I was tempted to show you some before pictures of our landscape, but I'm worried I might be sending potential clients away. The most I'll do is show you the beautiful Blue Jay that landed on my wheelbarrow to feast on grubs as I was removing old sod. I do most of my outdoor shoots at the Acton Aboretum, but take you to different places as the need dictates (i.e., more formal or more rural). I do very few shoots on my property, which is really a nice property but it just hasn't been landscaped effectively. This year my wife and I decided to plan and tackle an ambitious landscape project in phases with the first phase already underway. The end result will look like the places we currently take people to. In Phase I, we are making perennial, herb, and annual gardens. A renewed lawn will provide a wonderful floor for portraits. A new hedgerow with oak leaf hydrangea, dogwood, and viburnum will give three season color abutting the woods. A spring tulip bulb garden will give early season color and be a beautiful backdrop. And an array of area shrubs will provide seasonal color and background texture. Phase II will commence Spring 2009 and will consist of stone walls in the backyard, informal wooded gardens, benches, and a tree swing. There will probably be more, I just haven't thought that far yet. Feel free to check out my Landscape Project Notebook.