Landscape Architects and Garden Designers in Monroe Bridge, MA

“The RDG team has worked with Wildside Cottage & Gardens in Conway MA since 2008, beginning when our eight acres of hill, ledge and soggy meadow were wild except for the remnants of an old Christmas tree farm. At that time our pretty 780 sf net-zero cottage was just nearing completion. RDG first assessed the wind, water, soil conditions and sun exposure across the seasons, then carefully sited seven specialized gardens where the crops planted in each would thrive. The gardens emphasize perennial plantings, and include herbs, perennial vegetables, fruit trees, grape vines, nut trees, tubers, legumes and other plants which nourish our needy soil, annual storage crops including rice, plus three seasons of flowering plants to provide food for pollinators. With time, Wildside is becoming a hugely productive ‘edible landscape’ -- without clear- cutting or chemical insecticides and fertilizers. RDG’s approach has also helped us maintain our precious connection with the wildlife living here, and traveling through. RDG has given us expert design advice on infrastructure -- from steps down a steep hillside, to a boardwalk across a wet meadow, to water conservation through terracing hillsides and capturing run-off, to extracting valuable leachate from the composting toilet, to how to make our root cellar optimal for old-fashioned underground winter storage. RDG also designed and built our small unheated greenhouse, which now accommodates two fig trees, winter spinach, various spring starts, and in summer either tomatoes or, alternately, sweet potatoes. Wildside’s goal has been to develop a demonstration and teaching site that will help visiting students and the general public learn how to achieve better food and energy security for the future. The RDG team have been indispensable partners in this project. The RDG team is hugely knowledgeable, patient and good-natured, and their prices are clear and reasonable. We at Wildside can recommend RDG without reservation. wildsidecottageandgardens.org”