Beauty and Function meet!

Historic neighborhood yards in Baltimore often contain layer after layer of gardens. Often they are a gold mine of old bricks, flagstone, and marble. Sometimes we find old walkways underneath newer walkways as we excavate to put in a new patio or walkway. It is alway an adventure to work with the older gardens. We love to reuse the existing brick from the gardens and use it to redesign a more contemporary garden that better suits today's homeowner's needs and style.

In the garden pictured below from two different perspectives of "Before" had a brick patio and a falling down brick wall that partially enclosed a trash area. The homeowners designed a wonderful new patio with trash area whose angle paralleled the angle of the metal deck. We highly recommend that homeowners with small garden create some kind of at least partially enclosed area for trash cans, be this area made from stone, brick or some kind of fencing material. The garden areas are simply too small for the trash cans not to dominate the scene if they are highly visible.

(Lots of old bricks to work with!)

The new trash can area was created out of recovered old brick which gives it a look that completely harmonizes with the historic style of the neighborhood. The homeowners had a piece of terracotta from the local area, which we set in the brick wall in a way that it could be seen from the patio and deck. We also ran an electrical conduit from the storage area of the house under the patio and to an outlet box in the wall. This will allow the homeowners to have electricity in the garden for use in the patio and for use in landscape lighting if desired. The time to install these types of conduit is while the new patio is going in and not as an afterthought that entails digging up the patio!

The garden also included a small brick area at the rear of the garden that accommodated an old stone bench. The bricks used all came from the original patio that we removed.

Two bluestone step stones lead from the brick area to the larger brick and bluestone patio. The bluestone patio is a combination of 24"x30" full color bluestones between rows of old brick. The entire project, other than the brick wall, is dry-laid meaning no concrete was used.

The final result produced a more spacious, cleaner look, which although reflects contemporary preferences (such as clean lines of bluestone) also does justice to the historic integrity of the neighborhood. Trash cans are neatly hidden behind a functional brick wall that due to the old brick and terracotta is also an artistic focal point! Here beauty and function meet!

A SOPHISTICATED URBAN GARDEN

A SOPHISTICATED URBAN GARDEN

In a charming neighborhood in Baltimore where walled or fenced gardens are the norm behind historic town homes, it was time for a garden makeover for that transformed a rambling grassy yard with old brick pathways into this sophisticated urban oasis. Our clients held a strong vision of a simplified, modernized urban sanctuary that gave a sense of spacious elegance, and over several meetings they were able to present us with a stunning design for installation. They chose to keep the boxwood hedge on the right and the sweet smelling viburnum bush on the left. Ipe decking was installed in racing stripes in bringing definition and accent to the patio and matching the existing back deck of the home. The decking functioned to divide the space in precise geometric and mathematical patterns honoring the fibonacci series!

The old fence at the far end of the yard was replaced with a cedar fence with horizontal boards. By selecting the horizontal board fence the homeowners selected a more modern look to the garden. The horizontal boards form a striking perpendicular form with the three hornbeams. The hornbeam trees are an unusual tree in this region and create a focal point of interest with their narrow upright form and beautiful bark and leaves- a perfect selection for this narrow garden. Liriope plantings “naturalized” the space. (Plantings of spring bulbs will also do this, clumped together in bunches). On the far left is a purple smoke bush, a lovely choice with its deep purple leaves and airy purple flowers.

Large 2’x3’ thermal premium bluestone flagstone were used for the patio. These large pieces of bluestone are treated with high heat to create a textured surface that is not a slippery as regular bluestone flagstone. It also creates a very consistent surface. The premium bluestone is color selected to be a very consistent blue color (as opposed to the full color bluestone which includes shades of greens, browns and purples, as well as the blue). The coolness of the bluestone enhances the feeling of serenity and spaciousness, while its consistency of texture and color brings both a modern look and a formality to the space. The warmth of the garden bed soil and the Ipe decking is an eye catching contrast to the coolness of the bluestone. Five variegated red twig dogwood bushes are planted. The variegation of the leaves reflects the coolness of the bluestone and the red of their stems reflects the warmth of the Ipe. The second purple smokebush is just visible on the right.

This beautiful garden reflects both its urban and contemporary setting as well as allowing the viewer to relish the beauty of nature, with the simple yet expressive landscape plantings, the incomparable beauty of natural stone and the natural variations in the color and grain of the Ipe decking. Carefully placed uplighting further enhances the carefully selected plantings. This will be a space to enjoy for years to come!