California Casual
California Casual Landscape Architecture has seen many movements and style trends that influence the aesthetic [...]
Edible Landscapes
Edible Landscapes - Getting Started It’s starting to feel like summer, and around here we are [...]
The Dog Days of Summer
The Dog Days of Summer If you have a canine companion in [...]
‘SCREEN ALTERNATIVE’
'Screen Alternative' Landscapes The digital age has so much to offer us these [...]
Stone in the Landscape
Stone in the Landscape Stone has been appreciated by people for its qualities [...]
Elements: Water Features
Elements: Water Features In the Landscape When summer heat starts to set in out [...]
Container Planting
Container Planting In the midst of winter, it can be daunting to take on [...]
Flower Cutting Gardens
Flower-Cutting Gardens A garden can serve many purposes. It can be a place [...]
Structures in the Landscape
Structures in the Landscape In nearly every garden style, constructed elements play a [...]
Embellishing The Landscape
Embellishments For The Landscape In creating outdoor living spaces, design is often in the details! [...]
On Decks
On Decks A J. Montgomery Deck on the cover of Sunset's 'Complete Deck Book' [...]
How To Hire A Design Pro
HOW TO HIRE A LANDSCAPE DESIGN PRO You’ve decided you want to hire a professional [...]
Infinity-Edge Pools
Approaching Infinity: Infinity-edge Pools One of our long-time favorite design features would have [...]
Home Vegetable Garden
HOME-GROWN GROCERIES If you haven’t grown your own food before, it’s the perfect [...]
Landscape Lighting
Landscape Lighting During the summer months we often stay outside later due to the [...]
Screening The Landscape
Screening The Landscape The private retreat experience is a must when designing residential landscapes. Every [...]
Traditional Style
Traditional Landscape Architecture We like to think we’re at least sort of worldly, and [...]
Form & Function
Form & Function in the Landscape Photography by Sarah Cosca The designed landscape [...]
Quality Outdoor Cooking
Quality Outdoor Cooking photography by Megan Geary Nothing says summer like making [...]
Design for Play
Design for Play For so many of our clients, play is an important part of [...]
Designing Tiny Spaces
Designing Tiny Landscape design is an interesting challenge at any scale – to incorporate all [...]
Feng Shui for Landscape Design
Feng Shui for the Landscape Feng Shui is often discussed in relation to [...]
The Night Garden
The Night Garden It’s easy to imagine a landscape only by the light of the [...]
Backyard Stay-cations
Backyard Stay-Cations Over the past couple years, we’ve been thinking more about the art [...]
Roses in the Landscape
Roses In The Landscape As Landscape Architects, the plants we incorporate into [...]
Making An Entrance
Making An Entrance The New Year is here, and what better way to turn over [...]
Featuring Fire
FEATURING FIRE There is something instinctively wonderful about relaxing around a fire, and as a [...]
Dining “Out”
Dining "Out" Staying home has become something we love, but it's nice to [...]
Color In The Garden
COLOR IN THE GARDEN Color is an incredibly powerful element in any form of [...]
Fall Leaf Potential
FALL LEAF POTENTIAL This time of year, we are easily reminded why this [...]
INDOOR/OUTDOOR SPACES
Indoor/Outdoor Spaces Depending on your climate, outdoor living can be a seasonal enjoyment [...]
Emotion In The Landscape
Emotion In The Landscape We ask ourselves many question when designing Outdoor Living [...]
Pathways In The Landscape
Pathways In The Landscape photography by: Sarah Cosca In a landscape of [...]
Flower-Cutting Gardens
Flower Cutting Gardens Photography by: Sarah Cosca A garden can serve many [...]
Landscape Topography
Landscape Topography Topography is the science of mapping land formations - determining the [...]
Outdoor Entertaining
Set the Mood: Ambiance for Outdoor Entertaining As designers of space, we understand that the feeling [...]
Diablo Magazine Feature
Featured In Diablo Magazine We are always honored to have our work featured [...]
Ground Work
Ground Work Landscape Architecture is the design of space on every level – At our [...]
Contemporary Elements
Contemporary Elements We are always excited about new things, especially when they relate [...]
Design With Native Plants
DESIGN WITH NATIVE PLANTS Introducing Native plants to the landscape is a trend that is [...]
J.Montgomery Studio Garden
J. Montgomery Studio Garden Here at J. Montgomery, we are celebrating the 30 [...]
Pollinator Landscapes
Pollinator Landscaping There has been a lot more attention paid in recent years [...]
Transitional & Timeless
Transitional & Timeless “The only constant in life is change” – Heraclitus (circa [...]
GRAFTING
Grafting It’s a quieter time of year in the garden, and a good [...]
The Winter Garden
The Winter Garden Here in the Bay Area, we enjoy a climate that [...]
DESIGN PROCESS: OVERSIGHT
Design Process Part 3: Design Oversight Services Construction of a landscape is a lot of [...]
DESIGN PROCESS: CD SET
Design Process Part 2: Construction Documents & Details Once we finalize a Conceptual [...]
DESIGN PROCESS: CLP
Design Process Part 1: Client Connection & Creative Design When we set out [...]
Plant Focus: Phormiums
Plant Focus: Phormiums There are so many things to love about this time [...]
Fall Garden Close Up
Fall Garden Close-Up: Seeds, Roots, & Bulbs This time of year, it may [...]
Mission Revival Landscapes
Mission Revival Landscapes California architecture has a long and complex history, from Victorian [...]
CLIMATE ZONES 101
CLIMATE ZONES 101 If you buy plants in nurseries or research garden ideas [...]
Abstracting The Landscape
Abstracting The Landscape “I don’t get it.” Is probably the most commonly-used phrase [...]
Diablo Magazine’s Best of 2021!
Diablo Magazine’s Best of 2021! We are extremely honored to win Diablo Magazine’s [...]
Low-Water Gardening
LOW-WATER, HIGH-FASHION GARDENING Alright, it is now officially hot. We’re feeling it, and [...]
Design Details: Carpentry
Design Details: Carpentry We always have an intention in mind for our designed [...]
BEST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FIRM
Build Magazine Awards: We are thrilled to announce that J.Montgomery Designs has been named [...]
Flowering Vines for Spring
Flowering Vines For Spring Twining gracefully up a trellis or covering an [...]
FEEDING YOUR PLANTS
Feeding Your Plants When you walk down the aisle in the garden shop, [...]
Spring Celebration
Spring Celebration Can you feel it? Spring is in the air! As designers of [...]
An Innovative Approach
An Innovative Approach: Landscaping the Sunset House of Innovation When the owners of [...]
What We Love
What We Love It’s the season of love, and like every year we [...]
KNOW YOUR PROPERTY
Knowing Your Property 101 How much do you know about where you live? [...]
Trendspotting 2021
Trendspotting 2021 We won’t be the first to express excitement about leaving 2020 [...]
Winter Décor From the Garden
Winter Décor From the Garden Every year around this time, we love bringing [...]
Featured On Houzz
Featured on Houzz: Houzz contributing writer Lauren Dunec Hoang features J.Montgomery Designs in her [...]
Featured On Houzz
Featured On Houzz: Houzz contributing writer Jeanne Taylor features J. Montgomery Designs in her article, '8 [...]
Historic Landscapes
Link to the Past - Local Historic Landscapes Northern California is a treasure [...]
Deer-Resistant Plantings
Oh, Deer… Deer-Resistant Plantings Beautiful and graceful deer are a gem of Northern California’s wildlife, [...]
Autumn Celebration
Autumn Celebration With cooler mornings and shorter days comes the feeling of Fall in [...]
FEATURED ON REDFIN
Featured on Redfin If we've come to learn anything throughout this quarantine, it's [...]
Planting Under Oaks
Planting Under Oaks Of the many icons of the Northern California landscape, the [...]
NOTES FROM THE GARDEN
Notes From The Garden The J. Montgomery Studio Garden is more than just a [...]
Transitional & Timeless
Transitional & Timeless “The only constant in life is change” – Heraclitus (circa [...]
Finding Zen
Finding Zen In this moment, as we shelter in place in our [...]
Featured On Houzz
Featured on Houzz: Houzz contributing writer Laura Gaskill features J. Montgomery Designs in [...]
The Early Spring Garden
The Early Spring Garden The Groundhog has spoken, the verdict is in. 2020 [...]
Design Technology & Tradition
Design Technology & Tradition It’s no secret that we live in an age [...]
2019 – A Year In Review
2019 – A Year In Review It’s that time of year once again, and we [...]
Featured On Houzz (Italy)
Featured on Houzz: Houzz Italy contributing writer Lidia Zitara features J. Montgomery Designs in her article. [...]
Featured On Houzz (Germany)
Featured on Houzz Germany: Houzz Germany contributing writer Anja Winnes features J. Montgomery Designs in her [...]
Featured On Houzz
Featured on Houzz: Houzz contributing writer Annie Thornton features J. Montgomery Designs in her article “Trending [...]
Featured On Houzz
Featured on Houzz: Houzz contributing writer Laura Gaskill features J. Montgomery Designs in her article “8 [...]
Gardening For The Birds
Gardening for the Birds There’s a rush of wingbeats, and you look up [...]
Shade Gardening
Shade Gardening The days are getting shorter, the sun is low in the sky, and [...]
Featured In Casual Living
Featured In Casual Living Magazine: Casual Living contributing writer Laurie Rudd features J. Montgomery [...]
Hearth & Home Winners
J. Montgomery Designs has been deemed a winner in Hearth and Home Magazine's [...]
Summer Solstice
Summer Solstice Last year around this time, our blog focused on Summer gatherings. We look [...]
Planting Principles
Planting Principles As Landscape Architects, we have the privilege of working not only with building [...]
Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental Grasses Ornamental grasses have stolen our hearts. The grace and movement of grasses can [...]
Ruth Bancroft Inspiration
Ruth Bancroft Inspiration From The Bold Dry Garden, Photo: Marion Brenner [...]