Garden design……Details Landscape Art, based in Petaluma, California, has been designing and building fine gardens throughout Sonoma County and the North Bay since 1991. Our tagline has evolved over the years, from “Do It Once, Do It Right,” to “Love Began in a Garden,” to “We Take Pride in Our Work.” Today our tagline is “Gardens for Life,” which actually has two meanings. The first meaning, and the subject of this article, is gardens tailored to a homeowner’s lifestyle.
No two of our gardens are the same, because no two of our clients are the same.
Good garden design begins by understanding how people live. Of course we consider the style of the home, the neighborhood, the topography of the property, and the local climate. But before we even begin the design process, we carefully interview each customer or family to learn about their likes, dislikes, needs, issues, budgetary limitations, and thoughts about gardening and entertaining.
This garden design includes all the elements that suit the owner’s lifestyle
The answers to these questions steer the garden design in certain directions, allowing us to create a truly custom landscape—a genuine Garden for Life.
Garden Design Begins with Listening
In no particular order, we try to discuss:
- How large is the family and how many people might they entertain? This helps determine the appropriate size of patios and outdoor living areas.
- Do they enjoy gardening, or is it a chore? If they enjoy getting dirty and deadheading perennials, we may design a somewhat higher-maintenance garden. If gardening is viewed as work, we tend toward lower-maintenance plants with attractive foliage and year-round interest.
- Are there privacy issues? Are neighboring windows looking down into the yard? Perhaps screening shrubs or small trees are appropriate.
- Do they have dogs? We may need to create an area where pets can play or relieve themselves without damaging lawns or plantings.
Incorporates Personal Style
Some homeowners prefer a natural woodsy Asian garden. Others are drawn to a more formal English garden or a Mediterranean garden with soft colors and textures.
No style is right or wrong. The goal is to create a landscape that reflects the homeowner’s personality and preferences.
We also discuss practical matters. Are clients patient enough for us to install smaller plants and wait for them to mature? Or would they rather invest in larger specimen plants for a more immediate effect?
Garden Design Creates Outdoor Living
Does an outdoor fire pit appeal to them? If so, are they willing to buy and stack firewood?
Do they care about attracting birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds?
Are there small children who need lawn areas for play or perhaps room for a play structure?
Garden design with large lawn area for children to play
We try to encourage homeowners to go out there and be IN their gardens—participate rather than just look at them.
Gardens should be places to entertain, garden, read a book, enjoy a cup of coffee, smell the flowers, or simply relax after a busy day.
A True Garden for Life
Garden design accommodates large family gatherings with deck and patio
We certainly have our own ideas about how a landscape should flow—from the driveway to the front entry, from the patio to the side gate, and from one garden room to the next.
But we always consult with the homeowner so that we include the elements that make it truly a Garden for Life.
Because a beautiful garden is not simply about plants, patios, and pathways. It is about creating an outdoor environment that fits the people who live there.
That is the first meaning of our tagline: