Bien Designs

Landscape Design

What are the chances of finding a blue heron at your back door? They’re above average if the landscaping has been created by Diana Lobien, owner and founder of Bien Designs.

Ms. Lobien’s passionate respect for nature inspires her to design outdoor living spaces that are respectful of the Eastern Shore’s heritage and considerate of the lifestyle of its residents. “I believe that people and natural beauty can beneficially coexist through excellent design,” she says.

While most of Bien Designs’ projects are commissioned by the owners of large properties, Ms. Lobien emphasizes that yards, gardens and courtyards of all sizes gain from intelligent landscape design. “The accumulation of projects large and small help create an environment that benefits all who live in the area,” notes Ms. Lobien. “Everything profits from a good plan.”

“When Bien Designs creates the landscaping, nature will be preserved— and enhanced.”

Bien Designs’ proprietor has extensive training and experience in her chosen field. After earning a bachelor of science degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech, Ms. Lobien spent a decade working as a grower and propagator. Intrigued by the beauty of great gardens throughout Europe and the United States, she enrolled at the University of Minnesota, earning two graduate degrees—specifically, a master’s of landscape architecture and a master of science in landscape architecture. One of her dissertations examined the success and failures of wetland mitigation projects required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for housing developments on or near wetlands.

Ms. Lobien’s studies in Minnesota raised her awareness of the need for the proper, ongoing care of projects that modify the natural landscape. So when Bien Designs creates a design and supervises its installation—which might involve the work of irrigation and lighting specialists, carpenters and masonry craftspeople—the company cares for its work for the next six weeks. As a result, many clients hire Bien Designs to provide continuing maintenance for their properties.

Earlier in her career, while working for a prestigious design firm in Columbia, Maryland, Ms. Lobien became involved in competitive rowing. Her commitment to the sport has helped her appreciate the beauty of the Eastern Shore from the water as well as from the land. In order to share her hobby with others, she founded Freedom Rowers, a non-profit organization that helps young people and adults experience the challenge of rowing while enjoying and learning about the Eastern Shore. Children from more than a dozen schools in Talbot County now participate in this growing program. (Prior to their participation, many of these children had never been on a boat.)

Through Freedom Rowers and Bien Designs, Ms. Lobien works to be a steward of the environment. “Here on the Eastern Shore, we cherish old lanes lined with red cedars, loblolly pines and willow oaks. We know when the locust trees bloom, we know when the crabs are in the first shed stage,” she says, noting that Bien Designs is careful to create landscapes that are hospitable to native species and migratory fowl. “When Bien Designs creates the landscaping, nature will be preserved—and enhanced.”

Bien Designs
P.O. Box 2501
Easton, MD 21601
410-745-0558

www.biendesigns.com

Pictured: Diana Lobien
Photography: David Mark Hall