Infrastructure, budgets, and nursery availability all guide designers as they look to reach their project goals. With the added volatility of climate and frequency of storms designers must use all the tools at their disposal to achieve sites that are beautiful and successful. Sometimes project sites require wholesale reconstruction and elements like suspended pavements can ensure sufficient soil volume for trees long term success. Other times site constraints restrict soil volumes or create exaggerated microclimates that require thoughtful adjustments to a planting palette. How far can a site be altered to accommodate a desired plant list? Should we instead be planting for the sites we are given? James will share select sites from the past decade of work in and around New York City and highlight the tools he and his colleagues have developed to cope with some of the most challenging projects they have faced.