I received a Master’s of Science in Landscape Design from Columbia University in 2007.
In 2008, I started my first landscape design project in the Catskill Mountains, in Allaben, New York. This design project evolved into me installing the garden — terraces of lavender, raspberries and summer sweet, sweeps of dayllies and allium and a grove of peach trees — with the help of my best friend. Since then I have designed, and — with the help of a small dedicated team — installed and managed large and small gardens and landscapes in the Catskill Mountains.
Each project begins with a client meeting and dialogue where priorities and budget are identified. My landscape plans are scaled and hand-drafted, the result of rigorous site inventory and analysis.
Over the years my design priorities have shifted to embrace an ecological approach to garden design, taking into account native plants, pollinators, insects, birds and small mammals. Plants, animals and humans work together to create stability, balance and resilience in an ecological garden, often minimizing the need for costly inputs of materials and labor. Very importantly, gardens with ecology as inspiration and native plants as the foundation are beautiful and biodiverse.
Currently, some of my Garden Heroes are: Edwina von Gal, Jinny Blom, Larry Weaner of Larry Weaner and Associates, Piet Oudolf, Rick Darke, Doug Tallamy, Diane and Francis from Catskill Native Nursery and Mel Bellar of Zone 4 Landscapes in Andes.
The Team:
Hi! My name is Karina Buckholz. I am a landscape gardener here at Karin Ursula Landscapes. I am known for my love of plants, but I am also infatuated with fungi, crafts and recently foraging. The plant I love most is buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). I am a Catskills native and have always loved being in the mountains. This is my third year at KUL. I studied Horticulture at SUNY Delhi and I am training to be a landscape designer.
Addison Cook. Born in the Catskill Mountains. I grew up half in the hills and half in New York City. Even in the concrete environment I found work in the many parks, cemeteries and private terraces in the metropolis. After a while of going back and forth between the country and the city I decided to stay in the latter to pursue my interests with endless space. I get very excited about heirloom fruit tree varieties. I am starting my life work, an orchard that consists of exotic old varieties of apple I find growing wild as well as curiosities like medlar and quince. I collect scion wood from trees far out and isolated in the woods during the fall and graft root stock in my orchard come spring. I am hoping to preserve as many old varieties from extinction as well as bring new untasted ones from forest to table.