Landscape Design | Deborah Silver & Co.

A Michigan Gardener, Part 2

You may remember this photograph from a post I did a few weeks ago called ” A Michigan Gardener”. If you knew my client, you would understand how until he could have the entire landscape, he would have nothing. The design had been drawn and presented for quite some time; out of the blue, they were ready.

They have a unique situation; their property backs up to a golf course. They are able to take their golf cart out of their garage, and drive to the first tee. Their love of golf is another story all together; preserving their view of that course was my main concern. I wanted a very strong foreground element that would hold its own against all that golf course acreage, and a landscape that would frame, and not obstruct those beautiful views out to the course. Central to the design, 4 Bowhall columnar maples, which would be inset in a picture frame of decomposed granite. In the center, a fountain.

A fountain-this sounds so simple. It is, once every dimension is carefully thought through. Once all the proportions and construction are sorted out. Even the smallest most simple self contained fountain is a great addition to a garden. A fountain of this size would be a place to congregate, and entertain. My clients are young, and appreciate modern design. But they did not want to be limited by a “modern” definition-they wanted a landscape which would please and suit them. This means a landscape that allows them to easily entertain outdoors.

The fountain footprint is 10′ by 10′. My clients have 2 young children and very busy lives-I insisted that this fountain be constructed and cleaned as if it were a swimming pool or spa. When I make much of a central landscape feature, it only makes sense to cover the maintenance. My client contracted Gillette pools to construct this reflecting pool; Buck built the acid washed steel surround. Transporting that welded box to and from the galvanizer, and to the site-at which point 8 men carried that 900 pounds of steel box and dropped it over the concrete shell-a big deal. Once the surround was in place, the frame of decomposed granite was installed.

I played with no end of possible dimensions for the fountain, as did my clients. I envisioned the limestone cap at seat height. The kids in the fountain on a hot day. A coping wide enough to accomodate a plate and a glass of wine. The limestone cap-two inches larger than the walls, inside and out. A low profile. The golf course, and everything that park- like view represents to my clients-keep that intact. There would still be a wide expanse of lawn. That large lawn space visually melds their property to the golf course property. Most of the formal landscape is close to the house, and off to to the sides.

The attendant landscape is clean and crisp. It provides privacy from the adjacent homes. Perennial gardens with a limited plant palette will provide interest throughout the summer. White Knockout roses, dwarf Russian sage and shasta daisy “Becky” will be easy to maintain; this is my client’s first foray into perennial gardening, and I want him to be successful. My client tells me he did not exactly know there would be perennials. I did label certain areas on the plan as “garden”. I will admit I did not discuss that much with him. I am not only sure he will be able to handle it, I am even more sure he will really enjoy it. His interest in landscape and garden is genuine-that is always easy to spot in someone. The maples, the granite picture frame, and the lawn celebrate the fountain still under construction. The work should be complete by week’s end.

In my opinion, a big measure of the success of this landscape has to do with the views from the golf course. I had an interest in my clients sustaining privacy from the course. Sometimes privacy has less to do with walls, and much to do with invisible. Every element and plant hugs the ground, but for the maples. Ros of yews on either side are punctuated with Venus dogwoods; someday those trees will be spectacular for 6 weeks in the spring. Fot the rest of the year, they will gracefully provide screening from the neighboring homes.

We brought in soil, and graded away from the house. The lawn always comes at the end of the landscape project, but it is very important. Lawn describes the shape, drop and drift of the land. The lawn plane is to my mind, beautiful. Those trunks of the Bowhall maples bring the golf course landscape up close. The fountain vase-coming up.

Venus dogwoods, yews, boxwoods, and sparsely furnished perennial gardens round out the landscape around this fountain. A formal landscape concept has a decidedly modern execution. Always on my mind is how I can apply and go on from the history of design to projects from real people who engage me. The fountain will have its vase and jet installed this week. More to follow.

Posted on: September 20, 2010 2 Comments

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Garden Ornament

Dirty Tricks

If you garden long enough, you are bound to have a few dirty tricks up your sleeve. Little things that solve gardening problems, make the work easier, or more efficient-or more beautiful. So what are we looking at here? I place galvanized metal washers from the hardware under any pot that sits on a hard surface-whether it be a bluestone terrace, concrete walk, or wood deck. Pots that stay out all winter in Michigan need to drain. Water trapped in the bottom of a pot expands when it freezes; the force of this expansion can break just about any material. A pot with a very wide base may need a small stack of washers; whatever it takes to keep water draining freely can prevent winter damage or breakage. Some soil mixes are compost based; that compost can stain a stone or wood deck, if that dirty water is trapped underneath it for any length of time. A deck surface under a pot that never dries out will leave rings that are the devil to get rid of. Elevate your pots-even if that elevation is only 1/4 inch.

There are many techniques and theories for drying hydrangeas-all of them work, provided you pick the hydrangeas at the right time. The flowers need to be mature, and on the verge of drying. You can place them in water, or not. You can hang them upside down if you are so inclined, but there really isn’t any need. Drying hydrangeas is about timing, not technique. Dry hydrangeas are actually quite beautiful in the house-provided you do not put them in a spot that gets strong light. It is a good trick- having a bouquet of flowers that will last until you tire of it.

There are several tricks being addressed in this picture. Very shady places in a garden can be gloomy-stay away from dark colors. Light or chartreuse green, and pale colors light up the shade, naturally. The pale yellow in the Biot pot rim, the yellow impatiens, the yellow in the irisine leaves-monochromatic color schemes are serene. Plants cost the same-no matter what color they are. Should you attach value to a planting that accurately reflects the mood you are trying to create, the sum total of the value of your garden can vastly outweigh your capital expenditure.

I have no interest whatsoever in having plants in my house. I do not want to recreate the outdoors inside; I am glad they are different places. But those spots that would so be improved with some green rarely have enough light to sustain life. Straggly houseplants struggling to survive-depressing. A preserved eucalyptus topiary can be made by hand from natural materials, and never need any care beyond an occasional dusting. The dirty trick-use your ingenuity, imagination, and creativity to go around a problem you cannot solve. As much as you might love to have a green plant flourishing on your fireplace mantle, plants have requirements. What you require is an entirely different matter.

I love a rose in bloom as much as the next gardener. Does this make me a rosarian? No. I am still nothing more than a girl who loves roses. If I am not willing or able to devote to a rose garden what a child would require, then I need a trick or two. There are a few roses that ordinary gardeners can keep-this Carefree Beauty is one of them. I really do nothing except put down a little rose tone in the spring, and water. My second trick-read and absorb what other people who have devoted there lives to learning about the cultivation of a class of plants. Thanks, to Julia Hofley, I know about the book “Right Rose Right Place”-written by rosarian Peter Schneider; he gardens in my zone. Not in England, or California. Knowing when and from whom to learn is a good trick. A one trick gardener limits themselves.

Intense and jewel like colors look rich and sumptuous. But the real dirty trick here is the treatment of the coleus. This gardener has not pinched and pruned as most garden books advise; coleus flowers are nothing much to make over. In spite of popular gardening sentiment, she let her coleus grow and bloom. The look of those wand like flowers over the bulky foliage is good. The dirty trick-take no one else’s word for what is beautiful. Accepted practice is nothing more than accepted practice. Experiment; your garden is a lab, a vehicle with you at the wheel.

When your containers are going down in the fall, when you loose a prized stand of delphinium, when a garden fails to please and you are on the verge of paving and grassing over everything-plant. Plant something. The process of deciding what would be good, choosing the material, digging the hole, and watering it in-that life that goes in the ground that you must look after takes your mind off your own life, and focuses it on another. You owe it to your garden to allow yourself to be tricked.

Three little sprigs of coleus with a few roots went into this French pot. The opening is so small-there was not room for plants of any size. I just grew them on. A gardener makes things grow. A seed or a start in the dirt-tended plants grow faster than you think. If that gingko tree at your local nursery is just too pricey-they do grow from seed. Home grown-the best dirty trick.

A concrete block wall-not so beautiful. Paint it a dark and rich color, and plant some parthenocissus tricuspidata. The wall will look good while that Boston ivy is taking hold.

Transforming tricks work best in the beginning. Radically pruning an overgrown burning bush planted too close to the sidewalk is a tired trick. Good gardening tricks need to be fresh.

These deer statues from the fifties-perhaps you remember them. This chipped face buried in this mass of juniper-a brilliant dirty trick. There are so few objects of no interest-just placements lacking invention. Any garden invention means a dirty trick is on the way.

Posted on: September 14, 2010 2 Comments

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Garden Design

Hello

How you handle the landscape and garden at your front door speaks much about you and your point of view. Of course a front door is a transition from the outdoors into your home. You welcome inside your friends and family here. But you also retrieve your newspaper, wave to a neighbor, help a lost stranger, or pass out Halloween candy here. You make a statement to passersby. This front door is exceptionally friendly and welcoming; an entire garden frames a view of it front the street.

This very formal front door is widely complimented by pillars and a pediment; the stone porch is equally as wide. There is room for a pair of formal pots colorfully planted with lots of flowers. This makes for a different kind of garden at the front door. The arrangement made by the door, the walk and porch, and the plantings makes a statment about your taste, your sense of hospitality, and your sense of community.

This tudor is more than 90 years old; this original front door is copper. A simple pair of pots planted with a low key color scheme keeps the visual focus on the door. The subdued purple of the persian shield is a quiet foil to the orange of the brick and door.

This contemporary house has a generous front porch and vaulted roof; the overscaled front door says a big and informal hello. Multiple pots staged on the steps and create an entire landscape around that door. A front walk proportional to the porch and door is a very important element in making a beautiful presentation. Evergreens in pots can bring the landscape right to the door. Groups of pots make it possible to explore color and texture relationships from pot to pot.

The door to this condominium is small, but a small space can be handled just as strongly as a large one. The wood detail on the wall which culminates in a light globe positioned above the wall, and below the roof soffit is a very interested architectural detail. The white wire pot, and topiary makes a strong reference to that detail. Composed entirely of artificial materials based on natural forms, the arrangement draws the eye away from the garage, and towards the door. My client travels a lot for work; this arrangement suits her. She is always ready for company, even if she has just been away for a week.

Front doors buried in a covered porch can be dark. This front door is glass and iron; once you are on the porch, you can see in. From a landscape perspective, the large drivecourt left only a very small space to plant. A pair of dogwoods planted in a groundcover of boxwood will grow up and frame the tall entrance. The groundcover” could concievably grow to 30″-36″; this makes a green statement from the street in a way that a recumbent plant could not. A pair of boxes planted with hydrangeas on standard is an added landscape element which did not have to be in the ground.

This home and its front doors are simply designed; the white is beautiful and appropriate. The limestone slabs in the lawn add emphasis to the approach to the door. The planting is low and modest, but very wide. This contrast to the narrowness and height of the doors is striking. My clients, both of whom are interior designers, created this front door landscape out on their own. They did a gorgeous job of it.

The approach to a front door is important. A front door may be seen from the street, but the experience of arriving there can be a visual gift to guests. It is one of those spots in a landscape that can be changed with the season, or event. If you are like me, you come home to a side door, or come in the house via the garage. But whether you host a dinner party, a new neighbor, a fund raising event, or your daughter’s fiance, they will be coming to the front door. What will you do there?