The Ardent Gardener Landscape Design
Photo of a large traditional full sun side yard gravel landscaping in Salt Lake City for summer.

---Landscape Design and Photography by: Marco Romani, RLA. ---Construction/Installation by: www.thearrowshop.com
Inspiration for a small traditional partial sun backyard concrete paver formal garden in Chicago.

The original dry-laid patio was given a new life in this vegetable, the original natural cleft blue stone patio was lifted and reformatted into walkways to incorporate raised beds, edged in new thermal blue stone. The garden was designed and masonry installation was by Austin Ganim Landscape Design, LLC, The fence and arbor were installed by Walpole Outdoors.

Two deep planter boxes will make a fine home for organic vegetables. Photo by Steve Masley
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The potting shed and vegetable garden (featured in a spring issue of Country Living Gardens magazine. © Melissa Clark Photography. All rights reserved

The garden 3 weeks after planting, on a foggy day. Photo by Steve Masley
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Espaliered apple trees were used as a living fence for this garden space. The raised planting beds are built of cedar planking for extra height in the raised beds.

The garden a couple weeks after planting. Photo by Steve Masley
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Want to grow your own organic fruits and vegetables but lack a perfectly square patch of yard on which to build? Don't worry, Homefront Farmers can custom-build gardens to fit just about any space!

This vegetable garden was created on a small hillside with the use of retaining walls to level a portion of the slope. Integrating this garden space into the sloping portion of the back yard kept the level areas of lawn open for easy use as “play” space for the entire family. The flowering tree in the back ground is a tree lilac (Syringa reticulata 'Ivory Silk').

---Landscape Design and Photography by: Marco Romani, RLA. ---Construction/Installation by: www.thearrowshop.com
Inspiration for a traditional backyard brick vegetable garden landscape in Chicago.

I like to involve the family in planting. When kids help with planting, they're much more likely to pitch in and help with the garden down the road, and they're more open to trying new vegetables if they planted them. Photo by Steve Masley

This steeply sloping mountain lot has fantastic southern exposure and with the help of these boulder walls, access to some narrow and linear, but productive vegetable garden beds.

Studio West Photography
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The first bed is planted with tomatoes and cucumbers along the back, peppers and eggplants along the front, and an interplant of basil between the tomatoes and lettuce between the cucumbers and eggplants. The interplanted vegetables will be ready to start harvesting in 3 weeks, the others will kick in a month later. Photo by Steve Masley

This project presented unique opportunities that are not often found in residential landscaping. The homeowners were not only restoring their 1840's era farmhouse, a piece of their family’s history, but also enlarging and updating the home for modern living. The landscape designers continued this idea by creating a space that is a modern day interpretation of an 1840s era farm rather then a strict recreation. The resulting design combines elements of farm living from that time, as well as acknowledging the property’s history as a horse farm, with staples of 21st century landscapes such as space for outdoor living, lighting, and newer plant varieties. Guests approach from the main driveway which winds through the property and ends at the main barn. There is secondary gated driveway just for the homeowners. Connected to this main driveway is a narrower gravel lane which leads directly to the residence. The lane passes near fruit trees planted in broken rows to give the illusion that they are the remains of an orchard that once existed on the site. The lane widens at the entrance to the gardens where there is a hitching post built into the fence that surrounds the gardens and a watering trough. The widened section is intended as a place to park a golf cart or, in a nod to the home’s past, tie up horses before entering. The gravel lane passes between two stone pillars and then ends at a square gravel court edged in cobblestones. The gravel court transitions into a wide flagstone walk bordered with yew hedges and lavender leading to the front door. Directly to the right, upon entering the gravel court, is located a gravel and cobblestone edged walk leading to a secondary entrance into the residence. The walk is gated where it connects with the gravel court to close it off so as not to confuse visitors and guests to the main residence and to emphasize the primary entrance. An area for a bench is provided along this walk to encourage stopping to view and enjoy the gardens. On either side of the front door, gravel and cobblestone walks branch off into the garden spaces. The one on the right leads to a flagstone with cobblestone border patio space. Since the home has no designated backyard like most modern suburban homes the outdoor living space had to be placed in what would traditionally be thought of as the front of the house. The patio is separated from the entrance walk by the yew hedge and further enclosed by three Amelanchiers and a variety of plantings including modern cultivars of old fashioned plants such as Itea and Hydrangea. A third entrance, the original front door to the 1840’s era section, connects to the patio from the home’s kitchen, making the space ideal for outdoor dining. The gravel and cobblestone walk branching off to the left of the front door leads to the vegetable and perennial gardens. The idea for the vegetable garden was to recreate the tradition of a kitchen garden which would have been planted close to the residence for easy access. The vegetable garden is surrounded by mixed perennial beds along the inside of the wood picket fence which surrounds the entire garden space. Another area designated for a bench is provided here to encourage stopping and viewing. The home’s original smokehouse, completely restored and used as a garden shed, provides a strong architectural focal point to the vegetable garden. Behind the smokehouse is planted lilacs and other plants to give mass and balance to the corner and help screen the garden from the neighboring subdivision. At the rear corner of the garden a wood arbor was constructed to provide a structure on which to grow grapes or other vines should the homeowners choose to. The landscape and gardens for this restored farmhouse and property are a thoughtfully designed and planned recreation of a historic landscape reinterpreted for modern living. The idea was to give a sense of timelessness when walking through the gardens as if they had been there for years but had possibly been updated and rejuvenated as lifestyles changed. The attention to materials and craftsmanship blend seamlessly with the residence and insure the gardens and landscape remain an integral part of the property. The farm has been in the homeowner’s family for many years and they are thrilled at the results and happy to see respect given to the home’s history and to its meticulous restoration.

Freeman Construction Ltd
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The flowers of some of the annuals are edible as well: the nasturtiums have a peppery flavor, the marigold petals taste citrusy and although best used as a garnish, the purple pansies are edible too. Pink zinnias and the spent flowers of garlic chives are seen in the foreground…

The garden is just kicking in. Note tomatoes at the top of the green stakes. Photo by Steve Masley
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