Hi Friends! I hope you all had a wonderful father’s day weekend. With green everywhere and the flowers in full bloom it makes me pause to appreciate nature and the beauty of what a landscape artist brings! It brought to mind some incredible pictures my talented client from Kansas shared with me when discussing his interior finishes.

Coming in with their talented designer, John Kidd, Reed and Stacy Dillon gathered around the conference table at Segreto many times before I asked what Reed did for a living. I think what prompted me to ask was Reed showing me the beautiful architectural elements he wanted to place in his gardens and his focused based discussions on how Segreto’s interior finishes would reflect the outside. He felt strongly they should be as one. When I learned he was a prominent Landscape Architect, I asked to see some of his work!!

Reed and Stacey are both so nice which makes you appreciate his work even more. Reed grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas where his grandfather was a serious gardener. Reed recalls: “Growing up, my grandfather owned an orchard and we’d go pick peaches and apples. One day, I was around ten years old, I remember picking onions all day. Ugh, that was some hard work. But, he was my first inspiration and role model for understanding the appreciating plants.”.

“The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it…”- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Reed’s grandfather gave Reed a landscape architecture magazine while he was attending the University of Kansas. Farming and gardening was a well know concept, but the idea of landscape architecture???- a light bulb went off for him and he decided he could turn his passion into a career. Reed met his forever sweetheart Stacey while working towards his liberal arts degree, and together they moved to Philadelphia where he he received a master’s in landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.

“The landscape of any farm is the owner’s portrait of himself.” – Aldo Leopold.

Reed and Stacey lived in Houston for many years and he was a partner at Ruckel-Dillon, a prestigious landscape firm who designed Houston darling, Joni Webb’s of Code de Texas gardens!!

After 15 years the couple decided to move back to Lawrence, Kansas with their two children to be closer to family. Wanting to depart from their more contemporary home in Houston, Reed and Stacey felt a French farmhouse would marry well with the soft rolling hills and mature trees of the property they purchased.

“I don’t divide architecture, landscape and gardening; to me they are one.” – Luis Barragan.

I love all the unique and beautiful elements Reed builds into his designs! If you are shopping at salvage yards and antique shops and you see something that is interesting, you have to be spontaneous and buy it. Even if you don’t know where to place it now, store it away and you’ll find a perfect place one day,” –Reed Dillon

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” – Claude Monet. Viewing Reed’s own gardens he must also feel the same way!

The use of natural trees to build arbors which feel as if they are organically growing from the earth, create a secret garden feel to his landscapes. An element I adore.

If you look past, you can see a glimpse of a man made- or should I say Reed-made stream which meanders though this property for…………

………..over 200 yards!

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. –Audrey Hepburn

When I lived in Georgia we had daffodils filling the greenspaces surrounding our home. It brought back so many fond memories of my childhood when I saw Reed’s picture of the gentle hills beyond his back terrace! He planted loads of daffodil bulbs!

Landscaping is a visceral experience. It should feel good be energizing and calming all at the same time!- Reed Dillon

I love meeting nice people, great families, talented businesspeople and incredible artists!! Reed you definitely encompass all of the above and I so appreciate you and Stacey both sharing a bit of yourselves with us! I am looking so forward to going to Kansas and helping John Kidd, you and Stacey in creating an interior which is as lovely as your gardens! Reed is Kansas based; however, his artistry can be seen across the country! Until next time! Xo Leslie