5 Under 40 2018: Russell D.H. Stott

Photograph by John McCarthy

There are only so many hours in the day, but don’t tell that to landscape designer Russell Stott. As both principal of Andover Landscape Design and Construction and senior manager of Campus Design, Sustainability, and Grounds at Phillips Academy, Stott often says that, “Phillips Academy is my nine-to-five, and Andover Landscape is my five-to-nine.” A strong love of design, the design process, and fostering relationships with his clients—not to mention a very supportive wife—fuels his daily passion.

When he’s not overseeing the 700-acre campus noted for its Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Platt design, Stott works on a number of custom residential projects across New England. Recent Massachusetts projects include a contemporary rooftop garden in Boston, a backyard pool design in North Reading, master plans for a Federal-style home in Chestnut Hill, and a summer estate in Orleans.

Photograph by Bruce Rogovin

Stott approaches each landscape as a sculptural installation. “I feel that my designs emerge naturally from their surroundings and have a strong connection to both the home’s architecture and the native environs,” he says. “I am constantly trying to find ways to blur the lines between interior and exterior.”

Colors and materials take their cues from the home’s architecture, and classic New England materials like granite and bluestone are arranged in clean, contemporary patterns. Along with design elements such as simplicity and asymmetrical balance, his work is also shaped by a solid understanding of how plants mature and what maintenance they require to preserve their design intent.

Somehow, Stott also finds time to give back to his community. He currently serves as chairman of the Greater Lawrence Technical School Horticulture Advisory Program, which he hopes will help foster the next great landscape designer.