timeless landscape design

Gorgeous Garden Design Inspiration from Italy & France

March 30, 2014

The stately gardens of England have inspired many people worldwide with their regal beauty. Not to be outdone, France and Italy have their own awe-inspiring contenders that spark our creativity. Let’s take a look at a few estates that solidify their gardens’ status as paradigms of masterful landscaping.

The French Formal Garden
Surrounding the Château Vaux le Vicomte in the Ille-de-France region lies the French Formal Garden. These gardens win us over from the start with their inviting approach and arrival sequence. The grand entrance marks the direction visitors should venture, providing a straight line forward with linear tree formations and ornamental flower beds. The gardens boast decadent water features and walkways, highlighting the cohesive way designer Andre Le Notre combined manmade elements with the existing landscape. Although these grounds cover miles of property, Mary Palmer Dargan reminds us in her book “Timeless Landscape Design,” that Notre’s signature designs can be scaled down and incorporated into your own space.

Cashiers landscape architects — The French Formal Garden at Château Vaux le Vicomte
Source: Facebook.com/chateauvlv

landscape architects Mary Palmer and Hugh Dargan — The French Formal Garden at Château Vaux le Vicomte
Source: Facebook.com/chateauvlv

The Gardens of Villandry
Nestled in the French Loire Valley, the Château de Villandry is an impressive sight with its 20th-century garden. The most famous feature is its unique jardin potager, or beds of plants containing delightfully unexpected pairings of flowers and vegetables. The gardens also contain geometrical shapes of formal parterres. Designer Jean Le Breton used the Gardens of Villandry to transition the medieval fortress to a Renaissance château through bright flora and lowered walls that allow a scenic view.

Atlanta landscape architects — The Gardens of Villandry
Photo Featured in Timeless Landscape Design

Charleston landscape architects — The Kitchen Garden at the Château de Villandry
Source: Chateauvillandry.fr

The Villa Lante Gardens
Located in Bagnaia in the Lazio region of Italy, Villa Lante‘s gardens are a shining beacon of the Mannerist period, when proportion play and geometric patterns were king. The gardens display terracing, echoing the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and its symbolic descension is drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphosis. With its Water Chain cascade, geometrical parterres and iconic grotto, it’s clear that the completed space required the work of a skilled group of artisans and bishops over several years.

landscape architect Hugh Dargan — Source: Beniculturali.it

landscape architect Mary Palmer Dargan — Source: Gardenvisit.com

How are you inspired by these historic gardens? Tell us about your plans for incorporating some of these French and Italian designs from antiquity into your own outdoor haven in a comment below.

If you would like to speak to a landscape architect about creating a master plan or a tune-up for your property inspired by the historic gardens and landscapes of England, France, Italy or elsewhere, contact Dargan Landscape Architects in Atlanta. Our team, led by Hugh and Mary Palmer Dargan, will be happy to schedule a time to speak with you about your property and how we can help turn it into the oasis you’ve been dreaming of.

Improving the Hub of Your Landscape

March 28, 2014

As we shared earlier this month, the hub of your landscape is the place where activity generates from. The hub usually includes your home and the land just outside of it, making it a natural focal point of your landscape. With that in mind, it’s important to remember the hub is a powerful tool when it comes to creating one’s first impression of your home and landscape.

If your landscape’s hub isn’t setting a good first impression, it’s time to take a close look at what the problem may be and consider possible solutions. Let’s take a look at a few examples of identifying problems and solutions with a property’s hub from “Timeless Landscape Design.”

For the Colonel Othoniel Beall House in Charleston, South Carolina, the identity of the hub and its composure evolved from a single site on a blank canvas, as 15 years of decline and decay had taken its toll on the site. A symbol of the early preservation movement, this historical landmark was in need of a redesign in order to reinstate the property’s original beauty and glory. The homeowners gathered artifacts collected by the previous owner, which were photographed and catalogued. Measured drawings of the existing gardens were created in order to rework the space to include about 90 percent of those artifacts and plants already on site.

Charleston landscape design — The Othoniel Beall House
Photo featured in Timeless Landscape Design

Now, a series of lush garden rooms revolve around an elegant epicenter formed by an arched pavilion. Tea olive, tulip magnolia and camellia were re-established thanks to a new drip irrigation system, which will enable these plantings to be enjoyed for generations to come. In addition to existing plants, fountains, stone, brick, fieldstone and other items from the original property can be seen in these spaces, which preserve the property’s character and charm.

Charleston SC landscape architects — The Othoniel Beall House
Photo featured in Timeless Landscape Design

From the restored retaining walls and fountains to the thoughtfully designed flowers beds and garden vistas, this property remains the crown jewel of the 18th-century Rainbow Row. “It is a lasting tribute to preservation of the fragile garden fabric of Charleston.”

Rainbow Row, Charleston SC — A private garden on “Rainbow Row” in Charleston, SC.
Photo featured in Timeless Landscape Design

The Abe, a densely wooded log cabin property in Cashiers, North Carolina, is another fantastic case study that shares of the challenges present when re-creating a period landscape for a property’s hub. The owners wished to honor the pioneer life during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln with their landscape, and the property’s constraints with size, steep slopes and the expansive house footprint created some interesting challenges to work through in order to achieve the desired look. Lots of research was conducted in order to ensure plants, materials and land patterns would accurately reflect the time period of Abe Lincoln’s time as president.

The entry walk was lined with retaining walls constructed with carefully selected materials to highlight the natural landscape. Boulder walls supporting front and side plateaus create spaces for clusters of flower beds that weave together to create a series of gardens.

Cashiers NC landscape architects — The Kitchen Garden at The Abe
Photo featured in Timeless Landscape Design

A vernacular approach to garden design is reflected in special features that define each garden area, such as chicken feeders, stoned-edged raised beds and rhododendron benches. “The unique spirit of place allows the owners to explore their personal pioneer spirit and be in touch with their American heritage.”

Purchase your own copy of Mary Palmer’s book “Timeless Landscape Design” to learn more about improving your landscape’s hub, or contact Dargan Landscape Architects to discuss a tune-up or a new master plan for your property.

Vistas and Captured Views Offer Stunning Perspectives of Landscape Features

March 27, 2014

When a landscape is thoughtfully designed with vistas and captured views, it can provide stunning perspectives from every vantage point. Vistas and captured views ensure that natural beauty can be enjoyed not only while standing amidst landscape features, but also from inside the home, the curb and beyond.

A landscape vista creates a panoramic view amidst buildings, trees and landscape features, both inward (from the grounds to the house) or outward (from the grounds to the house). The inward vista creates picturesque views of the home, while simultaneously creating outward views of the landscape and horizon. Captured views link interiors to the outdoors by framing garden focal points.

Axial designs, which create a clear and crisp linear pattern using a long pathway, a row of trees or shrubs and a strong focal point like a fountain or sculpture, have been used for hundreds of years. The garden at Versailles, for instance, is a wonderful example of formal axial vistas and captured views.

Atlanta landscape architect Mary Palmer Dargan — Photo Featured in Timeless Landscape Design

This technique for creating a formal, organized landscapes later became a tradition of southern plantations. They focus on the view of a home from the end of a long allee. The technique of using an axial line that leads to a focal point in a vista can also be used on smaller or more casual scales to create simple and balanced looks.

Western North Carolina landscape Architect Mary Palmer Dargan — Dargan Landscape Architects
Photo Featured in Timeless Landscape Design

Captured views can be carefully cultivated by placing garden features in places that will allow them to be perfectly framed by windows and doors . This feature can be enjoyed from the inside of the home.

Cashiers landscape architect Mary Palmer Dargan — Dargan Landscape Architects
Photo Featured in Timeless Landscape Design

Even homes that don’t naturally have grand landscape views can be designed to offer charming or elegant views with impeccable garden designs that inspire, delight and capture the eye.

To learn more about how landscapes can be transformed to provide gorgeous vistas, captured views and other design elements, purchase your own copy of Mary Palmer’s book “Timeless Landscape Design.”

If you’re looking for a team of experts to help you achieve a breathtaking landscape design of your own, contact Mary Palmer and Hugh Dargan of Dargan Landscape Architects by calling 404-231-3889.

It’s Time to Get Your Gardens and Landscapes Ready for Spring

March 21, 2014

After months of bitter cold and snow this winter, spring is finally here and it’s time to show your garden some love. However, be sure you’re ready for a roller coaster of a season. One day the sap is rising and the next it falls for a quick drop below the freeze line, but you can still crank up your gardening chores.

Atlanta landscape architecture and design — Dargan Landscape Architects

So, get out your mud boots, put on your gardening gloves and head outdoors to get to work. Bring with you these early spring garden and landscape maintenance tips straight from Mary Palmer Dargan, our resident gardening expert:

I like to cut back my hydrangeas, both the tardiva and limelight varieties, waiting until after the last frost to cut the blue macrocarpa varieties and grape vines. You’ll have beautiful blooms later this season!

Now is the time to plant nuts and berries, such as blueberries, strawberries and berries on canes. Just the thought of fresh picked berries from the garden is enough to keep you warm until summer! For established vines and fruit trees, it’s best to wait until the worst weather has passed before pruning. Fertilize fruit trees as soon as possible after the ground thaws.

Dargan Landscape Architects
Lifelong Landscape Design

Watch for seed starting opportunities and send off your orders. Spring planting will result in a bountiful harvest to enjoy this summer. Plan to grow at least one new vegetable this year! I am growing leafy Chinese types. What do you have in mind?

Hugh and I plant our vegetables in whiskey barrels at our Highcote home, as shown in this photo from Lifelong Landscape Design. We rotate what we plant in each barrel from year to year.

Break up garden beds and turn the cover crop. Be careful not to double dig as this disrupts the delicate mycorrhizae system that makes a healthy soil. Mycorrhizal fungi are valuable natural allies that assist with the biological processes of gardens, such as helping plants take up more phosphorous, as well as accumulating carbon in the soil and improving its clumping ability.

That should be enough to keep you busy this week, but be sure to watch for more of Mary Palmer’s early spring garden and landscape maintenance tips on our blog in the near future.

For help designing a master plan or tune-up for your garden or landscape, contact Dargan Landscape Architects.

The Hub: Building the Visual Connection

March 14, 2014

As mentioned in previous posts, our four-part master plan is the foundation we use for creating timeless landscapes. The four components of the master plan include the approach and arrival sequence; the hub; the perimeter; and passages to destinations. When each part is thoughtfully approached, a memorable landscape is the end result.

Last month, we placed our attention on the approach and arrival sequence, and now we’re turning our focus to the hub portion of the four-part master plan of landscape design. Focusing on the hub helps build the visual connection in your landscape design. The hub is the main feature of your property, usually your home, as well as where the most activity originates. It is also one of the first things you notice when you approach your property.

Optimizing the hub involves strengthening the connection between your home and its surrounding landscape, making the transition appear seamless. There are two major elements to consider when creating the perfect fit: hub identity and architectural composure and vistas and captured views. Hub identity and architectural composure addresses the environment and topography of the site, as well as the architectural style, size and mass of the house.

Hub identity involves the placement of the house on the site and how it’s situated on your property. Architectural composure refers to the style and size of the home, which is related to its placement on the site. Both of these factors should be considered when selecting plantings, trees, flowers, hardscapes and other landscaping elements for your home and property. For example, large scale plantings should be selected for grand homes.

Vistas and captured views also should be created and improved in your landscape. Vistas are scenic or panoramic views seen through a long, narrow opening between trees or buildings. Captured views refer to how your landscape looks from the windows and doors of your home. This can help build the connection between indoors and outdoors.

We’ll delve into the topics of hub identity and architectural composure and vistas and captured views later this month, so stay tuned for more information. You can also order Mary Palmer’s book “Timeless Landscape Design” for more information about building the visual connection in your landscape and the role of the hub in the four-part master plan.

If you’re ready to speak with a landscape architect about creating a four-part master plan for your own landscape, contact Dargan Landscape Architects.

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