A Day in the Life of Angelica Diaz, Landscape Designer at Princeton Hydro

Welcome to the latest edition of our “A Day in the Life” blog series. Today, we explore the vibrant and creative world of landscape design through the eyes of Angelica Diaz, one of Princeton Hydro’s talented Landscape Designers.

Landscape design is the discipline of organizing and modifying the features of a landscape to achieve a functional, biodiverse and visually appealing outdoor space. This process considers various factors such as climate, soil, topography, existing vegetation, and the intended use of the area. By integrating artistic and scientific principles, landscape designers develop plans that create harmonious and practical environments. These plans serve as a blueprint for projects, guiding the installation and maintenance of outdoor spaces while aiding in material selection and cost estimation.

Join us as we accompany Angelica on a day dedicated to the Trenton South Ward Community Garden project. This journey highlights her dedication to transforming natural spaces and her integral role in bringing our clients’ visions to life. From client meetings and visioning sessions to detailed site analysis and creative design, Angelica’s expertise showcases the diverse services and innovative solutions that Princeton Hydro offers in landscape architecture.

Let’s dive into the roots of her day!

Client Meeting and Visioning Session

This morning, Angelica begins her day at the Trenton Headquarters Office, preparing for a kickoff meeting with the Trenton South Ward Neighborhood Association (TSWNA) board, a voluntary organization of residents who work together to improve and maintain the quality of life of the south ward district of Trenton, New Jersey. This initial meeting is crucial for understanding the client’s goals and visions. Angelica is particularly excited about this community-driven project because she enjoys the inclusivity and creativity it fosters.

“Community projects are fantastic because they help people realize their creative vision and foster a sense of ownership,” says Angelica. “It’s important to have a visioning meeting to gather a wide range of thoughts and ensure everyone feels included.”

During the kickoff meeting, Angelica and the Princeton Hydro project team listen attentively to board members, taking notes and asking questions to clarify the client’s vision. Together with the client, the project team brainstorms ideas, establishes clear deliverables, and discusses expectations for the project ahead. The team shared ideas for two sites in the neighborhood; one existing community garden and one undeveloped site across the street. At the Community Garden site, TSWNA has several vegetable garden beds and hosts community workshops that ecourage residents to get outside and learn the ins and outs of urban gardening. To make the space even more inviting and useful for the community, they discussed options like planting flowers, replacing the fence, and adding a storage shed.

Here are some highlights from the meeting:

Navigating and Securing Project Funding

Securing grant money can be the key to bringing your innovative project to life, but navigating the complex world of funding can be daunting. Princeton Hydro’s Director of Marketing and Communications Dana Patterson Grear stumbled upon an ideal grant opportunity to kick-off the first phase of the TSWNA’s vision for the exisiting Community Garden site. Facing a tight deadline, Angelica collaborated with Tyrell Smith, TSWNA Co-Founder/Board Chair, to submit an application to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation’s Mid-Atlantic Monarch And Pollinator Habitat Kit Program. This program distributes habitat kits containing native milkweed and various nectar plants to project partners ready to dedicate time, labor, and land for developing pollinator habitats in the Mid-Atlantic and New York City areas.

This year, the kits were tailored specifically for urban farms, community gardens, and other communal and educational spaces in urban settings, with a focus on benefiting historically underserved communities—a perfect match for TSWNA, which was selected to receive over 500 native plants to enhance their space and create a habitat for monarch butterflies.

Site Analysis and Planning

With a clear, collective vision in mind, Angelica heads to a project site in Trenton’s South Ward Neighborhood to conduct a comprehensive analysis in preparation for the Community Garden.

Angelica arrives at 475 Lamberton Rd, ready to assess the critical physical and environmental factors necessary for the landscape design project. She meticulously observes sun exposure and soil characteristics to understand how these conditions could affect plant growth. She evaluates water availability, considering both natural sources and potential irrigation needs to ensure the sustainability of her design. The topography of the site is mapped out, identifying slopes, elevations, and natural drainage patterns that will influence the placement of features and the overall layout. All of these components help curate the overall aesthetic experience of the space throughout the day. Angelica takes photos, makes detailed notes of these observations, gathering essential information that will inform her design process and help create a harmonious and functional outdoor space.

“Site analysis is more than just understanding the immediate environment,” Angelica explains. “It’s about considering the broader context, including the surrounding neighborhood and city. This helps identify the project’s needs and how it can best integrate with the local community. By working together, we can create a beautiful and sustainable space that benefits the Trenton community.”

Drafting Concepts

Now it’s time for Angelica to draft initial concepts. Using a combination of AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Adobe Creative Suite, she begins to translate her site analysis and the client’s feedback into visual designs. For the Trenton South Ward project, Angelica starts with a basemap created from field measurements and Google Earth imagery, evolving it into three distinct concepts.

“I aim to keep the concepts relatively loose at this stage,” she explains. “This helps get a reaction from the client and see which design they gravitate towards.”

Balancing aesthetics and sustainability, Angelica always prioritizes using a native plant palette, recognizing the seasonal characteristics and ecological benefits of native plants. She aims to create landscapes that are both beautiful and sustainable, supporting local wildlife and promoting biodiversity.

For this project, the plant selection came from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The Xerces Society supplied carefully chosen native and regionally appropriate plants from Pinelands Nursery in Columbus, NJ, one of the largest native plant nurseries in the US, supplying millions of plants for environmental restorations throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Some of the native species selected for the community garden include Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). These perennial, drought-resistant plants not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of the area but also offer crucial habitats for pollinators and birds, fostering a healthier and more balanced ecosystem.

“The final design is a refinement of the concept with more detailed planting plans and site measurements,” Angelica notes. “I often visit the site again to confirm measurements and document conditions to ensure accuracy.”

Of the three concepts Angelica and the Princeton Hydro team developed, TSWNA chose design concept three, which is pictured below:

Bringing the Design to Life

The planning and design work culminated in a vibrant Community Garden, volunteer-powered planting event, which kicked off this initial phase of the revitalization of this space. Members of TSWNA, Princeton Hydro, and local volunteers came together to bring the collective landscape design vision to life, creating a thriving green oasis for the community to enjoy. Together, the group planted 550 native flowers and shrubs generously provided by the Xerces Society. Despite the heat, they worked collaboratively to turn the area into a beautiful, sustainable garden that benefits the entire Trenton community.

During the planting day, Angelica demonstrated proper techniques for preparing the ground for planting, installing plant plugs, and maintaining the space once all of the planting is complete. In the video below, Angelica demonstrates how to plant a plug in the ground:

• Prepare the Soil: “First, we need to loosen and water the ground. This creates a welcoming environment for your plant plugs. Loosened soil helps plants access nutrients more easily as their roots grow.”
• Determine Hole Depth: “Use your trowel to measure the depth needed for your hole. Compare it to the plug depth. The hole doesn’t need to be as deep since we’ll be breaking up the roots.”
• Tickle the Roots: “If your plant is pot-bound, don’t worry! Tickle those roots. It’s okay to damage them a little bit; the plant will recover. This step is crucial for healthy root establishment.”
• Position the Plant: “Place your plant in the hole, making sure it’s level with the surrounding ground. It shouldn’t be depressed or sitting above the soil. Press gently and fill in soil to ensure good root-soil contact.”
• Water Thoroughly: “Give your plant a good soak! It’s been through a lot and needs a thorough watering to recover and establish well.”

Continued Learning and Inspiration

Angelica always dedicates time to staying updated on the latest trends in landscape architecture, attending industry conferences, and connecting with colleagues to share insights and ideas. This continuous learning helps her bring innovative solutions to her projects.

“I’m excited about the growing trend of sustainability in landscape design,” she says. “Incorporating green infrastructure and eco-friendly practices is essential for a sustainable future.”

Reflecting on her day, Angelica acknowledges the unique challenges (and opportunities) of landscape design, from site constraints to fulfilling client expectations. She finds great satisfaction in overcoming these obstacles and seeing designs come to life.

“There’s no such thing as the perfect site,” she admits. “Each project comes with its own challenges, but it’s incredibly rewarding to see a space transformed and to know that it will thrive and bring joy to the community for years to come.”

Angelica’s journey in landscape design began at Temple University, where she pursued her graduate studies. Her professional path includes valuable experience at a small residential landscape architecture firm that also owned a native plant nursery, providing her with extensive knowledge about plant names, identification, and growth habits. Prior to this, she worked at a landscape restoration company focusing on invasive species removal and management, enriching her understanding of both native and invasive plants.

With a lifelong artistic inclination and a profound appreciation for ecology and biology, Angelica found her perfect career blend in landscape design and architecture. Although she wasn’t initially exposed to landscape architecture as a career option, her graduate program welcomed individuals from diverse backgrounds, helping her realize her passion for this field.

Angelica is particularly excited about the growing trend of resilience and sustainability in landscape architecture, especially in response to climate change. She looks forward to continuing her work on projects related to green infrastructure and stormwater management, and the multidisciplinary approach to restoring ecological function.

Princeton Hydro is an expert in engineering, ecological restoration, and landscape architecture, and we’ve been incorporating green stormwater infrastructure and nature-based solutions into our designs for decades. Recently, Princeton Hydro partnered with Congregation Kol Emet to design and implement a sustainable 10-acre campus transformation, providing green infrastructure engineering, landscape architecture, and construction services to enhance the synagogue’s usability and welcoming atmosphere, reduce flooding, improve water quality, and augment biodiversity. Read more.

Click here to check out another blog from our “A Day in the Life” series. For this edition, we join Marissa Ciocco, PE in our geotechnical laboratory.

• Landscape Architecture
• Engineering
• Environmental Education
• Green Infrastructure