General Landscaping Archives

An upscale residence, perhaps worth $1 million or more can be described as elegant — and usually has elegant landscape design features that are consistent with the degree of architectural elegance designed for the structure itself.  After all, skimping on the outside will certainly be evident when comparing it to the home itself. Most upscale homes include a pool, outdoor grill and expansive entertainment patio spaces, sometimes with a an outdoor fireplace. A waterfeature or fountain is always a  must have element.

Most of these types of high end landscapes are installed during the initial construction of the house when it was first built. This is because a master plan has been prepared for the outdoor areas. Most likely, the building architect brought in a landscape designer who could collaborate with the architect to arrive at an integrated design approach between the elegant indoor and the landscape features of elegant outdoor living areas. The outside of a luxury home is more than just trees, shrubs and patios.

Sometimes I get to design an elegant style landscape where the client wants all the “bells and whistles” — especially when their property can handle a lot of different spaces and features to essentially extend the useable living space of the interior.

Pools, spas, ponds, fountains, outdoor kitchens, gazebos, ramadas, fireplaces, fire pits, sculpture, artwork, accessories, synthetic grass and other amenities must be carefully designed along with the infrastructure of grading, drainage, plumbing, electrical, irrigation and lighting.  All of this detail must certainly be planned out starting with a conceptual design and working into specific details about how everything is to be built.

Not all such projects need to be installed when the home was first built. I have done many extensive remodels of existing landscapes — especially when new owners take over a landscape that is far from what they want. It is especially fun to transform a landscape that needs a lot of work into an elegant, sophisticated work of art customized to the clients wishes.

Remodels are sometimes challenging because often there are mature trees to deal with and many underground and unseen potential difficulties. Demolition of hardscape items such as concrete and masonry can add much to the cost of just getting to a clean slate. So sometimes when there are many elements that cannot be incorporated in the new design, I see the spaces as if nothing existed and thereby I don’t let what I see hinder my creativity.

Here is an example of an extensive backyard remodel I have done as part of my design and construction portfolio. I would consider it to be in the style of elegant with a Tuscany flair:

 

 

How to make the most out of any small size yard, garden or patio

You don’t have to be a professional landscape architect to create an inviting courtyard or patio space. Just follow a few basic design principles and you too will get that designer look.

Gardens and landscape areas or any outdoor space for that matter can be approached as a challenge to create defined spaces. These spaces may be either the given size of what you have or a desire to create several spaces depending on your needs and the suitability of the area you are working with.

There are many design idea books and magazines that feature “small space gardens”, “balcony garden”, “container gardens”, “courtyard gardens” or even creating “garden rooms”. The key here is that they are all designing for a distinct area that has some sort of size limitation.

Small Space Gardens

While you typically cannot physically increase the size of a small garden, you can create the illusion of a larger space with some clever ideas and design principles.  For example, keep the design simple and uncluttered by keeping the purpose of the space limited and do not have multiple things going on such as a sitting area, a fountain, a group of pots, a lawn area and a bbq area.

Make sure the plant material is in scale with the size of the space and does not mature to a size that would reduce the useable area. Consider placing fountains against walls rather than free standing. Keep the ground expansive and don’t subdivide the space by building raised planter or low walls.

Consider the use of a mirror perhaps strategically located at the end of a corridor to create the illusion that the space is deeper and continues. Be careful to not place it so it will confuse birds that may fly into the mirror. Also think about if it does crack, that you would be able to easily replace it, so don’t fasten a frame around it that you cannot remove.

Courtyards

Gardens that are surrounded by a building or walls that essentially screen out the outer areas are enclosing, intimate and private. This type of garden is actually one of the most historical in ancient times where the “walled garden” was considered a style of garden where roses and other cultivated plants were grown to separate them from passersby.

A courtyard is essentially an outdoor room. Its use and purpose define the scale in terms of its intimacy. Architecturally, a courtyard fully enclosed within the building walls and open the the air above can add a dramatic impact to the flow and views from within the building.

A courtyard is typically in the front or side of a house and is integrally connected to the building via doors and windows. The entrance to the courtyard is often through a gate that may or may not have a arched structure above it. All courtyards must be designed with a seating area. The inclusion of a fountain can provide the sound of water as well as a focal point and make the space more inviting.

Outdoor Rooms

The concept of the outdoor room stems from extending the interior space outdoors. It is typically not much different than the typical back patio adjacent to the rear access doors. But what makes it a distinct room is the sense of enclosure. Creating an outdoor room not connected to the home, you must design it in such a way that you create a floor, walls and a canopy or ceiling so that the architecture of the space is structured to convey the sense of an indoor room but without the climate controlled environment of the indoors.

Outdoor rooms can be done simply by building a gazebo, or an outdoor kitchen with seating area and overhead canopy. You can also create an outdoor room that is sometimes called by another name, such as a garden retreat or secret garden.

The Strolling Garden

Perhaps one of the most dramatic and interactive garden to design is a garden that is basically a series of loosely interconnected spaces linked together with some kind of path. Such a style was utilized in many of the traditional gardens built in historic Japan.

If the property is large enough, consider creating distinct spaces so that you can enjoy the garden from several perspectives and vantage points. Having several small seating areas or even a bench, located at strategic spots can make full use of the limited area. Garden features can be “hidden” so that one only realizes them after meandering along the pathways. Revealing everything a garden has to offer from a single vantage point is perhaps not the most creative way to make use of the space you have to work with.

Are you getting the most spatial value from your yard?

Do you feel a sense of spaciousness regardless of how small or large it is?

Do you have a front yard but never “use” it? Could you create a courtyard?

Depending on what you have to work with, creating spaces in an otherwise uninspiring yard can be achieved if you put your mind to it and get creative.

 

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