Seven Winds Landscaping Projects from 2016

From Rain Gardens to Outdoor Fireplaces, 2016 projects ranged from beautifying small corners of the garden, to constructing whole new outdoor living spaces.  Here are some visuals of our Year 2016 with some dramatic before and after photos too!

A key element to enjoying your patio year round is an inviting hearth.  This fireplace is brick with bluestone accents.  The space is defined and embraced by curving brick walls.  The patio itself is Pennsylvania Bluestone- a classic withstanding the test of time!

 Moon gardens must shimmer in the moonlight.  The choice of quartzite flagstone with its mica particles was natural in designing this Moon garden.  Plants with silvery foliage light up in the moonlight and give year round texture and color to the landscape.  The summer is filled with white blossoms of roses, hydrangeas, day lilies, echinacea, astilbe and coral bells.

Functional, beautiful, and a gift to bees and butterflies, a rain garden can be incorporated into any landscape.  Generally filled with native plants, a rain garden absorbs water runoff and provides a wonderful ecological benefit.  The second photo in this series is a rain garden in its second year of growth.

(Before)

(After)

Old ivy laden chain link gives way to classic brick and iron.  Elegant and secure this alley way wall is the visual back drop to a reimagined city garden.

 (Before)

 (After)

New lattice fences flank garden beds lining a new Bluestone walkway.  In city gardens, space is a valuable commodity and design can make a small garden feel expansive.  After springtime planting this will  be a tapestry of color and texture surround simplified lines and a contemporary yet classic style.

 (Before)

 (After)

Here the goal was to create a more serene space.  The garden was spilling over with flowers creating an unmanageable space.  The challenge was to keep the color but redefine the space.  Plants moved to new perennial borders leaving space for a bench and step ping stone pathway that acts as both a visual accent and functional seat. 

 (Before)

 (After)

A front garden of grass and weeds is transformed to a view of texture, color and year round interest.  A Sango-Kaku Japanese maple tree takes center place surrounded by perennials.  A lovely birdbath that had been hidden by the weeds becomes a second major accent in the composition.

 (Before)

(After)

This tired slate patio was crumbling on top but had a solid concrete pad below.  Removing the slate and its mortar bed, and replacing with new brick pavers mortared on to the existing concrete pad allowed this patio to take on a whole new look.

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!