Scott Pluckhahn, Landscape Designer

Scott is a life-long gardener. He and his partner live on a pre-Civil War farmstead (a Georgia Trust property) east of Atlanta. They share the farm with 2 happy dogs, a very content cat, 3 big sheep, 21 productive chickens and 4 crazy geese.

Favorite Plant: Hard question! Tree: Serviceberry. White Oak? Tupelo? Shrub: Boxwood today, Hydrangea tomorrow. Flower: Zinnia. Or Cosmos. Dahlias are nice. Ah, and Moonvie. Morning Glory? I need more paper, please.

Favorite Season: I used to be a summer-kind-of-guy but now on the farm, I love winter. Give me a book, a fire, some flannel pj’s and a Hot Toddy, please. I sleep in a stocking hat with the window open. Also, there are no garden chores!

Best Garden Ever Visited: Hidcote, near Chipping Camden, England. Mind blown. Also, while not technically a garden, The Hamdeau at Versailles is what I’m hoping Heaven looks like. I’m making a huge assumption though.

Biggest Gardening Mistake: Well, for some unknown reason I plant gourds every year.  I have to beat them back to get to the house and when I harvest them they take up every surface of the barn and the guesthouse for 6 months. Then I start all over. Need a gourd?

Most Promising Garden Herb: Rosemary is my favorite, followed by Lavender. If you have never tried salad burnet, do. It tastes like cucumbers and is really good in a Pimm’s Cup!

Most Valued Gardening Tool: I use a pitchfork to clean the barn every Sunday (great compost!) but my Soil Scoop is a hand tool that I use almost daily. Planting annuals? Check. Vegetables? Check. Picking up something gross the cat threw up? Double check.

Best Treasure Ever Found in a Backyard: Living on an old farm, I’ve found forks, knives, pottery, arrowheads, fox traps, hubcaps, a 1920 license plate, a 1922 dime, horseshoes, hand-forged nails, belt buckles, tractor parts, plow tips and Civil War bullets. I ordered a load of gravel and in it I found a pestle used by Creek Indians to grind corn (having a brother who is an archeologist comes in handy).

Reason to Be In The Backyard: Wine, deer, raccoons, turkey, fox, our neighborhood bobcat, and a million birds including our family of Pilliated Woodpeckers. Mostly wine, though.

What I Love About Living in Atlanta: I live outside of Atlanta, which is pretty sweet on the weekends. I love the weather, having four seasons even if a few are short, but you can totally keep the traffic, thanks.

What I Love About Working at Contemporary Gardens: My coworkers and crew ar fantastic and we tend to laugh our way though the day but coming up with creative solutions to our clients’ concerns keeps me getting out of bed at 4:00. I may yawn but I care!

Alma Mater: University of Georgia!