Owen Wormser performed an extraordinary act of landscape design at the Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire. In 1916, poet Robert Frost planted an apple orchard on his mountain farmstead. But, over the course of the twentieth century, the surrounding woods took over and unmade almost all of Frost’s orchard. In 1999, Owen Wormser found the remaining trees, nursed them skillfully to full health, and then opened up the landscape and redesigned the trails and hillside of what is now The Frost Place, planting new trees, so that Frost’s apple orchard is wonderfully flourishing once more.

Owen’s landscape work thus perfectly parallels the artistic significance of The Frost Place: both to honor Frost’s great poems and to be the cause of new flourishing in the poems of others.

Donald Sheehan

Executive Director 1977-2005, The Frost Place

We hired Owen Wormser to redesign an outdoor space at our three-season lake cottage.  Owen worked in collaboration with our architect and builder after we rebuilt an enclosed porch and outside deck.  The landscape area he had to work with was complicated due to the elevation of the land leading to the lake.  We worked with Owen to create a multi-level space that allows us to move effortlessly from our deck to the lake. He developed a lovely descent that involved the creation of four different levels using Goshen stone.  The result was a combination of steps and walls.  No longer are we negotiating a steep pitch as we move from the lake to the house. We marvel at the way that he tiered the components of the entire project to make the trek effortless.  A central focus is a stone fire pit that overlooks the lake. 

We no longer wanted to continue to cut grass on areas not occupied by stonework. Several areas would have maintained their original slopes, and beautiful stonework alone would not have lessened the burden of mowing.  As a result, Owen created beautiful perennial gardens on each level.  He welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with us regarding plant selections.  His expertise in this area resulted in specimens that bloom throughout the summer.  Each landscaped level provides us with an opportunity to enjoy the lovely gardens and our beautiful lake.   

Owen is a considerate and thoughtful landscape designer who likewise worked well with our builder during this process.  We found him to be honest and open to our concerns and suggestions.  He is a genuinely good individual. He continues to check on the project. Indeed, this is for our benefit, which we greatly appreciate. It is also apparent that his visits are a manifestation of the great pride that he takes in his work. He has a keen interest in observing how the overall project continues to mature over time.

We recommend Abound Design highly and without reservation. We are open and willing to invite potential clients of his to view the space he created for us. 

Cheryl Smith and Bernie Morzuch

Goshen, MA

We could not be more thrilled with the new landscaping, patio and fountain designed and installed by Abound Design! Owen Wormser’s design work and installation has created beautiful, inviting, and comfortable space for our customers. Abound Design’s installations have brought new life, interest and color to Cooper’s Corner, a landmark in the center of Florence. In addition to producing a top quality product, Owen communicated with me promptly and directly throughout the process. He was responsive and very easy to work with. Owen will be at top of my list for future landscape design at my businesses or at my home.

Rich Cooper

Cooper’s Corner

In early 2012, our daughter asked if she and her fiancé could be married in our garden that year. We agreed, but we needed to do a lot of work before a garden wedding in June!Our priorities included the following: native plants that encourage birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife, flowers in bloom throughout summer, fall and spring, appropriate plantings for shade, sun and combination areas and theuse of resources such as water as sparingly as possible.

Owen and his crew transformed our entire garden, planting a couple of thousand new plants and moving dozens of existing plants. Our gardens and borders were completed in plenty of time and looked wonderful! Since then, we’ve had him back each year to continue to teach us and to help with modifications and improvements.

We highly recommend Owen and Abound Design for the quality of work, depth of knowledge of landscape gardening and creating native habitats, attention to our needs, and the ability to work well with us as we made multiple complex decisions.

Susan and Rene Theberge

Amherst, Ma