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Permaculture Workshops in Cashiers, NC in April and May

March 7, 2015

Join us for two workshops as part of a series on Permaculture at Dovecote: Land. Life. Garden : LifeScapes for Your Home Environment

Two three-hour workshops will be offered in April and then again in May: April 24, 2015 10-1pm and May 15, 2015 10-1 pm
Location: Dovecote. 35 Flash Pointe Drive (a.k.a. McKinney Lane) Cashiers, NC 82717
Cost: $125 per person includes light lunch each day & 1 field trip.
Instructor: Mary Palmer Dargan,rla.
Pre-registration required. (see below to order tickets)
Includes a workbook and homework

Mary Palmer Dargan will be teaching the Nitty Gritty Fundamentals for Permaculture Newbies. Set up Your Property as a the Ultimate Home Environment. Join her for a workshop to empower your property as a true Land & LifeScape environment.

Draw your dream garden with compost stations
greenhouse huts
potting areas
work out the best practices for your property
learn methods to preparing and plant your garden with hardy vegetables & annuals
use handprint planting methods
seed-blocking
starting baby plants and dahlias for late spring & summer propagation

About Land-Life-Scapes : The Ultimate Home Environment:

The gentle joining of hands between your home environment, your family and nature is my passion. My professional practice as a landscape architect is defined by permaculture principles, but I never thought of it in those words. By taking time to engage with nature and observe how it functions best on your home property, you can design solutions that suit particular situation, avoiding wasting time, labor and resources. This workshop will empower your property as the ultimate Land & LifeScape environment.

For more information, contact: [email protected]

Click here to register for the May workshop

Click here to register for the April workshop

How Do I Incorporate Walls & Design Features Around My Yard?

February 27, 2015

Masonry walls and backdrops give three-dimensionality to landscapes. Built structures compliment anything with footing. These include fences, gates, retaining walls, steps, arbors, treillage, pavilions and pergolas. They can showcase your style while highlighting the best aspects of the landscape and the home’s architecture.

A treillage is a staple of the French-inspired garden. It’s any type of trellis that can stand alone or be attached to a wall or side of the home to add architectural interest and detail as well as greenery. Creeping vines covering a trellis always creates a romantic and picturesque look and feel.

Fences can be custom designed to add character, charm and personality to landscapes. A tall fence that encloses a garden can become a fabulous backdrop to a sitting area with an ironwork canopy. A front gate can feature elegant balusters, arches and keystones or even arbors to make a stunning impact and memorable first impression.

Pavilions provide a distinct area for relaxing and entertaining in a gorgeous outdoor setting. We’ve custom-designed several site-specific pavilions that make for an incredible and one-of-a-kind outdoor room. The types of plantings used on and around the pavilion can solidify the style of the landscape, whether traditional, contemporary or modern.

Balustrades can create a Mediterranean, resort-style look and feel while adding a beautiful patina to the landscape design. Traditional balustrades constructed with cast stone form negative and positive spaces that add wonderful shape.

If you are looking for a larger built structure, you can have a tall wall custom designed with built-in niches, planters, arches, columns, ironwork and even a fountain. The bricks or stones can be arranged, painted or aged to create the exact look that blends and enhances the landscape. One of our favorite, and most complicated, projects was a tall statuary wall complete with natural grotto design. Rocks were used throughout the design to integrate it into the natural surroundings while niches provide places for plantings that add color and interest.

If you are looking to add beautiful backdrops to your landscape, contact Dargan Landscape Architects in Atlanta to learn more about our landscape services.

What is the Best Way to Incorporate Water Into My Landscape?

February 25, 2015

There’s a reason why water features have been included in gardens and dwellings for centuries. In early Pompeian, Greek and Roman times, water features were considered a necessity for pleasurable living. We know this not only because of actual remains but because of depictions on frescoed walls. Today, the most popular ways to incorporate water into your landscape are with a fountain, stream or waterfall feature.

Archaeology findings have revealed the lavish designs of ornamental fountains in early Pompeian gardens and European estates. These magnificent fountains served as both a glamorous status symbol as well as a therapeutic tool for healthier, happier lives. Today, the design possibilities with fountains are endless, and they can be customized to suit your personal aesthetic and lifestyle.

If you are going with a stand-alone fountain design, the considerations you would need to make would be related to height and position within your landscape. It can include a low retaining wall that provides seating or it can be flush with grade. When choosing materials, you can take cues from your home’s style and architecture. If you are looking for your fountain to be bursting with greenery, just remember that there should be 70 percent water surface coverage above or below. Use plants with a diversity of heights to create a beautiful frame for the fountain.

If you are looking for more of an auditory experience with your water feature, consider a waterfall that cascades into a stream and collects in a serene pond. You’ll want to work with a professional who understands how to design a waterfall that will produce the most pleasing sounds. With a series of falls, consider installing separate pumps for each waterfall for easier management and repair. One piece of equipment we recommend for your waterfall is a sump pump because it is so reliable and durable as well as incredibly versatile and rather inexpensive. These can be used to create a good, strong flow for your waterfall as well as a babbling brook in a stream.

An existing slope can be the perfect place for a waterfall. Make sure you are working with a designer who is thoughtful about making it look natural rather than man-made. Surround the waterfall with wetland plants like mosses, and add beautiful blooming plants like water lilies to ponds. You can also look into native varieties of plants such as milkweed, which will provide beautiful coloration with cascading flowers during the growing seasons.

We invite you to watch our video on water features which includes a wonderful talk from a waterfall design expert. Contact Dargan Landscape Architects to see how we can help you design and install your own custom fountain or waterfall.

What are the Best Gardening & Landscape Ideas for Empty-Nesters?

February 23, 2015

A new chapter deserves a new space that will enhance your quality of life. If you and your significant other are looking to create an outdoor room, consider a custom design that will provide more than just a treat for the eyes.

Freedom and Mobility: Whether you are downsizing or you are just looking to optimize your home and property, the right design can result in a multi-purpose outdoor space that is cleverly leveraged to take advantage of every square foot and feature.

Nature: Consider a design that will encourage you to spend more time with nature on a daily basis. Include a table and chair for dining al fresco or a comfortable sitting area for reading the newspaper while you drink your morning coffee or tea. Bring your landscape to life and create ways to interact with nature by incorporating a bird feeder and plants that attract butterflies.

Therapeutic: You’ll enjoy incredible benefits with a landscape design that allows you to slow down, quiet your mind and find peace and tranquility. Tending to a garden, touching plants or simply just being outside can promote a healthier lifestyle as it reduces stress and reignites the senses.

Social: Designing an outdoor room that lends itself to social gatherings can also significantly enhance your quality of life. In addition to dining areas, consider other ways to encourage social engagement such as outdoor games or a fire pit or fireplace with plenty of extra seating.

Active Use: Get yourself moving outdoors with a personalized design. Whether you like to practice meditation or tai chi, or you would rather go for an invigorating swim in a lap pool, consider a home spa unit or fitness space to provide a way to enjoy a different level of activity or exercise at home.

Passive Use: You don’t have to work up a sweat. Simply creating an outdoor space for enjoying downtime and quiet “me time” for reflecting and clearing the mind can do wonders for your health and happiness.

Contact Dargan Landscape Architects to learn how we can help you achieve a custom multi-purpose landscape design.

How Can I Create a Healthy & Sustainable Garden?

February 20, 2015

Establishing a garden that is healthy for both you and mother nature requires careful consideration of the complex and intricate web of life. Here at Dargan Landscape Architects, we follow six tenets of sustainability in order to achieve lifelong landscape designs that are holistically sound.

Tenet #1: Leave Nature Alone

Mature trees can be gravely affected by construction, losing their vitality and dying over a period of four or five years. Because this process is so slow, many don’t realize just how fragile trees are. Simple practices like laying down six inches of mulch and defining traffic pathways can save the lives of trees.

Tenet #2: Restore the Balance of Nature

Everything we do and build has an impact on the environment. Even the smallest of acts can have a massive ripple effect that negatively effects an ecosystem. Creating healthy soil layers with organic components for gardens and planting baby trees can help to prevent erosion, preserve habitats, and rebuild damaged ecosystems.

Tenet #3: Sculpt Your Niche Using Sustainable Building Materials

When designing and constructing a landscape, the materials you use can be just as harmful to the environment as construction. Natural gravel driveway is a green alternative to asphalt, which has a high carbon footprint. As opposed to concrete, previous paving options prevent stormwater runoff.

Tenet #4: Harvest & Conserve Water

Think of your property as its own watershed, which can be harvested to meet all of your water needs. Cisterns and temporary storage systems such as rain barrels, rain gardens, underground tanks, pumps, and irrigation systems can all be employed to gather your own water.

Tenet #5: Let Nature Rest

Harsh, bright lights glaring night after night can slowly damage vegetation. Make an effort to use minimal low lighting. This will not only be better for your garden but will create a nice, warm, glowing ambiance.

Tenet #6: Keep Up the Good Work

The work doesn’t end once the garden is built. Keep up with mowing, chopping, composting, mulching and spreading. Learn about organic pest control practices. Create a calendar and set up a system for disciplined nurturing.

At Dargan Landscape Architects, we’re eager to assist our clients with their landscape designs and dreams. For further assistance and information, contact us today.

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