Steve Marno is an internationally recognized landscape architect whose career path stemmed directly from a walk he took in the desert. He studied
architecture and art but has never had a landscape class in his life. Puzzled
why the man-made landscape was so uninteresting and uninspiring
compared to the natural desert landscape, he decided to try to design gardens that incorporated native desert plants. The challenge of the widespread resistance to this concept started him on a 40-year career that has created a desert-derived aesthetic that is widely recognized for celebrating the desert. Steve is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and in 2006 he received the Design Medal for his sustained
level of design.
In his presentation, Steve will talk about how he uses architectural
elements to structure space and control views. He will discuss how
gardens should stand on their own as a space without plants, and how he
came to realize that plants are incidental to the garden.
Steve’s career-long observation is that landscaping can run counter to
natural processes, often wasting resources and displacing useful habitats.
He will discuss designing responsible modern gardens using a few basic rules and design tools.
Fee: Free. Reservations requested. 

About the Ellie Selig Distinguished Garden Design Lecture Series
Ellie Selig Distinguished Garden Design Lecture Series is meant to provide inspirational and informative ideas for garden-making by renowned garden designers, landscape architects, or garden makers.