Uncategorized

More Landscape Design Questions Answered by Mary Palmer Dargan

January 9, 2014

We recently shared some questions Mary Palmer received from our clients and friends in need of a bit of landscape design advice, along with her expert advice for each question. Today, we have a few more questions to share with you, along with Mary Palmer’s suggested solutions and ideas.

One design question? How to keep stepping stone paths weed free?

Patricia

www.marlborobulb.blogspot.com/

Dear Patricia!

Ahhh, the thousand dollar question for age old problem… The dreaded “weed between the stones dilemma.”

It boils down to the path composition and if a carpet of plants is mixed between the cracks. I like the “outcompete” your neighbors approach. Plant densely with appropriate steppables and initially install with a small gravel mulch like permatil. I often use mixed sedums.

Of course, hand weeding is still part of this program.

The alternate weeders approach is to nuke the ne’er do wells with a blowtorch (these are excellent and come as home maintenance kits for this purpose). Alternately you could use a high concentration of acetic acid and spray.

I hope this is helpful… Please send me photos and I can help further!

Happy new year!

Atlanta landscape architects — Dargan Landscape Architects

Hi Mary,

When planting trees in the front yard, how do you decide where to place them?

Thanks and Happy New Year,

Joanna M.

Dear Joanna,

Front Yard Trees? Thumbs up! You are doing fantastic things for both the natural environment and your home environment.

My checklist for tree planting follows. Thanks for asking!

Why do you want to plant them: to enhance the style of the house (this leads us to type of tree to accent house), save energy expense and shade cars, to create an arboretum…choice, choices, choices!

Choice of kind of tree: Evergreen or deciduous. Height and closeness to the house depends on the variety of the evergreen chosen.

Orientation of House: Does your house face N-S-E-W. In both of my books and in the SPROUT blueprint system, I share a technique called the sun diagram. If your house faces south, deciduous trees are great for summer shade. So, don’t plant evergreens if you need summer sunlight in the winter.

Personal choice…stylistic balance is frequently chosen with classically designed housing styles like georgian, antebellum, colonial revival & italianate. Asymmetrical balance is typical of cottage, custom french and modern. A great way to test your idea is to sketch ideas on a photography of your house and your ideal mental image of your house. Houses range from 25-35′ tall, and many trees are taller than this, but only after 15-25 years.

Hmmmm, now my juices are really flowing! How about a set of flowering trees?

Feel free to contact me with a photograph!

I hope this is useful,

All best, Mary Palmer

Cashiers landscape architects — Source: Spencer Howard Design + Construction Management via Houzz

What are your landscape design questions? Ask away in the comments section below!

Dargan Landscape Architects is here to help you improve your home and garden environments. Contact us to learn more about designing a master plan or tune-up for your property, or check out our PlaceMakers program!

Mary Palmer Dargan Answers Your Landscape Design Questions

January 7, 2014

Oftentimes, homeowners desire to make a change in their landscape and have questions about how to get started. However, they may feel a bit intimidated to ask. Recently, Mary Palmer sent out an invitation for our readers and friends to send us their landscape design questions, great and small, providing each inquiry with an informative answer. Below are some of the questions sent in, along with Mary Palmer’s responses.

Beautiful photo! I am wondering about the actual design process itself. Do you begin with taking photos, sketches of spatial concepts, etc.?
I am a plant lover, so immediately go to what I want to plant, and get overwhelmed with the choices. Just curious what your own process is on the initial steps. Thanks! (AZ)

Dear Andrea,

Your question indicates that you have the design gene!

Yes, there are distinct steps involved. Sometimes, just a photo of an area begging for improvement and sketches on that photo are all that is needed. Use the art elements and design principles to make it a pleasing picture. I have some great blog posts about this at www.dargan.com/blog. All plants have distinct shapes.

For deeper study

Create a program of needs and goals

Discover the raw potential of the property by analyzing its salient raw, built and living components

Use the PLACE system to provide a framework for future decisions which include dpatial arrangements of use areas like terraces, parking improvements, etc.

Evaluate your long term needs in terms of lifelong Landscape design and learn the Principles of the 4 part master plan (2 of my books!) .

Then work in harmony at ground level !

It’s design in a nutshell! Please let me know if you want to learn more!

My Sprout program is the springboard to success!

Happy new year to you and your garden!

Charleston landscape architects — Mary Palmer providing instruction to a PlaceMakers group.

Dear Mary Palmer,

I need to know of a tropical plant that can deal with total shade AND morning sun in Texas. We want symmetrical plants on either side of a doorway. What do you think of Sago Palms?

Hugs,

Anne

They are the ideal plant, Anne. There is a whole range of cycads (sago palms family) and a trip to a great nursery will share ones that are not soooo prickly. Some come with softer foliage, a naturally rounded form and a glossy green, too… Very appealing on either side of a front door.

I appreciate you writing!

Atlanta landscape architect — Source: McDugald-Steele Landscape Architects via Houzz

What flowers and plants would you use for a colorful border for a long, curved stone front walkway? (NM)

Great jumping jehozepah! Is this a Cashiers or FL garden?

The curving walkway is universal… Lumps of anchor plants at each end and a focal point plant of an interesting texture or form can be in the curve. A carpet of ground cover under the focal point. Is it sun or shade, wind or sheltered?

Great question, Nan. Send me a photo! Xxx

We’ll have more questions and answers from Mary Palmer to share with you at a later date, so stay tuned to our blog! In the meantime, if you have a question for Mary Palmer, feel free to leave it in a comment below. If you’d like to speak with Mary Palmer or one of the Dargan Landscape Architects team members about creating a master plan or tune-up for your landscape, contact us today! We’d love to hear your ideas and share how we can help you achieve the garden you’ve always wanted!

Elements of English Gardens

January 3, 2014

English gardens offer a transitional landscape design option for gardeners who are torn between the formal geometry of a symmetrical garden and the lush, irrepressible exuberance of a landscape gone wild. In an English garden, you can have all of the above, at the ratio that is most pleasing to your eye.

English gardens as we know them got their start back in the early to mid-18th century, and were a very formal affair. Because their roots stretched back to Roman antiquity, these original gardens were heavy on symmetry, geometrical patterns, and classical architectural and sculptural elements. However, as time has marched on, they have also come to incorporate planters burgeoning with colorful ornamental plants, pathways that can be winding or straight, and large areas for contemplation or play.

The following are some of the elements of a typical English garden design:

Shapes. While it is true that an English garden can have flower beds planted in riotous combinations, those beds are usually bordered by neatly shaped hedges and borders with clear geometrical shapes. Living plant borders are used to create “rooms” as well as visual pathways, guiding the eye to key focal points.
Flowers. The basis of your garden will be perennials that you can count on to return year after year. Typical examples include Phlox, Bee Balm, Lupine, Hibiscus and Hydrangea. These will be accented with annuals that you can vary from season to season. These include flowers such as Marigolds, Pansies and Cosmos. Also, don’t forget rich, lush greenery.
Roses. Most English gardeners are very proud of their roses, even entering them in local and regional contests. Wild English climbing roses are as popular as prim and precisely pruned rose trees.
Herbs and vegetables. A proper English garden will also include a kitchen garden of some sort, grown to supply herbs and vegetables close at hand.

For more information about English garden landscape design, we recommend reading The Early English Kitchen Garden, written by our own Mary Palmer Dargan. You can also contact Dargan Landscape Architects directly to discuss how we can help design an English garden, master plan or a tune-up for your property.

Preventing Plant Diseases

January 2, 2014

If you are anything like us, you see plants not only as beautiful objects but as living things that deserve a healthy, happy life. Hence, knowing and understanding how to prevent and treat plant diseases is crucial to a gorgeous and thriving garden that is able to yield and reproduce.

As master gardeners Simeon Wright and Christopher Starbuck put it, “A plant disease is defined as a response to environmental factors or pathogenic, disease-causing organisms that cause negative changes in the plant.” Here are the fundamentals to preventing pathogens and host plants from carrying and spreading disease as well as environmental conditions that favor disease.

Certified Plants: You can avoid bringing disease-causing bacteria, fungi and viruses into your garden by only introducing high quality seeds and certified disease-free plants or disease-resistant cultivars.

Watering Regimen: Water early in the day to give plants time to dry before nightfall, when they can become vulnerable to disease. Making sure soil is properly drained and ensure sufficient sunlight to keep plants from becoming soggy and to prevent root rotting.

Soil Conditions: Adding compost to soil and topping it with mulch will strengthen and shield plants from disease. Compost increases the number of pathogen-fighting microbes while creating favorable conditions for these good microbes while preventing germination of fungal spores. Mulch suppresses weeds and prevents contaminated water or disease-carrying organisms from splashing onto plants.

Adequate Space: When gardens are overcrowded, plants have to compete for sun, water and nutrients while also suffering from stagnant airflow. Giving each plant enough space to mature will ensure health and plenty of fresh air and resources.

Keep Clean: Always start with a clean landscape for planting by removing any dead plant material or debris from the previous season. Keep garden beds neat by weeding and pruning promptly. Practice good sanitation when using gardening tools by sterilizing them before and after working with individual plants. Remove plants that show signs of disease immediately.

To receive more gardening tips for beautiful and healthy plants and landscapes, sign up at LandscapeYourLife.com to receive free worksheets and videos straight from Mary Palmer Dargan, America’s Landscape Alchemist.

Landscape Design Details: Pavers

December 30, 2013

Incorporating pavers into your landscape allows you to reduce your environmental footprint while also adding interest for a dynamic design. Available in various materials and styles, pavers can be used to design pathways or to create spaces for outdoor rooms while contrasting lush greenery and colorful flower beds.

Furthermore, pavers are a great sustainable hardscaping option for more eco-friendly landscapes. Permeable materials soak up rain and prevent runoff while naturally filtering water and adding to the groundwater table.

Whether you are looking to incorporate a dining table for eating and entertaining al fresco or lounge chairs for sunbathing and relaxing, pavers are the perfect way to achieve attractive and functional hardscapes for beautiful outdoor living spaces.

In this example, pavers are used to create stunning modern style living spaces. We especially love the interactive walkway design that extends over a pond with fountains jutting out from either side of the concrete retaining wall surrounding the entire space.

Pavers can be designed with grass, gravel, mulch or other materials in between based on your landscape and the look you want to achieve. This paver and lush grass design makes for a striking contemporary front yard design.

The size of pavers and pattern they are laid down can also be customized to your property and personal style. Here, long and narrow pavers are assembled in an artful design to add energy and movement to the courtyard of this contemporary home.

Atlanta landscape architecture and design — Source: Jeffery Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture via Houzz

Pavers can be traditional, too. The combination of natural flagstone and black gravel in this example are used to achieve a warm and rustic style walkway.

Cashiers landscape architecture and design — Source: Jeffery Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture via Houzz

No matter what the paver design is, you’ll have the peace of mind that surrounding plants and lawn areas will not be overwhelmed by runoff.

Charleston landscape architecture and design — Source: Shades of Green Landscape Architecture via Houzz

Are you ready to upgrade to a gorgeous, eco-friendly landscape or outdoor living space, complete with pavers? Dargan Landscape Architects offers an experienced team of designers that can help you achieve an exquisite landscape that heals the earth and enhances your property. Visit our website for more information on how we can help!

Uncategorized

Footer

Let’s Get Started on Your Project