Designing with Nature's Patterns

All-Day Workshop with W. Gary Smith

When designing a garden, we often face some daunting questions:  How do I begin the creative process?  Where can I find design inspiration?  How will I know if my design is successful?  If you approach these questions like an artist, you will be able to design gardens that combine the unique character of a place with your own creative spirit.

In this one-day workshop at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, landscape architect and artist W. Gary Smith will explore the various tools and techniques that artists use to create personal connections with the landscape that enrich and inform garden design. Smith will help remove the shroud of mystery surrounding the creative process and show how even the least artistically inclined can tap into inner resources they never knew they had.

During the workshop, we will apply those techniques to create design concepts for a potential new Reflection Riding visitor destination: A Home Demonstration Garden. Using this approach, we will:

• evaluate the proposed site
• identify the goals for the new garden
• explore ways to use natural patterns in the design process
• develop design plans for the new garden

You’ll learn how you can use these techniques in designing your own native plant garden.

W. Gary Smith is a landscape designer, author and artist.  He specializes in botanical gardens and arboretums, as well as public art installations and private gardens, often weaving together local ecological and cultural themes.  He has designed gardens at Winterthur Museum & Country Estate in Delaware, Southern Highlands Reserve in North Carolina and many others.  He is the author of "From Art to Landscape: Unleashing Creativity in Garden Design."

Cost: $135/person (includes lunch)

We will adhere to the Covid policy of Reflection Riding at the time of the event.

Enrollment limited to 20 individuals

Certificate in Native Plants:  For those pursuing the Certificate in Native Plants from the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones, this event counts as one elective class (4 credits).  Info about Certificate in Native Plants. 

Registration Policy:  The number of attendees for this workshop is limited.  To give everyone the best opportunity to participate, there is a non-refundable cancellation fee of $10, with the balance refunded if you cancel at least 7 calendar days before the workshop will be held.  If the workshop is cancelled by the instructor or by Wild Ones, registrants will get a full refund.  

You will not be registered until your payment is received.