APLDWA Featured Designer:
Rick Fox

Designer at Devonshire Landscapes
Member since 2017

Headshot of Rick Fox in his office at Devonshire Landscapes
Rick Fox, designer at Devonshire Landscapes. All photos courtesy of Rick Fox and Devonshire Landscapes.

When did you start designing gardens? Tell us about your path from then to now.

I’ve always enjoyed working outside. I grew up in Renton, WA, mowed lawns and weeded beds from age 9-17 and then worked at different nurseries before enrolling at South Seattle College. I got my AA in Landscape Design and Construction while I ran a landscaping business with a friend. After college, I needed more experience, so I worked as a crew lead at a small landscape construction company for almost five years before joining Devonshire Landscapes in 2009.

A path constructed of square pavers interspersed with micro-clover connects a sidewalk, driveway, front porch and side gate.
A paver patio in-grown with micro-clover connects a sidewalk, driveway, front porch and side gate. Aluminum edging holds the clover at bay, which is irrigated from below with micro-drip lines.

Is your focus design? Or do you also manage installation, build and maintain gardens?
After about three years at Devonshire, I became the Installation Manager. For about eight years, I designed most of the work for our 4-6 person installation crew. I was also responsible for all aspects of managing a team, including meeting new clients, creating estimates, scheduling, leading and training crews, delivering materials, quality control, creating change orders and invoices, approving payroll and tracking costs…whew! Over the years, I have also worked with other APLDWA designers, including Susie Thompson, Katie Weber, Erin Lau and Tom Lawson (thank you all).

Two images showing very different ways of designing with stone. At left, a semi-circular patio and entry pathway created from bricks salvaged from many sources. On the right, a natural flagstone patio is surrounded by shallow steps and low retaining walls that are the perfect height to double as seating.
Two very different ways of designing with stone. At left, three separate salvage sources enhanced an existing pile of old bricks to complete this entry pathway and patio. On the right, a flagstone patio with matching stairs and benches creates an enjoyable backyard sitting area.

Two images showing intricate construction details. At left, a circular wood moongate inset into an existing fence is surrounded by shrubs and perennials. On the right, raised wooden planters are set into a deck and form part of the pony-wall for the staircase.
The finicky details. At left, a client requested moon gate inset into an existing fence section, which required sectioned drawings and templates to achieve the intricate cuts. It was later painted to match the fence. On the right, a rotting deck was removed and partially replaced with a built-in planter featuring strip drains to redirect run-off from removable planters into a driveway drain. A handrail was attached at a later date.

What experiences have you found to be most rewarding?
The most rewarding experiences have been mentoring emerging professionals. About four years ago, I was close to getting burned out and realized I needed more help. I reached out to Edmonds College for internship applications. The best came from a former graphic designer, Katrina Perekrestenko, who has been with us for over three years now. She digitally drafts our plans, selects and procures plants and plays a large role in the overall work of the installation division.

Miguel Mendoza Perez started as a young crew member and has matured into a very capable Project Manager. I depend on him to schedule our crews, deliver materials, help with change orders, timecards and material tracking, as well as timely equipment repair.

I will also say that creating a display garden with them for the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival last year was a great deal of fun and very rewarding.

Devonshire Landscape’s entry for the 2024 Flower and Garden Festival features natural log retaining walls, a semi-open garden shed and beds planted with flowering bulbs and perennials.
Devonshire Landscapes entry for the 2024 Flower and Garden Festival. It was built almost entirely of salvaged materials and later repurposed as a display gardenshed at Zenith Holland Nursery.

A circular raised planter constructed of woven steel sections is set into a bed planted with grasses and perennials. The planter contains sedums, salvaged irises, daffodils and a dogwood.
A raised planter design constructed of 1/8”x2” steel woven and welded to 1” rebar is planted with sedums, salvaged irises, daffodils and a dogwood.

Describe a typical design project and your process.
I still manage these processes but can now provide a better customer experience by concentrating on new designs and estimates. Katrina, Miguel and I have found our stride running 2-3 projects simultaneously with 6 crew members.

Katrina and I filter the website leads. I schedule a phone call and discuss numbers and timelines. I charge a design consultation fee for most client meetings, which goes toward the work. I compile a rough line item estimate and sometimes a to-scale drawing. The budget includes the cost of further design time needed for particular areas, including demolition, irrigation, lighting, planting, etc. For more complex projects or those with permitting, we charge design fees up-front that are non-refundable.

Images showing the site where a steep driveway was removed. In its place natural boulder retaining walls were constructed and planted with a colorful array of trees, shrubs and perennials.
A steep and inaccessible concrete driveway was removed. And, a terraced planting bed set and carefully backfilled to not damage the sewer line running underneath. It is planted to provide for privacy of a patio just behind.

A view of the project some years later after the planting has achieved its mature size.
This later view shows the lush mature planting that creates the desired privacy.

What would your ideal project and client be?
A local homeowner (we only service West Seattle/ Burien/ Normandy Park/ Des Moines) who is a referral from a previous client. Someone that:
  • Has some ideas for their property but wants it done in creative ways and is willing to take creative risks
  • Has a decent budget but interested in ‘best bang for the buck’
  • Wants to get rid of their lawn to plant natives, use rainwater effectively and seeks to create new habitat
  • Is not in a rush and is open to winter work
  • Respects the hardworking crews
  • Loves the result, will show off the finished work and can’t wait to have us back
I’ve had many of these clients over the years and always seek to cultivate more.

Image showing a small garage and driveway overwhelmed by monstrous boxwoods that take up most of the urban-sized backyard.
Monstrous boxwoods border a too-tight driveway that takes up most of the backyard.

The same image shows the boxwoods replaced with a permeable paver driveway and retaining walls made of pressure treated lumber topped with a short fence.
A permeable paver driveway now leads to pressure-treated walls (some with exposed-stitched ends) topped with a new good-neighbor fence.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I am fortunate to have made landscape construction a viable career. It’s true that I knew what I wanted to do early, dedicated myself and worked hard, but that’s never the whole picture. My father taught me basic tool use from a very young age, encouraged me and bought me a 73’ Chevy as my first work truck. My mother fed me well, made sure I did my homework, strongly encouraged sunscreen use and paid half of my tuition. My design instructor at SSC, Bud Merrill, sold me on the idea of landscaping as a career full of endless joy and possibilities. My boss at Devonshire, Will Anstey, takes my missteps and mistakes as ‘learning opportunities’ and gives me space to mold this side of the company. I also got lucky and married a fierce woman whose work ethic puts mine to shame.

I hold all these people close to my story but also believe that as a straight white male growing up in a supportive household in the suburbs of Seattle, I most likely have been afforded opportunities and engendered trust more easily than others might.

I am happy to see the field evolving to be more inclusive, but there is more to do. I believe there is room at the table for all of us who can see these things in ways others can’t. And, I hope to use my position to help others find their place here. Being ‘too busy’ can feel like an apathetic excuse, and I’m striving to lessen my day-to-day workload so that I can offer the same opportunities I had to the next person.

Rick Fox
Devonshire Landscapes