Executive Care Inc.

Welcome to Landscape Design 101. This series of articles will help you understand the thought process and design principles that are used to create an attractive landscape. In today’s piece we are going to look at where design starts.

Many clients I work with don’t know exactly what they want, but they can describe how they want their garden to look and feel. So I always start by listening for adjectives, such as “inviting,” that can be interpreted into a design. “Inviting” makes me think of a forest path that leads to a meadow. The path beckons you to come and explore, but doesn’t reveal where it’s leading until you get there. That sense of mystery and discovery can be recreated with a pathway leading to a garden bench, or a small patio where you can enjoy a cup of coffee.

Another adjective I hear is “colorful.” That may seem like a pretty straightforward description, but I have learned by experience that the word means different things to different people. So, when I visit the home of a client, I pay attention to the décor. I look for color schemes. What kinds of colors are used? Are they jewel or earth tones? I also look for the way color is used. Are the pillows on the sofa matching or contrasting? These kinds of observations help me understand what “colorful” means to the individual.

In addition to listening for how clients want their garden to look and feel, I listen for how they want to interact with their garden. They might say that gardening is a passion, or that they want something low maintenance. This helps me know what kinds of plants to select. For folks who love to garden, I can and should use plants that require some maintenance, like daylilies. (Daylilies need to be dead-headed, and the stalks should be back when the blooms are all gone.) I can use this type of plant because I know it will get the attention it needs. I should use this type of plant because the work gives pleasure.

Low maintenance is a far more common request because we lead such busy lives. As with the word “colorful,” I make sure I know what low maintenance means to the individual. Is it an hour a week, or just mowing the lawn? I am looking for a measure of time, as well as for attitude. Is yard work a duty or a pleasure? When I understand these things, I can better suggest plant selections and design.

As you think of what you want in your own garden, think about the adjectives you would use to describe how you want it to look and feel. Think also about how you want to interact with your garden. This is where design starts.

Next month we’ll look at the importance of having a garden theme. Until then, thank you for taking the time to read and visit with me. Executive Care Landscape is a local full service residential landscape and commercial maintenance company. To learn more about us, visit excutivecareinc.com. To schedule an at- home consultation, click on “contact,” then fill out the form. I look forward to meeting you.

Welcome back to Landscape 101, our series of articles on the thought process and design principles that are used to create unique and attractive landscapes. Last month we encouraged you to think of the adjectives you would use to describe how you want your garden to look and feel. We also asked you to consider how you want to interact with your garden—specifically is gardening a love or a chore? If you missed this article, please visit house2homeshowcase.com or executivecareinc.com.

This month we will begin to discuss the guiding principle in design, which is the theme. Why is the theme so important? A familiar example will help you understand. In your living room, you have a sofa and love seat. What led you to choose the sofa? You had many options, but something attracted you to this particular one. It matched your color palette and fit the style (or theme) you wanted to achieve. And why did you buy the love seat? Well it went together as part of the set.

Now, let’s begin to apply this idea to landscape design. Does a cactus go with a palm tree? Does an oak tree (which needs summer dryness) go with a bog garden? These examples are exaggerated because I need to establish a foundation. Plants in nature are grouped according to the environment they grow in. In the natural landscape of Northern California, we have a group of plants that can tolerate hot summers but rely on winter’s rain to survive. The plants in Arizona also rely on winter rains, but receive far less. The Arizona landscape is distinctly different from ours, both in classification of plant species, as well as in feel. Each region has a unique style, or theme.

While nature dictates the natural landscape, I can select the plants that will be used in a landscape design. Many years of nursery experience have taught me that the possibilities are virtually endless. Determining a theme narrows the “playing field.” I tell clients that I know approximately 600 plant varieties that can be broken down into six themes of a hundred each, and another six combination themes.

So once a theme is decided on five hundred plants go to the back of my mind, and a hundred stay forward. Then we determine full sun or part sun, and fifty go to the “back” and fifty stay forward. These fifty now become our plant palette, just like an artist’s palette of paints. This is, in fact, the way we describe what we do: “As a fine artist creates a painting of beauty, so we at Executive Care use the canvas of the earth to create a landscape of beauty and rest.” This approach makes the difference between a welcoming landscape that tells a story and one that only communicates confusion and unrest.

We will continue our discussion of theme for the next two months. , I encourage you to preview a landscape company’s website before making an appointment. As with fine art, there are many interpretations of the same scene. Make sure that what you see is the “painting” you want.
Until nextmonth, good gardening!