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LANDSCAPE MAKEOVER March 29, 2003 Finding peace of mind in a chaotic world is difficult enough. Add to that the day-by-day tensions of home, work and family, and the need to find ways to relax intensifies. For Patricia Ross, a homemaker and mother of three children ages 2, 18 and 21, handling the strain of daily living in unsettled times means creating a place in her fenced back yard where she can unwind and relax. ". . . I would like to make that area of the garden into a reading/meditation area, to be enjoyed throughout the year," Ross wrote in her request for a landscape makeover. In addition to the desire for a peaceful niche beneath her backyard oak tree, Ross asked for help finding hardy plants that require little maintenance. And, she added, she wanted to "do it with a budget that won't break the bank." As part of the new series Landscape Makeover, the Garden & Home section arranged for a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects to consult with Ross and sketch a design for her. Landscape architect August Gerard Schwartz took up the challenge. He recently met with Ross at her home on Canoe Creek Road in Oviedo. He measured the yard, noted existing plants and spent almost two hours talking with Ross to gain a thorough understanding of her landscape needs and concerns. Later, in his Winter Park office, Schwartz devised a landscape plan to meet her requirements. MAKING OF A GARDEN SPOT Problem: Heavy soil, poor drainage, no irrigation. Solution: Use of large tubs providing manageable, movable planting areas that hold customized soil mixtures. "I have tried over and over to make my back yard beautiful, but all my efforts have failed," Ross complained. "The flowers I buy, the herbs, even the grass I put in has either died or been taken over by weeds." The rear yard at the Ross house is about 65 feet long by 24 feet wide and is surrounded by a 6-foot-tall wooden fence. The dominant exposure is to the southwest sun. A screened porch, master bedroom, kitchen and breakfast nook all look out onto the back of the property. Existing plantings include an 8-year-old, 14-foot-tall live oak tree in good condition; a reasonably healthy plumbago growing in the shade of the oak; and a vigorous creeping fig vine climbing over the porch and rear of the house. The lawn is a mixture of Bermuda grass, dollarweed and an assortment of other Florida lawn weeds. No irrigation is in place. "I think part of the reason that Patricia has had no luck with in-ground planted material is that in Florida we suffer from natural watering extremes from daily late afternoon showers to periods without rain," Schwartz said. "In order to mitigate climate conditions during drought, Patricia needs to either dedicate herself to a hose-end sprinkler or spend money on a simple spray system for the shrub masses only." Schwartz solved the problem of poor soil by recommending hardy shrubs for the landscape and the use of large containers to hold annuals, herbs and perennial plants. "Tub gardens will allow us to use plants that perform better in more specific soil mixes that vary considerably from the soils in the yard," Schwartz said. LANDSCAPE PLAN MAKES MOST OF SPACE Though creating tub gardens, planting shrubs and installing an irrigation system to water the shrubs might solve Ross' flowering plant problems, finding a way that enables all members of the Ross family to use the lawn is another quandary the landscape architect tackled. Problem: The back yard must serve multiple purposes. Solution: A paving stone walkway through the yard divides the area into separate sections. Planting of hedges provides a dog run, distinguishes divisions and adds color and fragrance to the landscape. Two-year-old Daniel likes to play in the back yard, and his older siblings frequently sunbathe in the sunny, fenced area. Not to be overlooked is the family's pet, Benny, a 6-year-old Springer spaniel. Benny thinks the entire back yard is his private domain. "My husband and I like to entertain a lot," Ross said, "but we usually stay in the screened porch because the dog goes in the back yard and it gets messy." Schwartz tackled the multiple-use problem by dividing the yard into two parts through the use of a steppingstone pathway. One section is for the family pet, another for people. He suggested installing a 3-by-8-foot paving-stone landing outside the porch door that would lead to a slightly serpentine walkway through the yard. Schwartz's design outlined the dog zone with a hedge of white flowering dwarf Walter viburnum – viburnums because they do well in a wide variety of soil conditions and provide a flush of white flowers that will create a vegetative boundary to the yard. He also recommended planting two lavender crape myrtle trees and three yellow-flowering anise bushes in the dog area. Crape myrtles, drought-tolerant summer bloomers, grow quickly and are low-maintenance. "Remember, dogs love to run the boundary of the property, so as long as they have a clear space 3 feet to 4 feet off of the fence, the dog will have plenty of room to run and won't harm the landscaping that is planted to soften the view to the fence," Schwartz noted. Over time the dog can be trained to stay in his designated area, leaving the rest of the yard for people to use. THE PEOPLE ZONE In the people zone, the steppingstone path that begins at the porch door would end at Ross' retreat area. In the design, a kitchen tub garden for herbs is conveniently located just outside the porch door, and a small section of lawn is reserved for a sunning and play area, minimizing the need to maintain a large expanse of grass. "I imagine a little bench under the [oak] tree with water sounds in the background and flowers all around where I can go and sit, look at the flowers and watch my child playing over there on the other side of the yard," Ross said, as she described her ideal get-away space. To achieve Ross' dream, Schwartz designed a retreat area in the corner of the yard by the oak tree. It is separated from the rest of the yard by a hedge of dwarf yaupon holly and clusters of aromatic, colorful or butterfly-attracting shrubs. Several large containers placed throughout the area would hold a changing selection of flowering plants. Schwartz's plan includes installing a large wooden trellis and bench for shaded sitting. A small fountain or other water feature placed beneath the master bedroom window could be enjoyed from the house or garden. What does Ross think about the landscape architect's solutions to her backyard woes? "I liked all his ideas," said the homemaker. "His ideas about an entry point and path into the meditation area were very good." But Ross' budget cannot cover all the improvements Schwartz suggested. The family has allocated $500, not enough for a complete makeover but sufficient to start. "We are working with a very, very narrow budget, so priorities need to be set and kept," Schwartz said. He suggested beginning with the landing and steppingstone path, buying the hedge plants and a few large tubs for herbs and flowers. Irrigation is important too. Once the basic plan is sketched out, more and more elements of the design can be added over time. "The key to the whole effort," Schwartz concluded, "is to first shape the garden and then fill it in." WHAT THE DESIGN WILL COST Landscape architect August G. Schwartz estimates the cost of his design if Patricia Ross does the installation herself. He suggests doing the project in phases: shaping the garden, then filling it in. She may save money by shopping at discount stores. If she were to hire a professional, the price is about three to four times the cost of materials listed for hardscape delivery, construction and installation; and twice the cost of materials listed for softscape delivery, installation and warranty of plants. HARDSCAPE
SOFTSCAPE
MEET THE PRO WHO: August Gerard Schwartz, landscape architect in Winter Park. PLANT PLAN Here is a list of plants August G. Schwartz recommends for Patricia Ross' redesigned landscape: Kitchen tub garden (full sun) Mint
Container planting (shade) Impatiens
Container planting (sun) Annuals: petunia, coleus, geranium
Hanging baskets for trellis (sun/shade) Bromeliad (shade)
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