Darrel Morrison has been called “the elder statesman of the ecological landscaping movement” by the New York Times and has risen to the top of his profession over a career that spans six decades. Darrel Morrison discusses people and places that have influenced his philosophy toward designing landscapes in his recently published book, Beauty of the Wild (Library of American Landscape History). During this in-person talk, Darrel gives insights into how this has been incorporated into his designs based on his time in Georgia, Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut, and Montana. He designs with the goal that the landscape is simultaneously:
- Ecologically sound
- Experientially rich
- “Of the Place”
- Dynamic, changing over time
Darrel’s book is partly memoir, partly a description of natural landscapes that have inspired Darrel’s designs, and partly a cross-section of some of those designed-and-managed landscapes even in an urban forest setting. Underlying this is an acknowledgement of the value of the work of many people in protecting natural areas, biodiversity and the beauty of the Wild.
Darrel comes to Atlanta this fall to contribute his landscape perspective and design ideas for the landscape installation for Trees Atlanta’s new headquarters under construction in Southwest Atlanta. The Atlanta History Center has generously donated granite material from their landscape (originally installed in 1990s) to be repurpsed in Trees Atlanta’s new granite outcrop installation. The outcrop is designed by Darrel Morrison and is a reflection of the beauty of Georgia granite outcrops, specifically the ephemeral pools containing the endangered Diamorpha. The design incorporates a pool in a circle surrounded with granite stones. In concept it looks like a ying yang effect.
