© Gregg Shupe 2005
Home All-Stars: Gracious Grounds
January 1, 2006
British horticultural writer Beverley Nichols once opined, “To dig in one’s own
earth, with one’s own spade, does life hold anything better?” For those with
verdant thumbs and a penchant for taming nature, the answer to Nichols’ question
is an unequivocal “No.” But instead of asking if there is anything better
in life, the more pertinent question to ask of a garden aficionado is “What kind
of garden is best for you?” From the beginning of human civilization, the desire
to beautify one’s surroundings has been of paramount importance, and gardens
have played a large role in such efforts. From the austere Zen masterpieces of
Japan to the opulent spreads of 18th-century France, lovers of beauty have
always sought out ways to inch closer to nature. Here is a look at four of the
most popular landscaping styles today, and the masters who keep the forms alive
and blooming.
Romantic
Almost diametrically opposed to the traditional, European formal
garde, the romantic American garden substitutes flow for formality and
Bohemianism for balance. Romantic gardens break the rigid structure and
mathematical precision of formal gardens by letting nature dictate–to a large
extent–which plants will go where. According to Robert E. Truskowski, a Laguna
Beach, Calif., landscape architect, romantic gardens of today can be traced back
to the plants and flowers in early English meadows, and more recently, to
domestic designs like Frederick Law Olmstead’s revolutionary vision for New
York’s Central Park.
Lush landscaping by Oehme, van
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Romantic gardens let the imagination run wild and allow for a more reflective
approach. Truskowski says that while many of his clients prefer their house
gardens to be somewhat formal, as the gardens extend away from the main building
they tend to blend into the natural environment, becoming softer and more
informal as they radiate out. To create that soft feel, Truskowski uses native
grasses that create a billowy lushness. The rest of the plant material depends
largely on the architecture of the property. “It’s really a textural issue. You
use a softer, gentler kind of material, not material that is crisp and
hard-edged,” Truskowski says.
One of the true innovators of this romantic style is James van Sweden of the
Washington, D.C., landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden. His new
American garden style serves as a metaphor for the American meadow. “It is the
antithesis of a formal garden. It represents spontaneity,” he says. He likens
romantic gardens to tapestries that feature perennials and ornamental grasses in
a free-form setting.
Van Sweden believes romantic gardens are true American creations, though they
can trace their roots to earlier European perennial gardens. However, romantic
gardens in America reflect American scale. The planting areas are bigger in the
United States as is the plant palette. Van Sweden says that while the material
selection is vast, he prefers to work with native plants whenever possible.
Fountain grass, switch grass and calamagrostis all play prominent roles in van
Sweden’s designs. But as in true American meadows, anything goes.
ROMANTIC SOURCES:
Nancy Goslee Power, Santa Monica,
Calif., 310.264.0266
Jay Griffith, Venice, Calif., 310.392.5558, www.jaygriffith.com
Deborah
Nevins & Assoc., New York, 212.925.1125
Mario Nievera Design, Palm Beach, Fla., 561.659.2820, www.marionieveradesign.com
Oehme,
van Sweden Assoc., Washington, D.C., 202.546.7575, www.ovsla.com
Robert E. Truskowski, Laguna Beach, Calif., 949.494.6650,
www.truskowski.com
Edwina von Gal &
Co., East Hampton, N.Y., 631.907.9040
Desert
Before innovative landscape designers like John Greenlee and
Sydney Baumgartner came along, most people thought desert gardening was a
contradiction in terms. Gardens need water, and desiccation is one of the
hallmarks of any desert–so the two seemed destined to be at odds forever.
However, understanding the botany of deserts is the key to creating a
breathtaking desertscape. It may not be a perennial garden, but it will be
reflective of the history and topography of the desert.
People have
to understand the desert before they can garden there, says Greenlee, a designer
in Pomona, Calif. “If people get to see really good desert, it can be very
stunning,” he says. “But so few people have seen good desert because there is so
little good desert left.” Greenlee describes a land that has been changed by
natural and human forces, from urban developments like Las Vegas to high desert
grassland that cattle and sheep grazing cleared out in the early pioneer days.
In Greenlee’s work, drought-tolerant grasses like salt grass, mosquito grass
and blue grama grass are featured prominently. He also uses non-native grasses
like vetiver, an Indian grass commonly used as a perfume base, to bolster his
designs. Plant material that is heat- and drought-resistant and non-threatening
to other botanical species makes up the foundation of an ecologically sound and
aesthetically pleasing desert design.
The main attractions of the desert are the sweeping changes of light and
shadow that occur in the blink of an eye. Sydney Baumgartner, a designer in
Santa Barbara, Calif., chooses plants that will heighten the extremes of these
changes. Whether using spiny cactus with other succulent back-up material to
play up the shadows, or integrating crushed granite or gravel flooring to
showcase the negative space, Baumgartner believes the changing light should
always be considered. “The light and sunsets are so dramatic,” Baumgartner says.
“The greatest impact of the desert garden is in the night and the morning when
the shadow patterns create almost a second dimension.” Like her mentor,
Elizabeth Kellam deForest, Baumgartner reminds clients that it is important to
mix succulents with grasses, drought-tolerant ground cover and inorganic
material as a way to address the lack of water. Instead of trying to conquer the
desert, the best gardens are those that work in harmony with it.
DESERT SOURCES:
Sydney Baumgartner, Santa Barbara, Calif.,
805.687.2555
Isabelle Greene, Santa Barbara, Calif., 805.569.4045
John
Greenlee, Greenlee Nursery, Pomona, Calif., 909.629.9045, www.greenleenursery.com
Marcello
Villano, Rancho Mirage, Calif., 760.401.0452
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