Bruce John Riddell’s magnum opus has been published!

“LANDART, From Acadia to Zen” took 10 years to produce from over 35 years of work. His book is now available at Sherman’s Bookstores and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. It is an astonishing 260 pages of photographs, text, sketches and technical information illustrating the vast experience of Riddell’s incredible career.

Bruce is a Maine guy. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maine and a master of landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. After he graduated from Penn, he worked for over eight years with the landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden and Associates in Washington, D.C. While there, he participated in renowned projects such as the National Zoo, National Arboretum, International Chancery Center, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Headquarters, and Nelson A. Rockefeller Park at Battery Park City in New York City, as well as a variety of residential estate gardens throughout the country.

Locally, Bruce designed several public gardens, including many of the feature gardens at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. He has designed and constructed LandART for private homes throughout Maine. His gardens typically combine native and naturalized plantings with site-specific furnishings that he designs himself, including custom gates, lights, fountains, stonework, metalwork and sculptures. His signature garden environments and outdoor rooms have been described as having a “Japanese design ethic with a Celtic sensibility.”

Anyone who has visited Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens can see a variety of Bruce’s creations at the “Meditation Garden” (a favorite), the waterfall for the Rhododendron Garden, stone benches throughout the property and other private installations.

It has been my honor to photograph some of Bruce’s work from various locations around the region, a fair number locally, and in the Midcoast. It amazes me how his thoughtfulness can transform and enhance locations with his magical touch, always complimenting the natural landscape. At the Botanical Gardens alone, you can see many examples of his work, much of which was responsible for the original design of what now has become an expansive property.

In more recent years, other developments have “overshadowed” Bruce’s early work but his creations have lasting and unique appeal. I, for one, feel so enveloped by the calm of the “Meditation Garden” with its central “basin” and proximity to Back River. Everything seems to melt together in such a peaceful way. Once I actually drifted off for a snooze there after watching the morning light creep into the surroundings.

Bruce’s book is really quite extensive. It’s a study of how he does things, what he sees and how he utilizes the natural landscape to create a well-formed environment. It will be a book that I come back to from time to time, to enjoy and admire. And, I am not a gardening person, but this book isn’t just for gardeners. So try to obtain a copy.

In the meantime, if you are interested, Bruce’s work can be seen on his website at www.LandARTdesigner.com

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” – Audrey Hepburn