Keith Leblanc Shares His Latest Landscape Inspiration

Portrait by Joe Navas

Keith LeBlanc wants you to know that landscape architecture isn’t about decoration. “It’s about shaping space and ecology,” says the founding partner of LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects. LeBlanc and his husband are residents of both Boston and Cape Cod, where they are witnessing firsthand Cape Cod National Seashore’s fast-evolving coastal ecology. He prophesizes that residential landscapes of the future will feature smaller but more intentional outdoor spaces. “Native planting, climate-resilient design, and landscapes that prioritize sustainability and design simplicity will endure,” he says. Raised in the south (he earned his bachelor’s in landscape architecture from Louisiana State University) but a northerner since the ’90s, LeBlanc’s design ethos continues to be refined by vast and varied opportunities to shape both public and private spaces. A committed patron of the arts both personally and professionally, his firm will be honored this year for its hand in the refresh of the iconic Fine Arts Work Center campus in Provincetown, Massachusetts. leblancjones.com

1. The last thing I bought and loved…was a painting by Paul Rizzo, titled Coffee, Sunglasses and Me. Paul is an artist my husband and I first met at The Commons,
a space we have supported since its inception.

2. A place that means a lot to me…is Bearberry Hill, part of the Cape Cod National Seashore near our house. It’s a short hike, but the reward is a magnificent view from a high dune carpeted in bearberry.

3. The best book I’ve ever read…is the most recent one. After a stay at the Chelsea Hotel in NYC, I was inspired to read Patti Smith’s memoir, Bread of Angels. Her voice and life remain endlessly compelling.

4. My go-to gardening tool…is my FELCO pruning shears. The red handles make them much easier to find when dropped.

5. The best gift I’ve received…was a pug named Logan. I was not a dog person at all—until I became one instantly.

6. And the best gifts I’ve given recently…are dog treats from Polkadog in the South End. We lost our dog Logan a few years ago and now live vicariously through friends’ dogs, so we always keep treats on hand to share.

7. I have a collection of…all kinds of things. Living with minimalism in mind, our collections rotate in and out of storage. Currently on our mantel is a grouping of Louisiana cypress knees—sculptural, expressive, and exotic to many who visit us on the Cape.

8. In my fridge you’ll always find…andouille sausage from Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse and Restaurant, outside New Orleans. It’s essential for a proper home-cooked gumbo on cold nights.

9. My favorite landscape to visit…is the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island in Washington. The natural reserve surrounds landscape architect-designed gardens flanking a manor house. Richard Haag’s woodland glade with its reflecting pool is purity at its best.

10. The best piece of advice I ever received…was from my father who said, “Follow your talent.” He recognized my aptitude for drawing at an early age and brought home copies of Landscape Architecture Magazine from his workplace. He encouraged me to use that skill. I still draw.

11. The best souvenirs I have ever brought home…are objects collected rather than purchased: stones, driftwood, seed pods, and fragments gathered from significant places. They carry meaning without clutter and, when repeated, can form a collection.

12. When I need to feel inspired I…go for a quiet walk. Movement, light, and observation—especially in familiar landscapes where seasonal patterns of light can be observed—reset my thinking.

13. My favorite indoor plant…is a begonia-rex hybrid called China Curl. It’s finicky but worth the care. My favorite outdoor plant is magnolia virginiana, which is native to Massachusetts. It’s typically multi-trunked with small white intoxicatingly fragrant summer blooms.

14. In another life, I would have been…a graphic designer. The clarity of information and how it’s presented continues to fascinate me.