Oehme, van Sweden & Associates
Wolfgang Oehme
James van Sweden
“A well-planned garden is not one but a sequence of experiences,” van Sweden wrote in The Artful Garden, in an essay that accompanied an image of this 2,500-acre family estate that fronts five miles of the Rappahannock River. [1] “These experiences may take many forms: a spot where you are embraced by the scents of aromatic herbs, a seat that faces you toward a beautiful vista, a walk through a flowery meadow, the fountain whose trickling water music soothes you.”[2]
Outside, scale is tricky because everything looks smaller. I think the most important element of garden design is getting the proportions right and building a garden that fits into its surroundings, in the sense of the materials you use.[3]
The Artful Garden. see resources
[1] James van Sweden and Tom Christopher, The Artful Garden: Creative Inspiration for Landscape Design (New York: Random House, 2011), 165.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Jill Gleeson, “What I’ve Learned: Reinventing the Garden,” Washingtonian, April 1, 2008.
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.