Dylan LaPlace’s introduction to landscaping came through his family.
Growing up, he spent significant time at his grandparents’ home, where his grandmother took great pride in maintaining an elaborate landscape filled with hardscape features.
“She was very passionate about landscaping and maintaining a pristine property,” LaPlace said. “Her property featured numerous retaining walls, a pool with a surrounding patio, and various other hardscape elements.”
Helping maintain those spaces sparked an early appreciation for outdoor construction and design.
“I got to be involved in her passion and it was passed on to me,” he said.
Now a full-time designer at Torrison Stone & Garden in Durham, Connecticut, LaPlace has carved out a niche that blends his passion, love of beautiful landscapes, and technical knowledge into an incredible career.
Designing His Own Career Path
LaPlace got his start while still in high school.
“With the support of my parents, I designed and created a koi pond.” he said. “I designed the pond with two levels linked by a rocky stream, along with pathways and plantings that bring the whole space together.”
That early experience cemented his interest in the field and helped shape the direction of his career.
“It had its fair share of challenges and learning experiences, to say the least,” LaPlace said. “The finished project came out beautifully, and I’m very proud of it.”
After confirming his passion for outdoor design, LaPlace began pursuing professional opportunities in the industry. While still in high school, he secured an internship with Ann Penniman Associates in Essex, Connecticut, which gave him an inside look at landscape design as a profession.
“That’s where I really realized that I enjoy this and could see myself having a career in this field,” he said.
He went on to study landscape design and horticulture at SUNY Morrisville, where he built the technical knowledge needed to turn his creative ideas into buildable plans.
“I’ve always been very creative,” he said. “The best way to express your creativity, in my opinion, is putting it on paper—or in today’s age, on a computer.”
During college, he also interned with Torrison Stone & Garden, the design-build company where he now works full-time.
“I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to intern with the company I’m at now,” LaPlace said. “And I’ve been a full-time designer for them for about three years.”
Turning Ideas into Reality
As a landscape designer at Torrison Stone & Garden, LaPlace often serves as the first point of contact for clients beginning a project. His job involves understanding their vision and translating it into a buildable design.
“Many clients know they want to enhance their property but aren’t sure where to start,” he said. “I guide them through the process, understanding their vision and bringing it to life. They’re placing their trust in me to make it happen.”
This fluency is where LaPlace’s hands-on experience with his family really comes into play.
“Design is often looked at as putting together a beautiful picture. And that is very true. But there’s so much that goes into it,” he said.
Key considerations include drainage and grading, retaining wall placement, material durability, setback and easement requirements, municipal regulations, budget, lighting, sound integration, and the long-term growth of plant material.
But knowing and experiencing how a project actually gets built from the ground up has made him a sharper designer.
“Having that construction knowledge is extremely helpful in the industry,” he said.
LaPlace also brings unique technical skills that have been able to make his designs more tangible to clients.
After learning SketchUp in college, he expanded his capabilities on his own and eventually integrated it with Lumion, a real-time rendering platform. He has also begun layering in AI tools to push renderings even further, uploading still shots and prompting the program to enhance them to create “high-end, photorealistic 3-D visuals.”
“The results are unbelievable,” he said.
Construction sites are inherently unglamorous mid-project, and a photorealistic rendering gives clients something to hold onto when the yard looks like a mud pit.
“It keeps them excited and eager to see the finished product,” he said.
Finding Inspiration Anywhere
Though LaPlace has formal training, many of his skills are self-taught. He credits YouTube, trial and error, and a lot of curiosity.
“I regularly turn to YouTube for tips and tricks, always picking up something that makes me more efficient,” he said.
For LaPlace, part of staying creative and being able to create impactful designs is continuously seeking out inspiration. Social media, travel, and industry events all play a role in keeping his ideas fresh.
“If you’re not looking, it’s not going to just jump out at you,” he said.
He follows professionals across the country on Instagram, keeping tabs on how designers in other regions approach materials and features that haven’t yet caught on in Connecticut.
Travel also provides new ideas that may eventually show up in his designs.
“It might not mean something right there and then,” he said, “but I have it in the back of my mind and I know one day I’ll use it.”
Advice for Aspiring Hardscapers
For those considering a career in landscaping or hardscaping, LaPlace encourages people to jump in.
“If you feel that you might have a desire to do it, give it a try,” he said. “I think it’s extremely satisfying what I do, and one of the best decisions that I’ve made.”
He also emphasizes the importance of listening and collaboration, skills that are essential for working with clients, coworkers, and subcontractors.
“The biggest traits that are going to help you thrive are your ability to listen, your ability to work with others, and your dedication to the client,” he said.
LaPlace encourages aspiring hardscapers to put themselves out there, noting that industry events like Hardscape North America have helped him build connections with vendors and other professionals.
“There are so many great vendors and people to meet,” LaPlace said. “Those connections can definitely be beneficial in the industry.”
A Career Connection
For LaPlace, one of the most rewarding aspects of his job is seeing clients experience the finished result.
“Seeing their enjoyment is a big part of what makes it rewarding for me,” he said.
One recent project stands out in particular. Working with homeowners building a new house, LaPlace helped design an outdoor space centered around a pool intended for family gatherings.
“They wanted to incorporate this pool so their children and most importantly their grandkids could enjoy it safely,” he said.
To find the right surface material, he worked collaboratively with the client and industry professionals to test various stones under heat lamps, searching for one that would stay cool in summer temperatures while remaining safe around water.
After extensive testing, the client ultimately selected a sandblasted marble surface recommended by LaPlace to offer both elegance and slip resistance.
“Family’s a big part of my life,” LaPlace said. “That’s why that one kind of stood out for me.”
Still early in his career, LaPlace is excited about the future and the opportunities ahead.
“I’m very happy here,” he says of Torrison Stone & Garden. “They give me a ton of opportunity, and I think I have a lot of potential to grow here.”
For LaPlace, the goal is to continue learning, improving his designs, and helping clients transform their outdoor spaces.
And in many ways, it all traces back to those early days in his grandmother’s yard where his love of landscaping first took root.
Though his grandmother passed away while he was in college, her influence remains.
“A lot of what I do is to make her proud,” LaPlace said. “I know she would be very happy with the path I’ve chosen.”
