Gardens that look like they have always been there

Fernbank designs and builds outdoor spaces across the Hudson Valley — courtyards, terraces, meadow plantings and the quiet paths between them. Every project starts with the site itself: how the light moves, where the water goes, what already grows well.

Book a site visit — we'll walk the property with you and tell you honestly what it wants to be.

What we do

• Design. Measured drawings, planting plans, and a phased budget you can actually build from.
• Build. Our own crews handle stonework, grading, drainage and planting. No handoffs, no finger-pointing.
• Care. Seasonal maintenance for the gardens we plant, so year three looks better than year one.

Recent work

Stone terrace and shade garden, Rhinebeck — a sloped, soggy backyard turned into three usable levels with a bluestone terrace and a fern understory that fills in more each season.

Meadow conversion, Millbrook — two acres of lawn replaced with native grasses and perennials. Mowing dropped from weekly to twice a year.

Why owners call us back

We build a small number of projects each year, and we finish what we start. You'll have the same designer from the first walkthrough to the last plant.

"They understood the property better after one afternoon than we had in six years of living here." — Dana R., Rhinebeck

A studio built around the site

Fernbank started in 2011 with one truck, a borrowed transit level, and a stubborn belief that a garden should suit its ground rather than a catalog.

Fifteen years later we're eleven people — designers, masons, and growers — working within about an hour of our yard in Red Hook. Staying local is deliberate. It means we know the soils, the deer pressure, and which nurseries actually have what they list.

How a project runs

1. Walk the site. An hour or two on the property, talking about how you actually use it.
2. Design. Concept plan, then a detailed planting and materials plan with a phased budget.
3. Build. Grading and drainage first, hardscape next, planting last. We tell you when we'll be there and we show up.
4. Settle in. A first-year check-in each season while the planting establishes.

The people

Nora Fenn, principal designer. Trained in horticulture at Cornell, twenty years in the field. She draws every plan that leaves the studio.

Marcus Oyelaran, build lead. Dry-stone mason by training. Responsible for most of the stairs and walls you'll see in the portfolio.

Where we work

Dutchess, Columbia and Ulster counties, plus occasional projects further south when the site is worth the drive.

Services

Most clients come to us for all three. Plenty start with design alone and build later — that's fine, and the drawings are yours either way.

Landscape design

Site survey, concept plan, planting plan, materials and lighting schedules, and a phased budget. You end up with a document any competent contractor could build from.

Typically 6–10 weeks. Design fees start around $6,500 for a residential property.

Construction

Grading, drainage, stone terraces and walls, steps, fencing, irrigation and planting — all with our own crews. We pull permits, coordinate inspections, and keep one project manager on your job from start to finish.

Most residential builds run 3–12 weeks on site, phased around weather and plant availability.

Garden care

Seasonal maintenance for gardens we've planted: spring cutback, editing and dividing, mulch, and a fall assessment. This is horticulture, not mow-and-blow — the goal is a planting that gets denser and needs less every year.

Monthly retainers, March through November.

What we don't do

Lawn mowing, snow removal, and synthetic turf. We're happy to recommend people who do them well.

What clients say

"We'd had two other designers out. Nora was the first who asked how we actually spend a Saturday out there. The terrace she drew is now the only place we sit." Dana and Paul R. — Rhinebeck, terrace and shade garden

"The drainage work was invisible and expensive and completely worth it. Three heavy springs later, the basement is still dry." Ellen M. — Red Hook, grading and drainage

"They talked us out of half of what we asked for and the result is better than what we had in mind. Rare in any trade." Sam T. — Millbrook, meadow conversion

"Marcus's stone stairs are the nicest thing on our property, including the house." Priya and Joel K. — Hudson, entry garden and steps

"Year three, and the beds have filled in exactly the way the plan said they would. I keep the drawing framed in the mudroom." Carol W. — Germantown, perennial borders

Let's walk the property

The best first step is an on-site visit. We'll spend an hour or so with you, look at the ground, and tell you what we'd do and roughly what it would cost.

Studio — 214 Mill Road, Red Hook, NY 12571 Phone — (845) 555-0142 Email — studio@fernbanklandscape.com

Request a site visit

Tell us where the property is, what's bothering you about it, and when you'd like the work done. A few photos help.

Form: name, email, phone, property town, project description, ideal timing, budget range.

Good to know

• We book design work about two months out, and construction one season ahead. Calling in winter for a spring build is the right move.
• Site visits within our counties are complimentary.
• We work on a small number of projects at a time, so we'll tell you early and plainly if we're not the right fit.