A Career Fusing Art, Design and Plants

When Nick Nelson was hired at the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) 15 years ago, he became its first landscape architect. While Nelson is the USBG's first landscape architect, the specialized career that is his passion today wasn't something he had previously envisioned.

"I was a bit of an artist in high school," Nelson said. "I enjoyed drawing, and my art teacher recommended architecture as a practical use for art. I figured maybe I had just found my career."

But Nelson also happened to be a golfer and even worked at a golf course in high school. He learned that the professionals who design golf courses were a different type of architect — a landscape architect — and he was intrigued.

When looking at college degree programs, Nelson found his parent's alma mater West Virginia University offered a landscape architect program — and did not offer a turf grass science degree that he was also pondering. "I decided that settled it," Nelson said. "I figured landscape architecture would let me combine my enjoyment of art with a way to connect with nature and the outdoors that I also wanted."

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Nick Nelson, Landscape Architect.

Nelson entered the public gardens sector via a suggestion from his mother, a master gardener, who told him about a Planning and Design internship at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Not only was Nelson accepted into the yearlong internship program, but was hired as a contractor by the garden six months in.

"The four years working at Longwood gave me many valuable experiences with major projects, like designing parts of the indoor Children's Garden, and also expanded my understanding of world-class gardens through visits to other gardens around the world," Nelson said.

Nelson first learned about the USBG while working at Longwood; he and some others from Longwood did some consulting for the USBG on a potential Terrace Gardens renovation. Soon, Nelson was driving between eastern Pennsylvania and Alexandria, Virginia, to spend time with his fiancée. He left Longwood and began working at a firm in Tysons Corner, Virginia, when he learned about the new landscape architect position at the USBG.

"I was very excited to apply to join the USBG as a landscape architect," said Nelson. "It was a great combination of my training with my art background and my experience in public gardens. Being a full-time position solidified that this was the job for me."

Nelson's first project as landscape architect for the USBG was to oversee completion of this redesign of the Terrace Gardens north of the Conservatory.

So what does a landscape architect do at a public garden like the USBG? Nelson designs and helps bring to life physical spaces in the USBG. If you've enjoyed the Terrace Gardens outside the Conservatory entrance, you've walked through a garden space that Nelson helped bring to life.

"The Terrace Gardens renovation project we had consulted on while I was at Longwood was coming to life when I joined the USBG," he said. Nelson oversaw the completion of the design work and then managed the implementation.

"I feel good about the final product — making the Terrace Gardens more inviting and providing more of a feel like you're entering a garden. I do love how the huge urn turned out — the scale of it provides some excitement while approaching the Conservatory," Nelson said. "A benefit of having been here 15 years now, is that I also have gotten to see this and other projects mature and be fully realized. A garden is a living space, so that also means sometimes we revisit a portion or an element years later to either maintain it or update it."

Other major projects Nelson has helped design and manage include the Children's Garden renovation with new elements ranging from a Conservatory-inspired climbing structure to motion-activated misting poles and new raised beds to allow kids to plant and water. Nelson collaborated with USBG Horticulturist Adam Pyle to transition a Conservatory house into a Mediterranean theme, with new structural and decorative elements like Mediterranean-tiled stepped planting areas and a Mediterranean wall mural to evoke that sense of place. He also designed the USBG's new, large name and logo signs working with the Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) Architecture Review Board for approval of those projects before later joining the board as the USBG's representative.

One of Nelson’s latest projects was designing and implementing a new bridge for the USBG Conservatory’s Tropics house. The design is wider and more accessible. These photos show the project completed and in use by visitors.

Nelson's job requires him to design with both people and plants in mind. You can explore one of his most recent projects when visiting the Tropics house. Nelson designed a new bridge to cross the central waterway. It's not only wider for more accessible use but also incorporates a plant-centric design. Nelson took a palm leaf shape and worked it into a railing that is safe and structural — and reflective of the environment around it.

"I enjoyed getting to work with other AOC specialists on this project," Nelson said. "The AOC Structural Engineer helped ensure the design met all load requirements, an AOC Electrical Engineer provided guidance to tap into existing power for lighting, and the AOC Construction Division worked on the stonework and electrical. We have a wealth of expertise throughout the AOC."

Through the years, Nelson's eye for design and contracting skills have led him to manage many exhibits ranging from the popular annual holiday exhibit to the annual orchid exhibit offered in collaboration with Smithsonian Gardens. "Everyone I meet seems to have been to the holiday show," Nelson said. "It's an instant connection and source of pride for me to have been able to help make it come to life for many years."

Nelson's impact on Capitol Hill extends beyond the USBG through consultations he does with other AOC jurisdictions. In 2016, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy reached out to Stephen Ayers, the Architect of the Capitol at the time, to ask if someone could help come up with design ideas to improve the landscape on the north side of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Ayers reached out to the USBG, and Nelson met with representatives from the Supreme Court team.

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Nelson's design for updated landscaping at the Supreme Court of the United States adds more variety and color into the landscape while keeping some of the requested formality.

"Justice Kennedy wanted an inviting landscape design with more color, and the others especially wanted to keep the major hardscape elements the same," Nelson said. Nelson developed three landscape design proposals — one more formal, one naturalistic and one that was a hybrid of the two. The more formal layout was chosen and has been implemented to update the landscape.

"I love the diversity of this job. I never stop learning and growing because I'm always involved in new projects and exhibits that challenge me in new ways," Nelson said. "Also, the people here make the job really great. I love getting to work with so many other professionals at the USBG and the AOC."

Nelson's work is never done. From supporting the upkeep of previous projects to overseeing designs and implementation to keeping the USBG landscape designs functional and inviting, there is never a shortage of projects.

"I feel lucky to get to do work that I love," Nelson said. "It's great to be able to blend art, science and nature into garden spaces that showcase the diversity of the USBG plant collection for visitors to see and explore."