Landscape Architect moves to Brooklyn

By Rita A. Leonard

The Bee, Sep 30, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Tom Adkisson, a landscape architect who has just moved to the Brooklyn neighborhood, is surrounded by a variety of landscape art at his Northwest Portland garden shop.

David F. Ashton / THE BEE

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Noted Landscape Architect Thomas Adkisson, owner of “Dig Garden Shop” at 425 N.W. 11th Avenue, recently moved into the Brooklyn neighborhood.

Although he has designed over 30 urban rooftop gardens, terraces, and townhouse porches for clients in the Pearl District in Northwest Portland, he now draws his creative inspiration from the laid-back, artistic milieu of the historic Brooklyn neighborhood, which exhibits the charm of multiple garden styles.

Among the services Adkisson offers professionally are consultation, design, installation, low voltage lighting, and drip systems. Trained at the University of Oregon, he spent ten years as a City Planner in Germany, honing his skills in many different urban settings, before returning to Portland to open his own business.

There, he says, “We represent local artists with sustainable practices, and offer many different containers and sculptures to enhance the intrinsic spirit of your outdoor space. I solicit local artists, like Jill Torberson in the Woodstock neighborhood, to design creative sculpture, gates, and trellises to enhance my clients’ gardens.”

Because he has focused much of his creativity in rooftop garden design, Adkisson is well-versed in landscaping with both containers and plantings. Due to issues of weight and irrigation, he now uses more lightweight fiberglass containers in his high-rise installations, often employing self-watering devices. “We aim to create unique personal spaces for every client, establishing a sense of comfort and personal style that will compliment each landscape,” he explains.

The attraction he finds in Brooklyn garden styling is the unique blend of old and newer plantings. There are nearly one hundred different types of trees in this older neighborhood, ranging from monkey-puzzle and palm trees to Japanese maples.

There are heritage roses and cherry trees, as well as more modern introductions, such as bamboo and New Zealand flax. Wisteria, grape and kiwi arbors contrast with southwest-style xeriscapes, and even thriving cacti gardens.

As for his own new home, “We’re excited right now to have the opportunity to fix up an historic Brooklyn bungalow,” says Adkisson. He has opened up the roof for additional solar lighting, trimmed and added plantings for ornamental lines and fragrance, and is designing an herb and cutting garden.

Bricks from a deconstructed chimney have opened up indoor storage space, and will be re-used in an entry and garden pathway. He also plans to extend the front porch to enclose and focus on a delicate ornamental maple.

In the Brooklyn neighborhood, lawn décor ranges from hand-wrought metal fences to wooden furniture made from shipping pallets and willow branches. Bird feeders, banners and wind chimes customize individual homes, while mosaics and stonework decorate retaining walls. Even goldfish ponds, hen houses and stone gardens find their niche.

If you’d like to explore what’s offered at Adkisson’s Northwest Portland store, visit online at: www.diggardenshop.com, or call 503/223-4443.