Builder in 5 is our five-question series with the minds behind standout custom homes. Susan Cohan, founder and creative director of Susan Cohan Gardens in Boonton, N.J., is the first landscape designer we've featured. Her work pairs classic design principles with contemporary planting on projects throughout the northeast, from historic properties to new and renovated homes.

1. Your studio says a landscape should feel rooted in place. What are you looking for that tells you what belongs there?

Susan Cohan: When we first walk a property we look for clues as to what was there before, even if it is new construction. We also have a list of client dreams for the space before we even set foot on a site. Both of those things combined help us think creatively about the conceptual direction a project takes.

2. You run a small studio doing custom work. Is staying small a deliberate choice?

Staying small until recently has been a choice. In order to maintain that individuality and client service we have grown slowly. I believe, if done in a thoughtful way, scaling doesn’t need to cost us anything aesthetically. Taking on more work means more people, but the internal communication and collaborative process we have won’t really change.

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3. Tell us about a project that took real horticultural knowledge, where people wouldn't realize how much thought went into it.

We came on to a project near the end of two years of construction. There was a very, very steep, eroded slope at the bottom of several terraces. No one had attempted to manage that slope either with plants or egress. We designed a scheme with boulders and native plants that has held the hill for the past several years and is in full view of the house and delights the homeowner.

4. What are you being asked to do now that you weren't a few years ago? 

We are being asked to re-imagine properties after significant additions and renovations. The original landscape is just not doing its job aesthetically or ecologically. These are often my favorite types of projects if we are brought in early and can coordinate with the builders and the homeowners to achieve the best results through a team effort.

5. When the budget tightens, what do you advocate hardest for? What's the one thing you won't compromise on?

That depends on the clients. We are full service so we have several places we can tighten the budget. We try to maintain the overall look, feel, and function of a space before losing any elements. Smaller plant sizes is the easiest thing to make budgetary changes. I will always fight for big trees because I believe in the future.