For the past four years, I’ve dedicated a good portion of my spare time to the communications committee of C4, the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. For the past four years, I’ve apologized for being “just a landscape architect” as I tackled the tasks of graphic design, web design and social media. What I’ve only now realized is that all these tasks are a natural fit for a landscape architect. The skills I have been trained for and find the most crucial to my job description, are those tasks which contribute towards building community.
As a landscape architect, my greatest passion is for creating communities and environments where people can connect and thrive. As the digital world becomes further integrated with our daily, hourly and constant routines, I can only imagine the digital landscape becoming another tool or platform for landscape architects. My definition of landscape architecture is not limited to plants, soil and hardscape. My definition of landscape architecture includes passion, community and people.
When my neighbor’s Queen Palm died, they decided to cover the remnant stump with a steel wireframe version of a palm tree… this thing is even equipped with solar lighting!
I really hope this is not an indication of the future of landscape architecture. I’ll place my bets on living plants; they have the regenerative capabilities which manufactured objects can only envy… for now…
Play lawn, kitchen garden, cutting garden, built-in bar and bar-be-que, fire pit, green walls, lounge and dining area… yes! You can have it all in 600 square feet.
The secret here was to first relocate the rear gate in order to minimize circulation paths and keep larger function areas from getting chopped up by pathways. The same way you might want to minimize hallways in a house– by aligning pathways with compatible functions, we were able to maximize our available square footage. By using concrete steppers through the lawn, we were able to make the lawn feel larger but still have an all-weather pathway. Near the rear gate, bar stools are allowed to encroach into the pathway, but can easily be pushed aside for intermittent access.
A small space can also be maximized with multi-use and built-in furniture. A built-in bench seat means you don’t need room to pull out chairs or walk around them and results in a smaller space requirement for the dining area. The built-in bench seat can also quickly transform to a second lounge area by sliding the table away and replacing it with a portable fire pit. Instead of having a full chaise lounge, use a chair and ottoman combo so you’re ready for sunbathing with a friend or a fire side chat for two couples.
When finding the perfect spot for all your favorite amenities, don’t forget to save that sunny spot for your raised kitchen and cutting garden. Vertical plant and architectural accents complete the privacy requirements and this backyard is ready to host a party!
If one theme has remained constant throughout my recent projects, it’s been the demand for roses in the residential garden. The projects have covered the spectrum, from California Ranch to cutting-edge modern, tropical to succulents, rural acreage to urban backyard. Each time, the client pulls me aside, and confesses, “it might not match the design style, but please make a space for my roses.” By the third time hearing this request in less than a month, they’ve finally grabbed my attention.
The ubiquitous rose… once associated with your grandma’s cottage garden and high maintenance is now recognized for its countless, timeless benefits. It’s actually a lie to call this a recent “trend alert.” The classic rose has been around for ages and has so very much to offer… beauty, durability, versatility, cutting flowers in hundreds of colors and varieties, the champion of scented flowers, medicinal uses and secret recipe ingredient. All these benefits come in a multitude of convenient shapes and sizes… sprawling vines, groundcovers, shrubs, and more. There really isn’t any other plant that comes close to providing in so many ways.
And in regards to maintenance– I snapped the above photo from my own backyard, which I haven’t set foot in to maintain or water since the first trimester with my 9-month old son. They are a remnant from the previous homeowner and I was considering having them removed. I was concerned they made my backyard look like grandparents lived here. I may have to reconsider…
I grew up maintaining rental properties, so I know a thing or two about durability and low maintenance. If you feel the need for a kitchen garden, but can’t be bothered to keep up with the seasons… or regular watering… or what to cook up with 20 pounds worth of produce, then keep it simple and start with just Rosemary and Chives. I prefer Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue,” for the long, straight stems. Perfect as spears for seasoning meats, or chop the leaves fine for limitless uses on a variety of potato and poultry dishes. (Thanks Auntie Zina for that simple rosemary garlic potato recipe I use nearly every week!) Chives are another tough staple. They’ll do fine in any small pot and still be green weeks after I remember that they’re in the backyard and might need some water. Just grab a handful and dice up those babies to add to meals during any time of day. That touch of fresh green makes you look like a pro in the kitchen and adds a welcome bit of deliciousness to egg and pasta dishes. (Thanks Auntie Eva for revealing your secret go-to herb… even though I know I have a lot more to learn before I cook up quick, gourmet meals like you can!)
What is it about babies that immediately cause people to slow down, smile and lend a helping hand? What can I learn from these little beings who so easily create an environment of peace and understanding?
Is it because they are small and cute? No, that can’t be it. Whenever I have “small and cute” plants installed on landscape projects, clients are typically disappointed and wait impatiently for fast and furious growth.
Is it because they represent pure innocence? They are completely unbiased beings interested only in their most fundamental needs for survival.
Is it because you have no idea what they’ll do next? Just tiny little morsels of entertainment… with kicks and flailing arms and laughs and cries.
Or is it because the future is in their hands? Instilling hope for a future where they can grow and prosper.
So how might the secret power of babies be put to use in landscape architecture? Designs must meet fundamental needs for survival, allow for the unexpected and instill hope.
I’m talking foliage, not benjamins. When you look outside your window what do you see? If it’s a blank wall add a tall shrub. If it’s a blank fence, add a trailing vine. If it’s a dirt lot add some groundcovers.
Now tell me, how does it make you feel? Can you feel the life it breathes? Can you anticipate how the light, wind and rain will shape it with every passing day?
Get some green and breathe easy.
I first visited the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in 2000. Now, ten years later, I am still fascinated after my most recent visit. Along a super shuttle ride from Dulles airport we drove along the northern perimeter road of the mall. “There it is, that’s the Vietnam Memorial,” though all you could see were people and not a memorial at all… just crowds of people, but people at different levels of exposure… a cluster of heads, then torsos, then legs, then even larger groups of people just beginning their descent. That was it. The people make the experience. This is in such contrast to the impossibly scaled, ornate and exposed settings of the typical monument or memorial. And, even once present before the memorial, you are again reminded of the visitors, as glimpsed across the polished black marble. Their subtle movements only enhanced by the overwhelming number of names, in such small print which fill the wall from end to end.
In moments meant for great reflection and memory, I believe the true power is exposed through people themselves and how they experience the space that is created.
If the success of a landscape architectural project relies on the presence of a diminishing, natural resource, does that make landscape architecture the most critical profession of our time?
Or the most criminal?
“Slave Castle” is truly an oxymoron… an image of elegance and beauty, but in reality it is the location and source of great injustice. Slave Castles are beautiful and prominent structures on the shores of Ghana. African captives were once housed there before being shipped off to the New World. Today, visitors can take tours and learn of the pain and torment human beings were forced to endure within those bright, white walls… before being led through “the door of no return.”
“Slave Castle” makes me think of current oxymorons which exist in today’s communities and throughout the history of landscape architecture. Are there “Slave Castles” in operation today, that may one day host tours of past injustice? Are master-planned developments built without linkages to mass-transit or necessary services actually today’s form of “Slave Castles?” Are there other constructions which emit beauty and appeal from the outside but in actuality, are doing more harm than good? Can we identify them and put them out of operation before entire civilizations travel through the “the door of no return?”
Reference: “Slave Quarters,” by Allison Samuels, Newsweek, June 1, 2009
