than in the last three decades here in Washington, but it gives you an idea of how long I have been accumulating my store of knowledge. Working with the family nursery in the early 70s, Potomac Garden Center when it was on River Road in the late 70s, and in my landscape design and installation business, The Intense Gardener, from 1986 to 1991, I developed my own distinctive landscape style, centered on an exotic look with reliable, if not always common plants. I eschew many of the trends of recent decades, e.g. overuse of ornamental grasses, hostas and black eyed susan at the expense of a vast range of tough ornamental woody plants and a much broader range of perennials, and exclusive use of eastern US natives, to name two of the most popular fads. Even though I will use a very broad range of ornamentals, my long training in the nursery industry and my specialized knowledge as a plant scientist enable me to make choices that will be adaptable without being invasive. If you want a garden full of color, multi-season interest and artistic flair, I can provide you with a wealth of ideas. My website gives you an idea of my broad love of plants and the wide range of experimentation I pursue in my own garden, but I am no means constrained to execute only exotic lanscapes. Call or email me today if you wish to engage my services.

Specialties

Commercial & Retail Landscape Design Ornamental & Native Plant Specialist Residential Landscape Design Shrubs Trees Xeriscaping Expertise