Washington Landscapes believes nature beautifies the environment of urban spaces and improves the wellbeing of the people who live within them. But beautiful communities are not just created. They are grown through a commitment to designing landscapes that are green and sustainable, benefit the local economy, and produce a durable impact in the community.

Green & Sustainable

Washington Landscapes is a pioneer in developing innovative landscaping techniques based on the concept of “pre-cycling” that utilizes green technology and vegetation indigenous to the mid-Atlantic region in order to reduce energy consumption and our environmental footprint. This includes using electric vehicles, reintroducing native plants, and limiting the use of water and harmful chemicals to make our landscaping work as environmentally friendly as possible. All of these techniques provide the clients of WLS with green visibility that they can leverage for their company to build a reputation of being green and sustainable.

Local Economy

WLS has been locally owned and operated since 1987. We not only give our projects the detailed attention they require, but we also invest in the transformation and growth of the local economy. In fact, many of the plants and materials used by WLS are produced in the region. We also strive to partner with local vendors and use products made in the USA. So our landscaping projects reap rewards for American businesses, and our monetary investment stays within the local economy. WLS also employs local workers in all of our projects, thereby providing jobs and living wages to a growing labor force throughout the region.

Durable Impact

Landscaping is also a matter of altruism for Washington Landscapes. By transforming urban areas into greener spaces, we hope to have a lasting impact upon communities that goes beyond the public’s immediate enjoyment. This is why WLS contributes to and partners with local nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to a green environment and a thriving local economy.

Peter Dickens, owner and chairman of Washington Landscapes, has devoted 35 years of his life to an ideal: compensating the urban growth in the Washington DC metropolitan area with a push for the increase of green spaces in residential and commercial spaces. He started in the landscaping business when he was 16, with small jobs in local gardens. Over the decades, he has grown into a renowned landscape artist and a major proponent of the health and environmental benefits of creating green ecosystems in heavily developed areas.

Born in the District of Columbia in 1962, Peter, the son of a diplomat, grew up in South America. In countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador, he developed an interest in native floras and how they could be driven back to urban areas. Back in the United States, at an early age, he undertook the task to preserve the ecosystem of the Washington metropolitan area.

Peter studied a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscaping and Horticulture at the University of Maryland. He attended classes during the day and learned his trade through small jobs during afternoons and weekends, while individually researching the history and diversity of the natural resources of the area. The Rock Creek Park, the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay have been the inspiration of his work from
those early days.

In the eighties, Peter decided to investigate landscaping around the world to learn the techniques and aesthetic principles that other cultures have tried throughout the centuries. He traveled to Japan and studied in a gardening school in Kyoto, mastering the art of zen settings and rock gardens. “I try to apply the Japanese teaching of letting the trees grow in limited spaces in my daily urban work”, he says. “In Kyoto, I also learned the importance of the seasonal flowers, which is evident in the DC area thanks
to the cherry blossoms”.

One year later, in 1985, Peter studied during one semester in the University of Bath, in the United Kingdom. He thoroughly researched the history of gardening in Europe, with field trips to cities like Paris and Rome. Versailles, in particular, had a strong effect on him, as one of the most renowned historical green planned spaces in the world. “Those gardens taught me what effect you can have on history with a proper use of landscaping”, recalls Peter. “What you do now, in terms of horticulture, will have a major
impact on the future”.

Back in DC, in 1987, Peter read in a magazine a profile of one of the world’s most renowned landscape artists, Robert Burle Marx, whose mark on Brazil's landscape ranged from the undulating mosaic sidewalks of Copacabana Beach to the hanging gardens in the new capital of Brasilia. “I wrote him a letter asking him to take me as an understudy. When he said yes, I literally boarded the next flight to Brazil”, says Peter. “I spent one year in Rio de Janeiro, learning from his creations, observing his techniques. For me,
it was a defining experience”.

Peter applies his rich expertise to the DC area through his current work at Washington Landscapes. He pairs a meticulous research of the flora of the area with a passion for new environment friendly techniques. He has been among the first horticulturists to use cutting edge techniques such as electrical cars and work instruments and water recycling systems. His work already has a profound effect on Washington and will have a far reaching impact for generations to come.

17210 Manning Road East
Accokeek, Maryland 20607
Phone: 301-283-3999
Fax: 301-283-3957
Email: service@washingtonlandscapes.com