Weaving the Design - Part I

Most of our landscaping projects surround older homes, built when houses were nested within the trees. The foundation plants have outgrown their space, and the homeowner is fighting to keep them below window sills. Little light can make it through the first floor windows or the shrubs have been sculpted into green meatballs, and sometimes, the yard has a combination of both. Island beds are neatly mulched, but nearly empty. We are charged with putting together a natural, always-been-there design to improve aesthetics of the home and overall property value. Where to start?

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snowflake'

Typically, designers spend a lot of time onsite collecting measurements and data, regarding sun, water, and wind exposure, bed lines, focal points, etc., etc. This is all good information for plant selection. But, there's another step. After determining the size of the lawn area and before plant selection, we step back and envision the overall landscape in terms of eventual plant heights and shapes.

Onsite, I answer these questions: Where do we need height? On the house corners? Between windows? Where is the height along property lines and within island beds? And then, what’s the maximum height for these spots? Chest height, hip height, knee height, ground cover? The answers to these questions helps to break down the project into more manageable pieces and can act as a catalyst for the overall size of plant sweeps and plant selection.

Rudbeckia laciniata 'Herbstonne'

Landscape design is more than beautiful plants sited well for the environmental conditions. Good design has to age well. Thinking about mature height is a good place to start.