Hali Beckman, a local landscape designer that works beneath surface

Denise Perreault

11/13/2010

SURVEYING THE LANDSCAPE: Hali Beckman, owner and operator of Hali Beckman Ltd., has done work for Foxwoods Casino, Castle Hill Inn & Resort and dozens of homeowners. She touts her hands-on approach to her work as a factor in her success. /

Most people could be expected to judge the quality of a landscape-architecture firm’s work by the visual impression they get when looking at it.
But that’s just icing on the cake.
For instance, imagine a meditative garden in the yard of a Jamestown home, stylishly adorned with flowering trees, pebble-strewn walkways and an elegant bench that all but invites the viewer to have a seat.
What you don’t see is what is underneath the garden: a septic field.
The garden described here is an actual garden designed by Hali Beckman, owner and operator of Hali Beckman Ltd., a landscape-architecture firm located on the harbor in the scenic North Kingstown village of Wickford.
The firm has done work for such clients as Foxwoods Casino, Castle Hill Inn & Resort in Newport, the Newport Yachting Center and dozens of homeowners in such towns as Newport, Jamestown, North Kingstown and Scituate. Beckman’s company currently holds a contract for landscape architectural services of Providence parks, including Roger Williams Park. Her firm does residential as well as commercial work, and she would like to become more involved in public sector and hotel projects.
As the example of a garden over a septic field illustrates, decorative details such as flowers and shrubs certainly are important to a landscape’s overall design, but are by no means the most essential elements, Beckman said. “A good design does not necessarily need ornamental plants,” she explained. “It should stand on its own.”
The key factors that a landscape architect must keep in mind are not always visible.
“You need to know about soil. You need to know about grading, and how the grades or elevations work with the residence so it all feels natural,” Beckman said. “You need to know about the environment and the existing environmental features that you have. There is a lot of science involved.”
Beckman began her business in the early 1980s – when “there were not many female landscape architects,” she noted – because she wanted “to make a difference in how development” was done. “I felt there could be a little more sensitivity to the environment and natural features,” she said, “and I had a propensity for design.” She earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Rhode Island and went on to study at the Rhode Island School of Design for several years. She did not finish her master’s because “I got caught up in the business and carried through on that,” she said. “I preferred the business.”
After employment at various firms, “I found that if I were ever going to be able to do my own creative work, I needed to be on my own,” Beckman said. She added a partner to her business in the 1990s who later moved to Florida, leaving Beckman on her own once again. “I was lucky to retain the same help,” she said. As a result of growing up in both Rhode Island and New Hampshire, Beckman has contacts in both states and a second office in Thornton, N.H.
She recommends that the best time to hire a landscape architect is when “someone is thinking of building, so they can work with the landscape architect on siting the house and working with the grades” before earth-moving disturbs natural features. “We create rooms outside,” Beckman said, so the house and its “outdoor rooms” should seem to fit naturally into the chosen setting.
She likes to work closely with her clients and joked, “If I could move in and find out how they live, I would.” She said it is essential when designing residential landscapes to know how a family lives and what their lifestyle preferences might be.
“You can’t design without knowing the lifestyle,” she said. And most clients, she added, become friends.
The latest trend in landscaping is sustainability and organic maintenance, according to Beckman. She has found that her clients prefer natural fertilizers rather than chemicals because they are considered so much safer for children and pets. All of her residential clients are on organic maintenance programs, she said, “and I think pretty soon it’s going to be mandated” by local governments. She mentioned a Harvard University study that found roots grew deeper and vegetation was much healthier when maintained organically rather than chemically. “It’s like food for us – the more natural we go, the healthier we are,” she said. •

COMPANY PROFILE
Hali Beckman Ltd.
OWNER: Hali Beckman
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Landscape architecture firm
LOCATION: 23 Brown St., Suite 206, in the Wickford section of North Kingstown
EMPLOYEES: 4
YEAR FOUNDED: 2007
ANNUAL SALES: WND