FUTURE OUTDOOR SPACE
Rain gardens do more than reduce stormwater runoff. “Amended soils of a rain garden help to create a living sponge that absorbs and holds water longer for plants,” Whitworth says, which leads to healthier soils and gardens that need less supplemental water. Plus, rain gardens planted with native and pollinator-friendly plants can become habitat areas for birds, insects, frogs, turtles and other wildlife.
Use Local and Reusable Materials If you’re investing in new building and hardscape materials for a landscape project, try to choose long-lasting ones that have been sustainably obtained and locally sourced. Locally sourced materials will have had to travel shorter distances than exotic ones, reducing the material’s carbon footprint and potentially reducing its cost to the homeowner. Houston-based landscape architect Falon Mihalic advocates using local stone in landscape projects. “Like locally sourced wood, stone is a sustainable building choice for the landscape when it is purchased from a nearby source,” Mihalic says. “Local stone lasts a lifetime. You will not have to send it to a landfill ever, because it can be reused again and again,” the designer adds.
Swales and drainage
. Install an aboveground drainage channel. Also known as a bioswale. Keeping the water aboveground helps prevent soil erosion; exposing runoff water to sunlight, known as “daylighting,” helps improve water quality as well. A more natural-looking option is to add a swale — a shallow, planted depression that runs through a landscape, often across a slope. Swales move water, but they also slow it down and allow it to percolate back into the ground to improve water quality.
Add a drain system. Installing a drain in a low spot in your yard will send excess water underground. While you can simply let the water drain directly into the soil or a dry well, installing a French drain is a classic approach that will both drain the water and move it through your landscape. With a French drain, a surface-level grate connects to perforated piping that is set in a belowground-level ditch. The water moves along the piping, and the holes allow it to filter into the soil on either side of the ditch. The ditch is covered with gravel or rocks to conceal the pipes and aid in filtering water.
In the background, the clients’ dining area is visible through the windows. Next to it, painted blue, is the front door. The approach to the house from the deck consists of sawn buff sandstone pavers cut into plank form (narrow but long). Between sections of paving, the designers laid small Scottish beach pebbles. “[This gravel] has a really soft edge,” Cody says. “The colors are also really soft, with no orange tones. It goes with most types of stone.” Because the house has large windows, Cody and Hamilton felt it was important to bring the planting as close to the building as possible for seamless verdant views every day of the year.
The brick walls behind the sofa, which form boundaries with other gardens, are topped with horizontal cedar slats. The birch trees here are underplanted with more Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra). The delicate white flowers beneath the arching kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) and mingling with the grasses in the left foreground are Bowman’s root (Gillenia trifoliata).
The living room opens onto this sunny deck, which was still in good condition from Hamilton’s initial design, so they kept it. “It’s a good-quality cedar deck and has lasted really well,” Cody says. It’s clean-lined and good-looking, with narrow boards. The planting plan is somewhat pared back in terms of color, featuring lots of grasses, white flowers and flashes of purple. In the foreground here, in the bed that separates the pathway to the front door from the decked dining area, soft lilac spikes of ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’) rise above the smaller purple flowers of ‘Rozanne’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’). Across the deck, softening its edges, is Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra), as well as the tall kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), which bears small white flowers.
The designers were tasked with preserving and highlighting the yard’s three mature Japanese maple trees — the team even reused the original fence post holes for the new fence whenever possible so as not to disturb the tree’s extensive, shallow root system. The tree canopy shades much of the yard, which the new shade-friendly plant palette reflects. Since this is the Pacific Northwest, the team planted lots of ferns. “They grow so great here,” Batten says. Chartreuse Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’) adds more year-round color and texture. Winter-blooming Eternal Fragrance daphne (Daphne x transatlantica ‘Blafra’) and ‘Purple Stem’ sweetbox (Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem‘) bring seasonal interest. The team also planted the yard with native evergreen huckleberries (Vaccinium ovatum) and ‘Winter Sun’ mahonia (Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’), among other pollinator-attracting plants, as the homeowners wanted to welcome birds, bees and butterflies to their yard. (Soon after the garden bloomed for the first time, the homeowners reported seeing hummingbird visitors.)
Be Ambitious With Containers Having a small courtyard, patio or balcony with a hard surface doesn’t mean you have to forgo lush plantings. Simply bring in large containers of different heights and fill them with a variety of plants to create a leafy garden feel. These corrugated steel containers in the “Hot Tin Roof Garden” by Ellie Edkins, while urban in nature, are circular to introduce soft lines. The planters are filled with lush, shade-loving plants, including ferns, periwinkle (Vinca minor), sedges (Carex spp.) and ‘Rozanne’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’), plus ‘Nicolas’ Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Nicolas’) to further soften the look. Edkins gave another layer to the containers by filling one with water (left foreground) to bring in some aquatic plants, including pickerelweed (Pontederia lanceolata), which produces lovely spikes of blue flowers in summer. She also added height to the courtyard with paperplant (Fatsia japonica) in pots and ferns trailing from shelves to complete the sense of seclusion.
Combine a Lawn and Patio If your space doesn’t have room for both paving and a patch of greenery, why not consider blending the two? That way you can walk on the area on a wet day and place chair legs on a firm footing while also benefitting from a carpet of greenery and wafts of gorgeous scent. James Smith’s “Green Sky Pocket Garden,” seen here, features square pavers, but you could also use irregular flagstones for a more rustic look. There are plenty of plants to choose from that offer greenery all year round, such as campanula or beautifully scented creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), which bees love when it flowers in summer. Or why not combine different plants, as Smith has here, by adding sculptural succulents to the mix?
Mix Flowers, Fruits and Veggies No space for a dedicated edible garden? Don’t despair. Instead consider weaving edibles amid pretty perennial plantings. In his “Parsley Box Garden,” designer Alan Williams created a peaceful sanctuary packed with interest for people of all ages, with containers at different heights making it accessible to all. The herbs in the design include chives, mint and marjoram, while fruits such as blackberry, blueberry and strawberry are dotted throughout. There are also plenty of vegetables, including leeks, lettuce, zucchini and kale. And don’t be afraid to add impact with some bigger species, like the fig and espaliered pears Williams used (not pictured).
Weeding Newly planted gardens can be more susceptible to weed spikes for a few reasons. First, gaps left between plants that have been properly spaced, combined with frequent irrigation, makes for a cultivation area for weeds. Second, if you’ve dug into ground that has been compacted or hasn’t been turned over in some time, you might have unearthed weed seeds that were lying dormant. Landscape architect June Scott of June Scott Design in Pasadena, California, recommends staying on top of weeds from day one. “Be vigilant in pulling weeds, especially when your plants are young, as weeds compete for both water and nutrients in the soil,” she says. She advises hand-weeding rather than using herbicides, which can damage surrounding plants, harm beneficial soil organisms and run off into waterways. To prevent weeds from popping up again and again, make sure you get the roots. “There are some weeds that will take aggressive digging to ensure the entire root mass is removed,” Pell says. “Bindweed is one of the main culprits.”
Opt for a Simple Water Feature As anyone who has mucked out a pond can attest, maintaining large water features can be a lot of work — messy and unpleasant. For the benefits of adding a water element to your landscape without the hassle, choose a simple design that’s easy to clean. For example, consider filling a stone basin with water and watching the birds enjoy a drink, or invest in a simple recirculating fountain for the relaxing sound of water.
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