Matthew Cunningham Interviewed by Garden Rant

Susan Harris from Garden Rant interviewed me recently about the importance of planting large canopy trees on residential properties in the Northeast. Specifically, she asked me to comment on Doug Tallamy’s directive to plant oaks whenever and wherever possible. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the luxury of being able to plant oaks, (or “acorn trees” as one of my current clients affectionally refers to them as), but we’re a young firm, and hopefully one day we’ll be able to look back at an arboretum’s worth of mature oak trees that will evolve over the coming centuries. For now, we focus on building gardens that meet the dynamic needs of our clients within the ever-changing context of seasonal New England. Climate change is having tremendous impacts on our work, and I am compelled to say that as I read the comments posted in response to her article: “Designer Put’s Tallamy’s Advice into Pracitce“, I almost responded to the folks who wrote. Rather than create a public relations nightmare, I’ve decided to say that I am proud of my firm’s work, and that we do what we can with what we have to work with. I hope that the good will we create with our gardens is not overshadowed by critics who feel the need to make arbitrary, critical comments about how people choose to live upon their own private property. Thank you Susan for including this interview on your blog. It was eye-opening!