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A stout hedge encloses the interior garden on its north and west sides, protecting it from the heavy pedestrian traffic the site experiences, especially after concerts on the Great Lawn. Structured by a steel armature, the hedge also provides shelter for birds and other wildlife.

Inside the hedge boundary, the garden divides into two contrasting sections planted with perennials, shrubs, trees. The "Dark Plate" is a convex earth form of robust plants, intended as a reference to the site's marshy past. The "Light Plate" features raised pathways and lower sweeps of plantings in a brighter, more controlled landscape.

The landscape architects collaborated with renowned Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf in developing and executing the detailed perennial plantings for the two sections, which include extensive use of locally grown native plants. Prairie grasses provide fall color and a reference to Chicago's Midwestern locale.

"The plant palette is very rich and engaging," lauded the ASLA awards jury. "This is not our typical botanic garden; it has raised the bar."

Since the garden was built over the lid of an underground parking structure, the landforms were built up using lightweight Geofoam under the soil.

Dividing the two Plates is the "Seam," a boardwalk of FSC-certified ipe wood positioned above a shallow water feature. The boardwalk's stepped design provides seating, allowing visitors to dip their feet in the water. It also creates a wheelchair safety curb on one side. At night, the adjacent wall is lit by fixtures hidden under the boardwalk.

Limestone from a local Midwestern quarry was used extensively throughout the site, finished with smooth vertical surfaces and textured horizontal surfaces.

Theater set designer Robert Israel assisted with conceptual review. The local landscape architect was Terry Guen Design Associates Inc.

Idaho Home

ASLA's award of excellence in residential design, co-sponsored by Garden Design magazine, went to the Ketchum Residence in Ketchum, Idaho. The house is located in a subdivision adjacent to a hilly nature preserve in the Wood River Valley.

Lutsko Associates designed the grounds — on a typical half-acre (0.2-hectare) U.S. middle-class subdivision lot — to merge with the surrounding landscape, in contrast with the conventional suburban landscaping of its neighbors. Careful plant selection and a gradation from the domestic sphere to the greater landscape succeed in blurring the property line, providing a physical connection to the adjacent hill and a visual connection to a ridgeline miles away.

The ASLA jury praised the project as "a refreshing example of how landscape architecture can transform a home in a conventional neighborhood."

Home and garden both contribute to this marriage of lot with landscape. The building, designed by Allied Works Architecture, was conceived of as a "garden wall" that creates open pavilions.

A native plant palette continues the grassland sweep from the foothills into the site and around the building. The native landscaping reduces dependence on irrigation in the summer, as well as creating actively used habitat for insects, birds, and other wildlife.

A series of shallow, stepped stone terraces retained by low Cor-Ten steel edges form a walkway from the street to the home's front entry. The steel edges extend beyond the terraces as low walls forming beds for monoculture plantings, then extend beyond into the meadow itself.

"The house dissolves into the landscape, the colors are beautiful, the path is simple, and the focus is on the unbelievable meadow," lauded the jury. "The landscape architect added great value for the owners, as well as their neighbors. What a wonderful place to live."

Cultural Cultivation

In a part of New Orleans hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a community is sowing the seeds of rebirth. If completed as proposed, Viet Village Urban Farm will include organic garden plots, livestock facilities, and a farm market, as well as recreational facilities. Mossop + Michaels and their Urban Landscape Lab at Louisiana State University received ASLA's top award in analysis and planning for their work on the project.

The history of gardening in Viet Village dates to the 1970s beginnings of this Vietnamese-American community in New Orleans East, when early immigrants started informal gardens to grow traditional fruits and vegetables. Cultivated acreage in the area totaled over 30 acres (12 hectares) before Katrina, and a tradition of informal markets was well established.

Post-Katrina, the community organized around the idea of creating an urban farm and market as a community center and centerpiece for rebuilding efforts. The design team assisted with the design of the environmental infrastructural systems and market area, and the development of a strategic plan for seeking funding and incorporating a spectrum of labor resources.

"What a terrific urban farm — we'll be seeing many more projects like this in the future," remarked the ASLA jury.

Located on 28 acres (11 hectares), the farm will combine small-plot gardening for family consumption, larger commercial plots to stock local restaurants and grocery stores, a livestock area for raising chickens and goats, and a market expected to host up to 3,000 visitors on Saturdays. Playgrounds and sports areas are planned to help make the farm an intergenerational gathering place.   >>>

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The "Seam" is an essential pedestrian street that provides access through Lurie Garden to other parts of Millennium Park. Photo: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd Extra Large Image A hedge structured by a metal framework separates the Lurie Garden's perennial plantings from the adjacent lawn and bandshell. Photo: Piet Oudolf Extra Large Image Lurie Garden site plan showing winter colors, with the "Light Plate" (left) and the "Dark Plate" (right) divided by the Seam. Image: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd Extra Large Image Site plan for the Ketchum Residence, Ketchum, Idaho. Image: Lutsko Associates Extra Large Image Lutsko Associates was recognized by ASLA for the Ketchum Residence landscaping. Photo: Marion Brenner Photography Extra Large Image Native plants stand in stark contrast with the crisp, modern finish of the Ketchum Residence. Photo: Marion Brenner Photography Extra Large Image The landscaping of the Ketchum Residence was intended to connect the site with an adjacent nature preserve rather than continuing the neighboring suburban residential motif. Photo: Marion Brenner Photography Extra Large Image A series of exterior rooms and terraces work to blur the boundary between house and landscape. Photo: Marion Brenner Photography Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.