Mary Palmer Dargan, ASLA and Hugh Dargan, ASLA are the principals of Dargan Landscape Architects. The following describes a recent project that highlights the design studio’s approach to vernacular design.
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Natural Landscape Design for a Mountain Retreat
On top of a mountain near Highlands, North Carolina, in an idyllic setting with views to Blue Valley, are two nearby houses built in the vernacular of the region: Greyrock Lodge and The Cottage. In June 2001, Dargan Landscape Architects (in a project led by Mary Palmer Dargan) fashioned an easy-going set of outdoor spaces when the houses were showcased as a fundraiser. The two houses which only months before had been surrounded by post-construction dirt and mud were transformed into an atmospheric mountain retreat. By utilizing natural stones, meadows, weathered wood and indigenous flowers, a gentle landscape evolved that looked like it had been there forever. In Mary Palmer Dargan’s words, “The point of the design is for the landscape, the houses, and the natural setting to seamlessly harmonize and blend together into an unmistakable atmosphere that says—Breathe deeply and relax; you’re at home in the mountains.”
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As a site that showcased two houses, this project offered an opportunity to design a larger number of outdoor environments than might normally be used on a single mountain property. The gardens created are as varied as their functions; together they provide a green textbook surveying a host of possible vernacular outdoor environments from a kitchen garden to a flowering meadow to a millstone fountain garden.
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A Gothic Twig Pavilion
The focal point of the design is the Gothic Twig Pavilion, which overlooks Blue Valley. It was inspired by the pavilion at Painshill in Surrey, England with its gothic roof line and views over the countryside. Mary Palmer Dargan explains, “ We Americanized this pastoral belvedere by utilizing honey locust logs for posts and laurel twigs in the construction of rafters. In the three spacious rooms one can grill on one side, have refreshments on another, and dine in the center. The dining area is enclosed with movable portiers (curtains) when a chill or rain threatens a plein air experience.”
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Designing in Mountain Conditions
“Designing unique gardens for two new homes as vernacular and architecturally important as Grayrock Lodge and the Cottage was a challenge,” she notes. “The site consisted of alternately rocky or muddy clay. The rains came unexpectedly and snow stayed too long in the spring when the project got underway. Designing the planting around the house proved to be equally challenging, as the roof eaves at Grayrock Lodge were very low and soil was shallow. A roadside boxwood truck that frequents the area provided enormous 6’ boxwoods—an unbelievable luxury. We planted them not to obscure the house, but to accent it– as if they’d decided to grow there by themselves. Difficult conditions are often the norm when working in the mountains; it’s part of the scenario. You have to learn the local resources quickly.”
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Vernacular Flavor
“Throughout the project, I searched for ways to acquire and use native and naturally weathered materials such as barn wood for the fence, nuggets of stone for borders, and honey locust for the rustic fencing posts in the garden pavilion. The use of numerous lawn paths set with stepping-stones gives the site the flavor of having evolved over a long period of time. This is especially true along The Ramble where the path meanders between the weathered wood fence of The Cottage, beside the existing gazebo and into the Grayrock Meadow. Attention to these kinds of details is what builds a vernacular flavor.”
“We used native flowers and those that would traditionally be found in rustic gardens. We chose Soapwort (Saponaria Officinalis) due to its function in early American kitchens as a household cleanser. It has puffy pink flowers and is used here in the window boxes and along the paths. Campsis Radicans flava, the Trumpet Vine, a native plant is used to offer cover to the lampposts and Gothic Twig Pavilion. We planted a variety of perennials in the beds in each garden.”
The site and the design philosophy behind it offer a glimpse into the variety and multi-functionality that can inhabit a landscape deeply rooted in the building traditions and native materials of a specific region. It also offers a case study in working with local builders and suppliers. In this case, this project was made possible by Travis and Company, Goodness Grows (perennials), and Finley Merry, the builder and site owner. See “Mountain House,” in the May-June 2002 issue of Southern Accents for an article by Liz Seymour describing the entire project: landscape and house interiors.
