ABOUT

In the winter of 1998, my older brother bought me an Ultima-brand 30” x 42” Portable Drafting Table for Christmas. It had a black powder-coated finish, adjustable tilt, pencil ledge, and storage tray underneath for keeping my supplies. For a fourteen-year-old who was interested in design, it was an absolute treasure.

Over the twenty years that followed that winter, I sharpened my skills at landscape design and began to create beautiful and meaningful landscapes for clients, friends, and family. I carried the drafting table with me around the world in my landscape architecture studies and it still remains with me today in my home studio. Now that I am an Associate Professor of Horticulture & Landscape Design, it serves as a reminder of my continued love of landscape design. I hope that this love can also extend to other designers as well.

I created this website and accompanying YouTube channel for two reasons: 

First, as an educational resource for all individuals interested in pursuing careers designing outdoor environments, whether public or private, large or small, institutional or residential. Whether you are a student working to become a licensed landscape architect or an established garden designer looking for resources to help your business, I hope everyone can find value in the content provided.

Second, I created it as a place for personal and professional growth. The learning curve for new landscape designers is extremely steep and it is easy to get discouraged.  I hope that this content will help you plan your landscape design business and career more successfully.

It is helpful to remember that all you truly need to create breathtaking and meaningful places is a pencil, some drafting paper, and a genuine love for design. At fourteen-years-old, sketching on my new Ultima Portable Drafting table, I developed this love, and it has been a lifelong passion ever since.

Thank you for stopping by Draftscapes,

Chris