Longview Landscape Design

Plant plants. Mostly native.
As many as possible.

Explore
Philosophy

Gardens that think in decades.

We design for how your garden should look in year three, year ten, year twenty — when roots have knit together, canopies have closed, and the soil is alive with the organisms that were always supposed to be there.

That requires planting densely. And this isn't just an aesthetic choice — it's how plant communities actually work in the wild. When you fill the ground plane the way nature does — layered, interlocking, competitive — you get a landscape that suppresses weeds on its own, holds water where it falls, and feeds the microbial life, insects, and birds that hold the rest of the ecosystem together.

Native plants are the foundation because they're the species that co-evolved with this place. They're evolved for your soil, the rain patterns in your area, and the pollinators that rely on them.

About

About me

I grew up working on farms, in gardens, and at nurseries, spending as much time in the woods as out of them. Before I knew the Latin names for anything, I understood how a forest floor organized itself — what grew in shade, what colonized the edges, how things filled in when you left them alone.

That early, hands-in-the-soil understanding is the foundation of how I design. But it's not the whole picture. I've also spent years studying ecological horticulture, planting design, and native plant communities. I'm a certified Master Gardener through the University of Maryland Extension, and I bring that combination of practical instinct and studied knowledge to every project.

I'm interested in building plant communities that work the way the land around them works — dense, layered, and resilient over time.

Longview is the practice of that idea: designing gardens with enough ecological intelligence to get better every year instead of slowly falling apart. It's slower work, and it asks more of the designer up front. But the gardens it produces are worth the wait.

Based in College Park, Maryland. Working across Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Andrew Merluzzi — Certified Master Gardener, UMD Extension

Services

What we do

Every project starts with the site — its soil, its light, its water, its history. From there, we design plant communities that belong, and we can help you build and maintain them for the long run. A thoughtful design is a one-time cost that prevents years of expensive mistakes — plants that die in the wrong spot, shrubs that get demolished by deer or groundhogs, or an expensive patio that doesn't serve your needs. Every garden is different, so the figures below are starting points; you'll always get a clear quote before any work begins.

Garden Design

from $1,000

Comprehensive planting designs grounded in ecology. We study your site — its soil, light, and water — design layered plant communities suited to it, and deliver a detailed plan you can build from: planting plan, plant palette, phasing, budget, and a season-by-season care calendar.

Garden Coaching

$250 · Garden Walk

Sometimes you don't need a full design — you need a knowledgeable set of eyes. In a Garden Walk we spend time in your garden together: what's thriving, what's invasive, what to prioritize, and what to tackle in what order. You'll leave with a clear plan of action and a written summary to work from.

Remote Consultation

from $150

Outside our area, or want a lighter touch? Send photos and details through our intake form and we'll return a written assessment with recommendations — with the option of a video call to walk through it together.

Care Plans

from $200

Ecological gardens are cared for differently — more editing and observing than mowing and blowing. We write detailed, season-by-season care plans tailored to your specific plantings, so the garden gets better every year instead of slowly falling apart.

For installation, hardscaping, and larger construction, we focus on the design and planting plan and partner with trusted local landscapers to bring it to life.

Selected Work

A small garden in Northwest DC

Hand-drawn planting plan for a Washington, DC garden

A compact city garden in Washington, DC (Zone 7b), designed as a layered native plant community around an existing Magnolia kobus. A Cercis canadensis 'Merlot' anchors the bed, underplanted with sweetspire, coneflower, crested iris, little bluestem, and a deep bulb layer for late-winter and spring color.

The plan is built for four-season interest and to fill in densely over two to three years — suppressing weeds, supporting pollinators, and needing less water and work as it matures.

Contact

Start a conversation

Whether you have a specific project in mind or just want to talk about what's possible for your site, I'd like to hear from you.

I work primarily across Maryland and the greater DC area. If you're outside my usual range, reach out anyway — I'm happy to discuss what might be possible.

Maryland · Washington, DC

The best way to start is to tell me about your space — it takes about five minutes, and it means our first conversation can get right to the good part: what your garden could become.

Tell me about your space →