Designing for the environment

By Linda Erskine
Company: Welwyn Wong Landscape Design Owner: Welwyn Wong
Established: 1999

When you meet Welwyn Wong, the first impression is a good one.  Well spoken, open and driven, Wong started her landscape design business after graduation from the University of Guelph’s Landscape Architecture program six years ago.  And, while she says that she didn’t originally intend to make her start in the industry as a business owner; what has resulted is a full-service project management firm, with Wong creating the initial landscape design and working with clients through the entire construction.  Delve even further into Wong’s personality and you will find an environmentally responsible person whose professional and personal goal is to bring a sense of awareness of nature’s intrinsic value to her fellow Ottawa residents.

The contractors she works with appreciate Wong’s process too, and work with her to create a sense of place for each landscape.  Although Wong describes her style as clean and contemporary, her attention to detail could be described as anything but minimalist, tailoring her customers’ wants and needs to design a garden that offers a different story or feeling from every angle.

The Design Process

“I take into account the views from all sides and angles of a garden. Each approach tells a different story.” Says Wong, likening her design to a Japanese stroll garden, where repeated elements act as a ribbon to pull the visitor through the garden, but with each having its separate theme. Each element, no matter how minute, is specifically chosen, so much so that its decision is felt. Wong explains: “I’ve had landscape contractors come to me and say they can see how by removing one element, the garden is left a little flat without the same feel.”

Over the last six years, Wong has been involved in some beautiful projects throughout her native Ottawa, mostly residential projects, but also some commercial work. Her clients, now numbering 50 to 75 each season, appreciate her process, which involves an initial consultation where Wong and her clients brainstorm ideas to incorporate the clients’ wish list into the landscape. The method also allows for both designer and customer to critique the design, and introduce and eliminate details or aspects that don’t work.

Originally a one-woman shop, Wong has expanded over the last two years, bringing in office manager Jonathan Harris and landscape designer Rene Pierre. Not only does their involvement lend individual attention to the clients throughout the tendering and construction process (something Wong describes as the extended design service), but it also gives her a chance to bounce ideas around with another seasoned landscape designer.

That’s not to say that Wong herself is not experienced. Her background in landscape architecture has brought a sense of structure to all of her designs, and she’s learned much since opening up shop. “In my first year, I must have had 175 clients,” says Wong, admitting that her need to give each client 110 per cent saw many late nights.

Combining Art and Science

When asked what had steered her towards landscape architecture as a career, Wong admitted that her first choice in university had been physics. “ My interests were polar opposites, I liked the practical side of the sciences, but after two years of physics, I found I needed to express my artistic side as well. I was not courageous enough at first to go into the fine arts, but I knew I had to incorporate it into my career because it is a large part of who I am. It was actually my younger sister, an environmental scientist working in international development, who had picked up a brochure on landscape architecture and said, “Here, I think this is you.”

Wong has not looked back, accruing a list of awards she’s received, including an Award of Excellence from Landscape Ontario for the pond-side naturalization design at Rivermede Golf Course in Aylmer, Que. Her company still works with the greens keeper in an ongoing quest to bring an environmental sensitive focus to the course, incorporating wildlife refuges into the manicured sward.

It’s this environmental stance that Wong sees as the greatest gift she can bestow on her clients – teaching and encouraging others to respect the landscape. “we’re losing our most fertile land to pavement and concrete, and no longer understand the value landscapes and trees play in our lives. Getting one urbanite to enjoy the outdoors and to appreciate how long it takes for one tree to mature is just one step closer towards giving intrinsic value to the landscapes that surround our city centres, and one more step closer to preserving what’s left of our natural environment.”

Giving thanks

Wong herself appreciates the chances she has been given, and credits many industry members for her continuing success. As such, she gives back as much as she can, participating in volunteer projects like the design of the front entranceway to the headquarters of the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa. Most recently, she has donated time, energy and talent in creating promotional boards for the LO Ottawa Chapter’s presentation of Canada Blooms in Ottawa, to be held April 2006. “It’s important to give back to the community, as a way of saying thank you for its support.”

She also partners with others in the trade, and has gathered a network of contractors with whom she works as an independent designer. Most of her business comes from industry referrals or through word-of-mouth. She keeps her industry contacts current by participating in one trade show per year, most recently putting together a design gallery for the Interior Design Show, in which she demonstrated how to make the transition from the indoors out.

Most recently, Wong has forayed into the publishing world, writing a garden renovation column for the Ottawa-based fashion, art and design magazine Preston Catalogue, published this spring. She looks forward to more opportunities to promote the trade to consumers.

When asked about her favourite part of the design process, Wong was quick to note that while she enjoys being a problem-solver for her clients, her favourite moment comes in the finished project’s reveal. “When you see the clients’ eyes light up like a child as they start touring their friends around the garden, explaining why certain elements were included in the garden, you know that the design has become one with its owner. That’s the most rewarding.”

Wong can’t wait for that moment with one long-term project, which has been ongoing for the past two years. “ We’ve had a full season under our belt, and this season, we’re concentrating on the planting implementation phase and some remaining touches.” Says Wong. A pie-shaped oversized lot in Stittsville, the landscape’s goal was to provide an entertaining area and cooking areas, not to mention a cozy retreat for those solitary, reflective moments. The landscape had to reflect the style of the house – formal and elegant – but still evoke an intimate, inviting feel. Wong chose to carry the interior wall colours to the outside, looking at the house’s architectural style and building materials.

She sees the outdoor living trend not slowing down soon, with many homeowners opting to spend their discretionary dollars on home comforts. Gone are the umbrella covered patio furniture of the 70s and 80s, in favour of the plush armchair, wood tables and accessories. As Wong explains, there are two schools of thought: those who love the natural feel of stone, wood and water, and those who take the low-maintenance, no-fuss route, preferring man-made interlocking stone and composite woods. Wong sees a place for both, and states that she uses manmade materials not to mimic a natural product, but uses its unique properties to its full design potential.

As for the future, Wong looks forward to continuing her work in the industry. One thing is for certain; she and her co-workers will continue to offer beautiful, multi-faceted landscapes, all with the love of the environment at the core.

The End.
Thanks for reading.