OUTSIDE THE BOX
Winter is time to reflect and
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
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I am a garden designer. I am also a gardener, stone mason, Horticulturalist, handyman, and carpenter but mostly I consider myself a Landscape Designer. A gardener makes pretty gardens, which is fun, creative, even inspiring, buts not what I call myself. My job is to walk a property and visualize/define the unique atmosphere or character of a property and capture, reinforce, highlight or create it. My goal is to bring the house in harmony with the surroundings and emphasize the special characteristics or a space or property. I can do this with plantings, soil mounds, water, boulders, pergolas, terraces…….. It all depends on the unique characteristics of the site and what is missing..
I follow a psychological approach to landscape design. A garden isn’t just a brightly colored array of pretty plants. I am trying to create an emotional response. I love the analogy to an Oasis with the sound of water and think vegetation. We all know that the world is a fast paced stressful pushy place. A hidden gem to sit or stroll at the end of a brutal week or a quite nook to meditate and watch the sunrise is powerful. The idea is to create an emotion be it peace, inspiration or excitement. A lovely vase full of color creates a momentary wow, but a space to sit and breathe is a lifestyle.
This is why I equate my work more to art than landscaping. Art is meant to create an emotional response and, to me, this is true of a well-designed garden. A hidden garden, thickly planted with the sound of water creates a certain feeling. A comfortable patio surrounded by patinaed boulders with sweeping views of a river can be inspirational.
Steven Severson
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peace and tranquility
Inspirational spaces
COLOR
About Us
I feel in love with gardens when very young. Something about the mixture of plants, enclosed spaces and the feeling of peace. My first experience was with the famed Herbalist Adelma Simmons who turned me on to the art/beauty of plants. I then went on to earn my degree in Horticulture/Soil Science from the University of Conn at the same time I worked at the Connecticut Botanical Gardens. After that I worked for the famed Plant breeder and propagationalist Sid Waxman. I then was a Peace Corps volunteer(reforestation), perennial and annual grower, grew grapes, stone mason, carpenter and for 20 years the owner of Outside The Box.
I love everything about gardens. The smell, sound, the movement, the wildlife and most of all the peace. The image of the Garden of Eden and the Oasis always facinated me. I love the concept of creating space(something new) by putting together garden elements in unique ways. I find the history of past garden styles/philosophies and the people who created them particularly interesting. From contempory, to wild, to artistic, even Japanese influenced gardens thrill me. I am hugely influenced by James Rose, Bernard Trainor, John Brookes, Gertrude Jekyll, Piet Oudolf and many more. I continue to learn from them and from my own work which continues to challenge me and forces me to see design and creation in a new light.
Gina Marie
Presently I am excited to be starting a flower farm and hope to share many beautiful vareities with the local community. I will however continue creating unique container designs for our customers that reflects the seasons . Creating beauty is my passion with emphasis on mixing colors and delicious fragrances. I am native to Bucks County and it comes with a deep appreciation of it’s history and people who also call it home. I enjoy nature , fashion and natural beauty. I have a degree in interior design and fine arts but I continue to expand my knowledge in design and plants. I express myself and my feelings for Bucks County with the colors I choice for my floral designs.
Steven Severson
Kind Words
Stumbling across Steven and his team was the best thing to ever happen to our gardens and yard. He completely transformed a pathetic mess of beds into beautiful, thriving, colorful gardens complete with butterflies, hummingbirds and (bees?) His vision is top notch and easily works together to truly capture your personal vision and tastes. We’ve learned so much from him! He’s constantly going above and beyond-from stopping by regularly to make sure everything is alive and well to assuring all beds are in pristine condition before any affairs at the home. Friends and family are constantly commenting on how beautiful the gardens have blossomed. Steven himself is an absolute dream to work with. An easy going, super friendly, intelligent guy. He’s a TRUE horticulturist possessing a deep passion for what he does each and every day, setting him apart from the rest. Would highly recommend Steven and his team over the large landscaping companies any day of the week!
—Allison D. New Hope Pa.
Outside The Box Landscape is an outstanding landscaping company that we have used for several projects at our home in New Hope, PA. We cannot say enough about how happy we are with our beautiful raised bed vegetable garden with a white arbor and a garden gate bell. The garden still looks great in the middle of the winter, which was important for us in making the decision to having a vegetable garden built. From this first project we have now had Steve and his team - - build a awesome stone firepit and flagstone sitting area surrounded by a butterfly garden complete with bluebird boxes. -plant a privacy screening consisting of evergreens mixed with several types of blossoming trees and bushes. -another garden under large established trees adding a stone bench and bird houses and several low maintenance deer resistant plants. -a small fruit tree / secret garden orchard which is our latest project. Steve is extremely knowledgeable, always reachable and always working towards creating low maintenance drought tolerant gardens. He uses plants that reduce the need for mulch and that keep the deer from our gardens. I highly recommend using Outside The Box for landscaping projects and gardening advice.
Milena D. Alkinson Rd, New Hope Pa.
Outside The Box
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