Dargan Landscape Architects

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Create a Garden Corner to Energize & Invoke Nature

Source: Dargan Landscape Architects
Source: Dargan Landscape Architects

A well-designed garden is aesthetically interesting from every angle, even corners. Too often, corner areas of the garden get overlooked or underrated as a space that can enhance landscapes and outdoor living. No matter what the size of your garden, it can be designed to make the most of each corner, so no inch of beautiful outdoor space goes to waste. Such spatial planning in the garden can add value to your property and quality of life. A smart garden designed to optimize space can leave you with better views to enjoy from inside your home as well as more ways to connect with nature and expand living space beyond the walls of the home.

Here are some of the garden design ideas we are finding inspiration from right now as we begin planning for the spring growing season:

  • Convert a corner into a focal point: Turning a corner of the garden into an intriguing focal point will direct the eyes to this area, highlighting the spaciousness or making the garden feel larger. An ornamental tree, sculpture, or fountain that compliments the style of your home and landscape can make for a fabulous focal point. Blend it into the rest of the landscape with a border garden. Position a light fixture on this focal point to create a more dynamic lighting scheme and allow this corner to shine even at nighttime.
  • Create a corner seating area: A built-in garden bench, sectional sofa, or patio area with table and chairs can be a great use of a corner space. This layout will allow you to entertain and relax outdoors as you enjoy your garden from a new and unique vantage point. A pergola, fire pit, or full outdoor fireplace can anchor and define this corner seating area and allow its use more seasons out of the year.
  • Tuck in a pavilion, gazebo, or other structure: An outbuilding nestled in the corner can turn this space of your garden into your own backyard retreat. A more significant corner structure can also give you the opportunity to establish the style of your garden, whether it’s inspired by modern, Asian design or an enchanting and picturesque cottage scene.

Are the corners of your garden working as hard as they could be for you and your landscape?

We’d love to help you make the most of your landscape with a custom garden. Whether you are looking to entertain outside or simply achieve a space to inspire and encourage a stronger relationship with nature, Dargan Landscape Architects would love to help build and design the garden of your dreams. Contact us by calling me (Mary Palmer Dargan) at 404.354.1715 or Hugh Dargan at 404.354.1714.

Inspired Spring Gardening with Raised Beds

Source: Dargan Landscape Architects
Source: Dargan Landscape Architects

The benefits of raised garden beds abound, and there’s no better way to ensure a bountiful garden than with sturdy and reliable raised beds. Gardening in boxes or contained areas makes it easier to maintain better soil and prevent weeds and pests. With more control over nutrient levels, soil temperature, and seed distribution, raised beds allow you to enjoy higher yields and longer growing seasons. 

Raised beds not only make for beautiful and healthy gardens, but they can also add incredible aesthetic value to landscapes. As we enter the tail-end of the winter season, we’re dreaming of lush and gorgeous spring gardens with inspiring raised beds that are design elements in themselves.  

  • The classic raised bed is constructed with a wooden box. These are the traditional structures most people picture when hearing raised beds. Wooden raised beds can easily be designed with ledges on top to provide convenient seating for nurturing and enjoying gardens. 
  • Great for garden designs that are outside of the box, stone walls can be used to make creative and more organic-shaped raised beds. The cool tones and natural textures of stone masonry additionally create naturally stunning contrasts in the garden. 
  • Metal raised beds can be fabricated from troughs, stock tanks, culverts, slabs of steel or Cor-Ten. What’s so intriguing about metal raised beds is the industrial, modern, or rustic feel they can bring into garden designs. These types of beds not only create up-to-date designs but are long-lasting and weather-resistant. 
  • Other materials that can be used for raised gardens include rock, cinderblock, and brick. But no matter what materials are employed, there are still plenty of opportunities to create a custom garden design with the shapes, positioning, and configuration of raised beds.
  • Beds can be configured into a grid pattern or organized to outline and surround a yard or patio. They can be terraced on a slope or laid into narrow rows like a small farm. Galvanized culvert beds or metal troughs can be arranged in a way that makes for a whimsical, shabby-chic garden or a chic, contemporary design. 

Raised beds can be used to achieve any style garden, from formal designs to clean and contemporary landscapes to more casual, cottage-inspired looks. They can also be practical and functional. Picture being able to cook in an outdoor kitchen with herb gardens in nearby raised beds, or imagine being able to smell herbs as you dine and entertain al fresco. 

Our team at Dargan Landscape Architects has the expertise and passion to design the garden of your dreams. Whether you’ve always wanted an edible garden or your entire landscape could use an update, our team would love to help. Contact us online or call 404.231.3889. 

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

What is the Best Way to Incorporate Water Into My Landscape?
Source: Dargan Landscape Architects

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.

How Can I Create a Healthy & Sustainable Garden?

How Can I Create a Healthy & Sustainable Garden?
Source: Dargan Landscape Architects

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.

 

How Can I Design a Seamless Landscape? The Four Part Master Plan

How Can I Design a Seamless Landscape? The Four Part Master Plan
Source: Dargan Landscape Architects

A seamless landscape design ensures beautiful and comfortable experiences for your household members and any visitors to your property. This type of design is not only aesthetically pleasing but is intuitive for easy and safe navigation.

Approach & Arrival Sequence: Usually at the front of your property, it’s the welcome mat you put out for your friends and family. A thoughtful approach and arrival sequence seamlessly shows visitors how they can enter your property and where they can park cars. It also leads them gracefully to the landing of your front door where they can be greeted. And finally, it may also include starting points for garden experiences or pathways to outdoor rooms. This is where sustainable building materials can be employed such as gravel and other permeable pavers.

Hub: The middle portion of your property, known as the hub, is – of course – the house. It’s the epicenter around which all parts of your property revolve. The style of the house often inspires and dictates the aesthetics and layout of the landscape. Taking cues from the home’s colors, textures and architectural details is essential when designing a seamless landscape design.

Perimeter: This part of your property is situated outside, behind or on the sides of the house. It can be designed to be a multi-purpose environment for relaxing in and entertaining. It can include a sun pocket, an outdoor kitchen, an outdoor dining area or an expansive lawn. An outdoor social environment should be safe and accessible for both people and pets.

Passages & Destinations: These are the pathways and gardens of the property. The passages are the steps and walkways that allow us to get to and from different garden areas. The destinations can be a koi pond, a fountain, a bench beneath a willow tree or a series of garden statues.

Whether you are looking to add onto your landscape, make it more sustainable or give it a whole new look and feel with a complete renovation, our experienced and passionate team here at Dargan Landscape Architects would love to help. Contact us to learn about our landscaping services.