Craig Richmond Landscape Architects

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Craig Richmond Landscape Architects We are adept in all aspects of the design process including concept
design, permitting, contract documents and construction administration.

We provide commercial, and residential landscape architecture that addresses various elements, including drawings for site plan approval, forest conservation plans, GAR Plans, landscape renovation, site planning and design, and native planting design. We provide both residential and commercial landscape architectural services
addressing a full range of landscape elements including site planning and design,
grading and drainage, paving surfaces, garden structures, recreational amenities and
planting design.

Sometimes you discover things just goofing around. I try to keep at least 80% of my concept drawings hand-drawn now, but...
10/14/2026

Sometimes you discover things just goofing around.

I try to keep at least 80% of my concept drawings hand-drawn now, but when I know I’ll have to submit color renderings more than once, I use Photoshop. I can do revisions in a snap.

While finishing a revised rendering, I started tinkering and accidentally turned off the line-work and text layers. I instantly liked the drawing better. It’s too bad that I have to have text on the submittal to the City of Baltimore. They want information (LOL).

I did this landscape concept drawing for a client a while ago who wanted a spa off of their deck. It was like a blast fr...
10/13/2026

I did this landscape concept drawing for a client a while ago who wanted a spa off of their deck. It was like a blast from the past. It had been at least ten years since I’d worked on a design with one. What happened to spas and hot tubs? They’ve fallen out of fashion, and it seems like they’ve been replaced with fire pits.

DC takes its green space seriously. If you’re building or doing major renovations, you need to comply with the GAR (Gree...
10/12/2026

DC takes its green space seriously. If you’re building or doing major renovations, you need to comply with the GAR (Green Area Ratio). The GAR sets minimum landscape and site design standards; in other words, you must install a certain amount of planting on your site or elsewhere.

New construction also requires holding a certain amount of stormwater on site, and the discharge must be clean. On this project, the building took up more than 80% of the site. So, the only way for the owner to enlarge the mixed retail/residential building was up—two stories, to be exact. To meet stormwater and green space requirements, the design includes three levels of green roofs and a stormwater retention basin in the rear.

Under the permeable pavers and plantings is a two-foot-deep gravel reservoir. That’s a lot of water soaking into the earth naturally, with less running off, less pollution, and less flooding. This small space off an alleyway, along with the green roofs in this urban environment, helps keep the Anacostia River clean.

The thing I love most about Central Park is that once you're inside, you can easily forget you're in the middle of Manha...
10/09/2026

The thing I love most about Central Park is that once you're inside, you can easily forget you're in the middle of Manhattan. When I go there, I spend most of my time being a ‘plant geek’ and reading all the plant labels. I enjoy seeing really old specimens of the ornamental plants I use.

The Brickell neighborhood in Miami is one of my favorite places to walk. It’s like walking through a giant grid of garde...
10/07/2026

The Brickell neighborhood in Miami is one of my favorite places to walk. It’s like walking through a giant grid of gardens.

Traffic medians like the one I’m standing on should be the standard for every city in the US. Spend the money up front on the tough trees, shrubs, and groundcover. Once established, there’s very little weeding. Toss a little organic fertilizer once or twice a year, water during droughts, and clean up after storms. That’s less labor and water than planting only trees and lawn.

After years of visiting homes for initial consultations, I’ve learned to choose my words carefully when I walk into a sc...
10/06/2026

After years of visiting homes for initial consultations, I’ve learned to choose my words carefully when I walk into a scene like this. To turn a prospect into a client, you need to read them correctly. The last thing you want to do is talk to them like some smug “landscape expert”. But at the same time, don’t you think it’s your responsibility as a landscape professional to bring up and discuss the Crape Myrtles?

As soon as I started seeing AI landscape renderings, I stopped doing photorealistic renderings. I drew this fire pit ske...
10/05/2026

As soon as I started seeing AI landscape renderings, I stopped doing photorealistic renderings. I drew this fire pit sketch in Morpholio on an iPad. I'm so sick of all graphics looking the same now. I might go back to pen on paper. Of course, I won't do that, but as someone who uses AI, I'm tired of the graphics it produces.

Horticulture Taking a Backseat, AgainWho decided topsoil wasn’t needed? It wasn’t the landscape architect. Apparently, t...
10/03/2026

Horticulture Taking a Backseat, Again

Who decided topsoil wasn’t needed? It wasn’t the landscape architect. Apparently, they plan to install lots of perennials, groundcovers, and a lawn on the ground shown in the image, with no soil preparation. This soil came from excavating our project’s two-story building and has been spread over the surface. It's compacted hard from months of construction, and you can see the color.

Of course I blew a cork; the LA is supposed to when a landscape isn’t installed as per specifications. I know what this landscape will look like in five years without organic soil and proper installation. Do you think this soil needs more than raking before it's ready to accept ornamental plants?

Maypop (Passiflora incarnata)One thing I love about working on properties that were once old farm homes is that I almost...
09/30/2026

Maypop (Passiflora incarnata)

One thing I love about working on properties that were once old farm homes is that I almost always discover plants I’ve read about but never seen.

I had walked past the vine growing across the top of my client’s fence a dozen times and paid it no attention. Then one day I saw the fruit dangling down. I said to myself, “Is that Passion Fruit?” I thought it only grew in the Deep South, but I was wrong.

Maypop is native American version of the Passionflower plant. Add it to the list of edible, native fruits most people have never heard of, like Pawpaw, Serviceberry, and more.

Ellicott City, Maryland

Some trees will be affected, and others will need to be removed to make room for our senior apartment building. I’m not ...
09/29/2026

Some trees will be affected, and others will need to be removed to make room for our senior apartment building. I’m not losing any sleep over several Zelkovas, but there’s one big Linden that is gorgeous and sits in the middle of the future building's footprint.

But the trade-off is quality senior housing in a nice neighborhood, and we’ll plant as many native shade trees as we can fit on the site.

This is the last vacant parcel from the old Memorial Stadium site where the NFL’s Baltimore Colts used to play. In fact, it was the northwest corner of the massive parking lot. The image shows the original Euonymus hedge that screened the lot from the residential neighborhood. I’m not sad to see it go.

Stadium Place, Baltimore, Maryland

Address

Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD
20910

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+13019200424

Website

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