Brook Klausing: An Interview with the New York City Landscape Designer

Brook Klausing and us—we go back. The landscape designer and model (Jenna Lyons famously hired him to redesign her backyard, then put him to work as a J.Crew model) was featured in our book Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces; he served as a judge for our 2018 Considered Design Awards; and his projects have landed on our site again and again (see here, here, and here). 

Known for his low-key but elegant designs that have a distinctively New York vibe, Brook actually grew up in Lexington, KY, in a family of green thumbs. “My father worked for Parks and Recreation and was known around town as the tree guy. My brother and I started a lawn care company that incorporated into a landscape management company. By the time we were teenagers, all the best local landscape architects were hiring us to do their installations,” he says. After moving to the Big Apple and working with a few popular rooftop designers, he struck out on his own and founded Brook Landscape, a design-build firm dedicated to creating spaces that get people outdoors. “I would like everyone to spend less time looking at pictures of gardens on their phones and more time connecting with nature and local communities,” says Brook. 

Hear, hear. But before you heed his words and log off, read his thoughts below on the importance of “boring” plants in his designs, the tree that makes him happy, and the color pairing he can’t stand in the garden.

Photography by Douglas Lyle Thompson, courtesy of Brook Klausing.

Your first garden memory:

I spent most of my days as a kid in the backyard. It wasn’t big but my father spent all his time gardening. We had grape hyacinth planted by the front porch. For me, they were mesmerizing. They looked just like food or candy (but you shouldn’t eat them). We had a cherry tree in the front yard that my mom would have us climb every season to pick and then pit them with her on the porch. We had a basic, round brick patio in the backyard that held our grill. Grillouts were the best. The yard wasn’t more than 800 square feet, but my siblings and I played hide and seek every day and always found ways to disappear. It was magical.

Garden-related book you return to time and again:

Wendel Berry’s The Unsettling of America. It tells the story of a society that has lost its connection to the land. It details the value of land stewardship and staying in rhythm with Mother Nature. It reminds us that value is often misplaced and peace is a feeling earned from hard work.

Instagram account that inspires you:

If we do our job right, our clients aren’t on IG. They are outside communing with nature, hanging out with friends, or relaxing and sipping tea. My current truth is, stay off the info smack. I’m not interested in AI-generated gardens. I’m not interested in photography or branding. Yes, some photo inspiration is good but get creative, go hiking, see what Mother Nature is doing, and try and recreate that.

Not to say it’s not a tool but if you need alcohol to dance, you should stop drinking.

Describe in three words your garden aesthetic.

Relaxed, refined, and balanced. I’m an artist available for commissions. We try and help our clients get what makes them happy. We will apply the art and our gardens have our mark on them. Similar to the previous question, I’m afraid the housing market and renovation generation have placed too much relevance on objects and space. I like nice things but hate working so hard to maintain an all-white outfit. Mother nature is adaptable. Garden style should be too.

Plant that makes you swoon:

The Tamarisk tree always makes me do a double-take. It’s magical. Like a scotch broom but a tree. So soft-looking, and it just makes you happy.

Plant that makes you want to run the other way:

Potato vine. Lime next to burgundy? Now I’m just being snobby. In reality, it’s not about hating things, it’s about loving them.

Favorite go-to plant: