About
When We Work With You, It's All About You.
But on this page, it's all about us!
About Shannon Goheen
I am an intuitive designer.
That means that every place on the surface of the earth that I am lucky enough to assist presents itself differently to me than any other place.
No place is the same, no feeling is the same, no client is the same. And therefore, no landscape application is the same.
Because if it is, the focus would shift to making the project all about me. Which it isn’t…and should never be.
I’ve been hugging trees, running through long grass, riding a horse in the back country with a dog running alongside, wading through fields of daisies, stepping gingerly through the oak/pine woods of Cape Cod to avoid crushing things, standing mesmerized by the shapes the sand makes when the water has receded in low tide on Cape Cod Bay, singing, playing drums, always growing and learning, and constantly reinventing myself.
As for the official background information, I majored in Botany/Anthropology at Connecticut College. I enjoyed the Radcliffe Seminars and became a Certified Landscape Designer from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University in 2002. There has been a lot before, between and after that because my interests are extremely diverse. I have been designing landscapes, primarily on Cape Cod, since 1988.
But I always return to the plants. They are my constant companions, my chief fascination, my best friends, and my most profound connection to the earth.
That’s what I can share with you.
About T.hom Huettner
Thom is a construction design wizard and hones his craft on various beautiful structures at his home and for others. Thom and Shannon often collaborate to see how any required garden structures can seamlessly fit into the overall design of a landscape. Thom brings his visual aesthetic sense and technical expertise to the landscape layout and construction process.
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If your project requires a construction supervisor, Thom can help.
From an early age, he helped his father, an elevator construction mechanic, in carpentry and other home projects where he grew up in New Jersey. Thom received extensive training in mechanical drawing and became an architectural draftsman while still in high school. He worked both part-time and summers for architectural and engineering firms before completing college with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. Thom has since worked as an engineer for Ingersoll-Rand, marketing manager for Ringfeder Corp, and architectural and construction firms. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a registered EIT (engineer-in-training) and holds a construction supervisor’s license in the State of Massachusetts. He has done post graduate study in architecture at the Boston Architectural College.
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He's community-minded, having spent years reviving the village of Dennis Port and was and still is on various Town boards, plus was a board member for APCC. He was the head structural designer of the 9-11 Memorial Park at the Yarmouth Police Headquarters on Higgins Crowell Road that features fabricated stainless steel monuments, lighting and signage. He masterminded an 11’ tall welded custom trellis for a wedding celebration and has a giant sundial installed on the grounds of the Hyannis HyArts Shanties on the corner of Ocean and South Streets.
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WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Paul Campbell
Horticulturist and Nurseryman, Dennis, MA
Our horticultural industry has always had consistent past plant performers. Coupled with these are new introductions each year that enhance our landscape options. It is refreshing to see some individuals who have the ability to incorporate both the new and the old to achieve a desired effect. Shannon is one of those individuals
Joe and Donna Potts
Brewster, MA
We wanted to use native plantings that would require "manageable" maintenance in the future. Shannon understood our vision from the start and was able to capture the essence of what we were hoping for in an elegant yet natural design. She is our "yard whisperer! We wholeheartedly recommend Second Nature Gardenworks!”
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Joe Masse,
Brewster, MA
I have worked with Shannon for 12 years on two different sites. On this site we had an opportunity to create something beautiful, yet fitting and Shannon did just that, creating a beautiful native plant border that separates lawn from four acres of wilderness. I like working with Shannon through concept to design and implementation.  Shannon is at the top of her trade