circular steel sculpture in a massplanting of rudbeckia fulgida

we design gardens that nurture life

Our immersive landscapes harmonize beauty with resiliency, creating spaces where people feel a profound connection to nature and place.

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Land Morphology listed as one of top 30 Seattle design firms
Land Morphology listed as one of top 30 Seattle design firms

Architizer ranks Land Morphology as the number 18 design firm in Seattle and the only landscape architecture firm listed in this year's ranking.

A Sense of Adventure
A Sense of Adventure

Lorene Edwards Forkner writes about Richard’s favorite spring plantings in her March 26, 2025 column in the Seattle Times’ Pacific NW Magazine.

“Hartlage has long used his personal garden, executed in bold color and with a playful sense of scale, for trialing plants and building materials.”

Leach Botanical Garden
Leach Botanical Garden

We are excited to have Leach Botanical Garden included in the new book, “Contemporary Landscape Architecture: Masterpieces Around the World.”  The book, published by Braun and written by Chris van Uffelen, is a compendium showcasing today and tomorrow’s landscape architecture.

LAM features LM
LAM features LM

Landscape Architecture Magazine features our fountain design for Yew Dell Botanical Gardens in its Backstory column.

“We did a lot of fountain designs for them that didn’t resonate. It was the only piece of the project that didn’t make them happy right out of the gate. Then I had the idea: Why are we not just using the millstone? And it occurred to me that we could utilize the millstones in this fountain in a kind of subtle, low-impact way.” —Richard Hartlage

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How the Passion to Shape Landscapes Shapes Us
How the Passion to Shape Landscapes Shapes Us

As landscape architects, we like to believe that our work is about shaping the land—crafting outdoor spaces that are beautiful, meaningful, and ultimately make the world a better place.

Hellebores on the Seattle Waterfont
Hellebores on the Seattle Waterfont

With flowers that emerge in early winter and tough evergreen foliage, hellebores are a mainstay of both our public and private gardens, where we always try to design for four seasons of interest. Exquisite on a small scale and sensational on a large scale, they are well-suited for a variety of different settings and styles.

Another Perfect Plant: Corylopsis spicata
Another Perfect Plant: Corylopsis spicata

On the Seattle Waterfront, Corylopsis spicata is found growing in the large, raised beds just south of the new aquarium. 

Another Perfect Plant: Trachelospermum jasminoides
Another Perfect Plant: Trachelospermum jasminoides

Trachelospermum jasminoides, or star jasmine, is a low-maintenance, evergreen vine with fragrant, white flowers. Native to Eastern and Southeastern Asia, it is dependably cold-hardy in the Puget Sound region. It creates a beautiful backdrop when trained up a trellis or over an arbor

Model Renderings
Model Renderings

Models are a way to provide visuals for the client to see the spatial relationships, scale and the overall aesthetic of a project.

Timeless Boxwood
Timeless Boxwood

Our boxwood of choice is Korean boxwood, Buxus sinica var. insularis ‘Wintergreen’ or Wintergreen boxwood, a variety that performs well and withstands blight.  

Camassia leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ – Camas
Camassia leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ – Camas

This gorgeous mid-spring bloom, also known as the Camas lily or Wild Hyacinth, is in the Asparagus family, Asparagaceae.

Planting a Garden
Planting a Garden

Above all, it is the inherent dynamic qualities of plants – the living, ever-changing aspect of garden spaces – that distinguishes gardens from more static structures like houses.

An Iterative Process
An Iterative Process

The iterative process of modifying and evolving the design is an important reminder to not get too attached to any one design.

Another Perfect Plant: Japanese Anemones
Another Perfect Plant: Japanese Anemones

With blossoms rising several feet above a dense mass of basal foliage, Japanese anemones offer both seasonal interest and ground cover.

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