Landscape architect Michael Gulbrandsen, whose passion is “turning parking lots into parks,” recently completed a natural water feature as part of the Tranquility Garden at InnerLight Health Spa in Hyde Park. As part of this garden, branches were woven together to create sculptural fencing, and moss-covered logs and rocks were incorporated into the plant beds around the building to create what Gulbrandsen calls the “100 Year Impression,” a concept where the placement of every stone, plant, water feature and structure in the garden looks like it has been there for 100 years.

Highly creative landscapes are the trademark of Gulbrandsen’s company, Reflections of Nature, which serves Dutchess, Westchester, Putnam and Columbia Counties in New York and western Fairfield County in Connecticut. Gulbrandsen grew up in Upstate New York and says his fascination with nature started in childhood and became his professional passion.

“The pure love of nature and the outdoors is my inspiration to provide clients with gardens that reflect nature and create serenity,” he says. “To further my knowledge of natural landscape design, I spend countless hours with the best teacher there is, Mother Nature. I study how a well-placed log in a koi pond makes the perfect spot for baby turtles to catch some sun, or how a viburnum shrub at the edge of a waterfall provides cover for a family of deer to get a drink without harm.”

For more info, visit LandscapingWithNature.com or contact Gulbrandsen at [email protected] or 845.489.7250.