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Meet the Designer: Maggie Judycki, GreenThemes Inc.

By November 17, 2009No Comments
by Mary Landon

Maggie Judycki, the proprietor of GreenThemes, Inc., a landscape-design company based in Annandale, Virginia, is a stone sculptor turned landscape designer and a talented gardener with a gift for bringing the drama of sculpture into the outdoor environment.

Chaises and Half Moon

L: Two chaise longues placed on a raised stone patio overlook the garden. R: The semicircular form of the carefully pruned maple with slatted screen behind delights the eye, gives privacy, and echoes the form of the wall. Photos: Randy O’Rourke; Designs: Maggie Judycki

Maggie launched her business, GreenThemes, Inc., in 1985. Now, almost twenty-five years later, Maggie continues to work on innovative landscapes built around the creative use of plants and hardscape materials. Several of Maggie’s projects are featured in Home Outside. We admire her work and included it in the book as a wonderful illustration of the way a landscape “serves as a total exterior environment,” in Maggie’s words.

Borrowed view; patio

L: A segment of the stockade fence is cut down to a lower height to “borrow” the view of the neighbor’s property, giving greater depth to this narrow backyard. R: This patio feels like a series of “open-air rooms.” Photos: Randy O’Rourke; Designs: Maggie Judycki

Maggie enjoys discovering antiques and other uncommon, distinctive objects that can be placed in clients’ gardens, where they are a refreshing contrast to the more readily available, commercial products seen in popular catalogs. These art objects add whimsy and a personal touch to a corner of a garden.

Whimsical bench, bas relief

L: There’s something about this white wrought-iron seat perched atop a handsome stone wall that brings an instant smile to your face. R: Maggie designed this bas-relief and backless bench for an intimate walled garden on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and found a sculptor to carve and complete her vision in limestone. Photos: Randy O’Rourke; Designs: Maggie Judycki

Maggie’s designs can be viewed on her website, at http://greenthemes.com/.