The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore will present Bob Bell of Bell Design, first winner of its annual scholarship more than 10 years ago. He will give a slide presentation of his landscape designs using native plants at the Academy Art Museum, at 1pm, April 10tth, 2013.
Robert grew up in Easton and early in his life became fascinated with gardening and designing. Always an avid sailor, traveler and plants man, he began creating gardens for a number of local estates while still in high school. From a small herb garden, he went on to renovate an overgrown Bob Bell of Bell Design boxwood garden in Beaux-Arts Style.
He graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in landscape architecture and moved to Washington D.C. to work with the world famous landscape firm of Oehme, van Sweden and Associates. Known for their introduction of ornamental grasses to American gardeners, Oehme, and van Sweden introduced him to a diverse range of regionally native plants and the sweeping, prairie-like “New American Garden” style. Bob managed a wide variety of projects for the firm from Asia and the Caribbean to estates up and down the East Coast.
In 2007, Bob left Oehme, van Sweden to expand his own design firm, Bell Design, Inc.
He works on projects in historic neighborhoods, which blend contemporary with classical elements, on roof decks, terraces, and waterfront meadows. Using site specific hardscape materials and plants that provide beauty in each season, he creates distinctive, elegant spaces that are as functional and as easy to take care of as they are exciting to view and enjoy.
Several of Bell Design’s current projects are:
- Garden plan for historic, one-acre site, Georgetown, Washington, DC
- Waterfront meadow restorations with native and adapted plants, 3 residences on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
- Roof deck and terraces for private homes and condominiums
- Water-saving landscape re-design for fifteen condominium cottage, Palm Beach, FL
His presentation is free and open to the public though donations to the Scholarship Fund are welcome. (Bob said he remembers being thrilled when he received the scholarship at the endof his senior year.) Each year since then a graduating senior in Talbot County is chosen foroutstanding achievement, leadership, a strong work ethic, and interest in pursuing a career inagriculture, horticulture, landscape design or architecture, environmental sciences or relatedfields for the $2500 award. “Using Native Plants in Landscape Design” by Bob Bell of Bell Design, Academy Art Museum, Easton, April 10, 2013, 1:00 PM. Admission free. Information 1-822-ARTS.
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Susanne Fyffe says
I look forward to Bob Bell’s lecture. I, too, worked with Jim Van Sweden on Capitol Hill and have carried his inspiration with me to this day in my practice.
Susanne