LITITZ, PA //
Designed by: Doug Myers
The site for this residence is among a suburban golf course community. Prior to the installation the landscape consisted of foundation planting from a decade ago installed by the building contractor. A curving walk in front and a concrete slab in the back were the only hardscape elements.
The architecture of the home is a blend of Arts and Crafts and Tudor style. The clients desired to extend the architecture into the gardens while keeping the front and rear edges open in order to remain within the context of the neighborhood, allow space for the kids to play, and preserve golf course views. In addition they requested a sitting area among a grove of maples, a fireplace and a fountain.
Through the arrangement of a reduced vocabulary of materials, the designer’s intent was to create a series of welcoming spaces with sculptural edges while allowing the architecture to influence the design. Within the garden the designer placed several traditional urns that help to produce clarity within the designed spaces and link the gardens to the home.
The entrance garden features a flagstone walkway that leads to a recessed bench. Along the walk a groundcover of boxwood nestles a seasonally planted Arts and Crafts style urn set on a pedestal. The boxwood will be maintained a height equal to the top of the pedestal to suggest the urn is elevated on a living plinth. The concept is repeated with two urns flanking the entrance to the front porch. Boxwood surrounds each urn and provide for the appearance of a pedestal.
A two story outdoor room functionally and aesthetically anchors the rear garden. The idea allows extended use of the lower patio and creates additional space above. The lower patio features square cut flagstone with knee walls of mountain fieldstone capped with thermal top flagstone. In the corner a gas fireplace with a hearth and mantle allows for further season extension. The upper deck consists of Azek decking and railings.
A mountain fieldstone wall creates a terrace separating the upper living areas and the lower yard. The wall helps to create a seamless connection between the gardens and the home and allows for a gentle passage to the lower yard by separating the steps with flagstone landings. A flagstone walkway circulates around the two-story space to two sets of steps that lead to the rear yard. The steps flank a fountain that serves a focal point from all areas of the rear garden. Following the concept of the boxwood and the urns from the entrance garden the fountain is a traditional urn set on a pedestal in a basin to suggest the urn is resting on the surface of the water. Beneath a grove of existing maples the designer placed a gravel sitting area bordered with flagstone. The space features a custom table with mountain fieldstone pedestals and an architectural cast concrete top. The custom table continues the trend of linking the garden to the Arts and Crafts influence in the architecture of the home.
The plantings are a mix of natural and structural plants. Both native and introduced plants are used. The boxwood and the yews provide a structural framework upon which a softer mix of flowering shrubs and flowering perennials are contained.
The designers use of traditional devices and plantings to create spaces with sculptural qualities has given the garden an appropriate yet unpredictable feeling with dramatic impact. The gardens were installed on budget and on schedule and the clients are very pleased with the outcome.
