Oehme, van Sweden & Associates
Wolfgang Oehme
James van Sweden
This three-acre bayside property, with a modern house designed by architect Suman Sorg, was van Sweden’s weekend residence. In the southwest corner of the site along a road, he created a pond, planted with wild rice, cannas, water lilies, and bulrush, abutted by hardy perennials and grasses. To the southeast, a dense grove of native American holly, sweetgums, catalpas, and southern magnolias provides a visual screen from passersby. To the north, beyond a pool, he experimented with native plantings. The low-maintenance landscape changed throughout the seasons, until in February, when the grasses would be cut down, and the cycle would begin again.
In 2013 the property was sold. Recent images indicate that major, character-defining elements of van Sweden’s design are gone.
There was also the day in which we were lounging by the pool reading aloud the transcription of Monica Lewinsky's grand jury testimony, and laughing so much and so loud it seemed impossible that Jim did not live there next to us so we could have this much fun every Sunday. I stopped reading and said, "Jim, you have to get a home here, this is too much fun.[1]
Though we have collaborated on projects all over the world, the most fun we had was designing Jim’s house and garden on the Eastern shore of Maryland. The result of our work together has always been a fine balance between architecture and landscape architecture, and this project was its perfection. [2]
The Artful Garden and Ornamental Grasses. see resources
[1] “Reflections of Jim by Hilda Brillembourg, August 2010,” TCLF.org, last modified October 2,
2010.
[2] “Reflections on James van Sweden by Suman Sorg, FAIA, September 2010,” TCLF.org, last modified October 2, 2010.
Roger Foley (American, b. 1951)
Foley earned a B.A. in art from the University of Notre Dame with a concentration in photography. He published his first solo book, A Clearing in the Woods: Creating Contemporary Gardens in 2009, and his work has won top honors from the Garden Writers Association. His photography can be found in hundreds of books, and his commercial work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, and websites. He conducts workshops and frequently lectures for various groups, including the American Horticultural Society, and the Garden Club of America.