Alyse has been a professional landscape designer in the Portland metro area for 17 years. Recently she has returned to her study of photography as well, specializing in outdoors and gardens. (See this site's blog for some of her work.)

Story

Outdoor spaces are my passion--both natural and man-made, from trails to courtyards.  I love being in these places, particularly in the outstanding ones that take my breath away, and I have a drive to understand why one garden space works over another.  Studying such gardens, and creating them, is a bit of a calling.  In all my garden designs, I strive for that which brings my clients out into their own back yards, and landscaping that makes their lives easier there.  

My early schooling focused on photography and English, and I earned a bachelor of arts degree from Colorado College in 1982.  My evolving interests turned toward gardens--which proved to be a mix of all my interests and talents--when we bought our first home in Multnomah Village, Portland OR.  We lived there when our two children were born, and moved to Scappoose, OR, in 1993.  After discovering the joy in these first two gardens as a homeowner, I returned to school for my Landscape Design Certification, graduating in 2002.  I have been practicing in my own design firm since then, and I have worked as a staff designer with Joy Creek Nursery's landscape installations division.

We still garden on that same 1/3 acre in Scappoose, Oregon, USA, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers.  We are about 70 miles (110 km) inland from the coast as the crow flies.  USDA zone 8a.

Certifications and Education:

• Landscape Design Certification, 2002
       Landscape Technology, Portland CC, 1998-2002
• Master Gardener Certification, Oregon State Extension, 2004
• Bachelor of Arts, English, additional focus in philosophy and photography, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, 1982

Employment

• Alyse Lansing Garden Design, 2001-present
• Joy Creek Nursery, Landscape Division, OLCB #6774, 2007-2016
• Feigner's Hilltop Nursery, 1996-97

Professional Organizations:

• APLD (national)
• APLD (Oregon chapter)
• ANLD
• Master Gardener, Oregon, Columbia County
• HPSO - Hardy Plant Society of Oregon

Press

ANLD.com, Designers' Garden Tour 2016: The Bebernes-Gawf Garden

South County Spotlight, "Molding Nature for Backyard Retreats: Alyse Lansing employs creative design to meet each client's outdoor concept," May 16, 2014.

ANLD.com, Designers' Garden Tour 2013: The Leon Garden

Hillsboro Argus, "Transform a Fishbowl Back Yard into a Romantic French-inspired Garden Hideaway," by Ann Nickerson, May 7, 2013.

South County Spotlight, "Outdoor Living Spaces: Adding to Your Home Can Be a Breath of Fresh Air," by Erica Ryberg, March 24, 2010.

Columbia River Reader, "Passionate About Planting: Discover Joy in Your Garden," by Susan Piper, May 15-June 14, 2005.