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General Landscape Commentary

Starting on Tricky Places : Gardens that Fit Your Lifestyle like a Glove.

December 31, 2016

rice-14-blogWhew. Its taken a summer like 2016 when friends and family had calamities, passed away or got really sick to make me appreciate my garden and health even more… and then the specter of scary local fires burning thousands of acres in our treasured Smoky Mountains which made me appreciate our fragile ecosystem.

This blog is a personal note is to myself to review everything in Dargan Landscape Architects book of work to help my friends, their home environments and interface with nature. Like holding hands with fragile yet resilient gloves that fit perfectly.

Hugh and I have been in practice as landscape architects for over four decades. Our client’s now lovely landscapes were tricky places to make behave: with thin soils, complicated topography, owners large wish list, zoning issues, too much or too little shade, too much or too little water, not enough space, too vast a canvas, weird parking, insufficient walkways…the list goes on!  We are blessed with the honor to coax, bend and collaborate with the owners to get the best designs built, and we thank them for sharing their private worlds.

My goal is to inspire homeowners to get the best out of their precious home environment. Design it to yield healthy wellbeing, inspire you to be your best and to provide nurturing spaces. Once we finish this work together, your garden will function like a well-oiled machine, which in itself is a stress-reducing factor.

Photographer, Sarah Valentine of Highlands NC,  shot beautiful dawn shots and late summer portraits of many of our local gardens.

Stay tuned as the book progresses!

Filed Under: Appearances, Lectures and Shows, Atlanta Garden Landscape Projects, Bloom Where you are Planted, Climate Change, Dovecote, Dovecote Garden Talk Salons, Fairy Gardens, General Landscape Commentary, Horticulture, Instagram, Landscape Architecture Projects, Landscape Design Tips, Mary's Events, Organic Gardening, PlaceMakers, Poppy's Environmental Tips, Poppy's Horticultural Tips, Poppy's Project, Uncategorized, Videos Tagged With: garden design, mary palmer dargan, sarah valentine photographer

Researching Heirloom Gardens in Western NC : The American Kitchen Garden

December 31, 2016

hodges-apple-closeup-blogThe prospect of saying yes…not a decision taken lightly.

The invitation extended to chair the Jan Wyatt Symposium 2017 for the Cashiers Historical Society, by Ann McKee Austin ( from whom it is impossible to decline a volunteer invitation) and president, Connie Haire, was a surprise.

Do I shoot myself after saying yes?  NO.  I’d promised my family not to take on more projects. But the tantalizing nudge to dust off a topic thoroughly covered in my first draft masters thesis is 1977 is impossible to resist. Rafts of info laying fallow in the storage unit, mildewed and unloved, has been slowly maturing…waiting for airtime.

One does not lightly throw something together that could impact a visitors perspective of history.

On the suggestion of Macon County Librarian,Karen Hawks, a spin and TRX buddy, I hired the wonderful librarian, Emily Crowell, to type, type, type.  YIKES! The old manuscript was a dot matrix printed, accordian-paged, non-digital manuscript. Emily DOVE IN with glee on her day off from work and is quickly modernizing the document.

WE HAVE A TITLE: The 2017 Jan Wyatt Symposium The Heirloom Gardener hosted by The Cashiers Historical Society.

WE HAVE A LOCATION: The Zachary Tolbert House Grounds c 1850.

WE SET A DATE: June 21 2017.

SPEAKERS SAID YES:

Eric Jackson of Old Salem to talk about historic plant materials

Ila Hatter, wildcrafter supreme, to demonstrate cooking methods of our forefathers

And me, to demonstrate what a garden might have looked like in 1850 when Alexander Zachary built the house in Cashiers, NC.

WE HAVE A STORYLINE and I meet with the tent man next week.

DIGITAL COPIES OF ALEXANDER ZACHARY’s journal appeared (primarily apple notes, but useful nonetheless!)

Whew…stay tuned for schedule and logo next!

jpegzachary_000

Filed Under: Appearances, Lectures and Shows, Atlanta Garden Landscape Projects, Bloom Where you are Planted, Climate Change, Dovecote, Dovecote Garden Talk Salons, Fairy Gardens, General Landscape Commentary, Horticulture, Instagram, Landscape Architecture Projects, Landscape Design Tips, Mary's Events, Organic Gardening, PlaceMakers, Poppy's Environmental Tips, Poppy's Horticultural Tips, Poppy's Project, Uncategorized, Videos

They Weep but are Never Sad: the Ryusan Japanese Maple

September 8, 2015

A photo posted by Mary Palmer Dargan (@mpdargan)

Are you a fan of the greenery surrounding these steps?

These trees are perfect for any garden size. It’s the Ryusen Japanese Maple, known for its weeping effect and versatile branches. Not into adding something that takes a lot of work? The Ryusen is low maintenance as well!

Admire the beauty beside and below Nathalie (our in-action model here). She’s taking a stroll on 4″ tall steps.

Looking to create your own walkway paradise?

Call us at 404-231-3889 or click here to schedule your free, 30 minute consultation.

Filed Under: General Landscape Commentary, Instagram, Uncategorized Tagged With: dargan landscape architects, garden, Garden trees, landscape architect, Maple trees, Ryusen, Ryusen Japanese Maple, Walkway

Stairway to Heaven at Cullasaja Club

August 31, 2015

The steps

A photo posted by Mary Palmer Dargan (@mpdargan) on May 6, 2015 at 12:09pm PDT

Sometimes, all it takes is a couple of hostas, a collection of Japanese maples (the Laulettas have many!) and great natural stone work. Thanks to John Warren of Natural Landscapes who installed this beautiful garden 3 years ago. Note the 4″ tall step.

In Cashiers Highlands, North Carolina, Cullasaja Club.

Join us on Instagram and if you’re interested in your own customized stone stairway and much more, connect with us by calling 404-231-3889 or click here for a free, 30 minute consultation.

Filed Under: General Landscape Commentary, Uncategorized Tagged With: cashiers, Cullasaja Club, Dargan Landscape Artchitects, Japanese Maples, john warren, Lauletta, Natural Landscapes, North Carolina, Steps, Stone steps

It Started With A Single Brick. A Lake Glenville Transformation

August 17, 2015

Dream big.

This area started with a single brick path and now look…one beauty of a stone path.  It’s a mountain garden under construction that already takes your breath away here in North Carolina. Thank you Black Bear Landscape.

How do you picture your ideal walk space outside?

Call 404-231-3889 or click here to book your free, 30 minute consultation with Dargan Landscape Architects.

Filed Under: General Landscape Commentary, Uncategorized Tagged With: cashiers, dargan landscape architects, Instagram, Lake Glenville, mary palmer dargan, Mountain gardens, North Carolina, stone, stone pathway

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