Dargan Landscape Architects

Mary Palmer Dargan is genius! She looked at our acre of yard which was...sloping grass....and turned it into a gorgeous terraced usable back yard. It is just beautiful. Her amazing creativity gave us an entirely new use for our property.

Dargan Landscape Architects were able to get on our wave length and help create our dream list with unbelievable landscape talent. Mary Palmer's vision of the placement of our stone arch "Partnership" by stone sculptor Carl Peverall was perfect. We were able to place the arch to frame the mountain ranges in the distance from our property. Mary Palmer was always available for collaboration and a true delight to work with. Her enthusiasm is infectious! Phil & Barbara Brown

Dargan Landscape Architects developed a landscape plan for our 2.5 acre property in Cashiers, NC last year. The project was fairly complicated as the existing landscaping was basically unusable and we had numerous slope and drainage issues that needed to be resolved. The plan which they developed did a fantastic job of integrating the landscape with the main house and guest house as well as the natural features on site including a small river. Mary Palmer Dargan was very helpful throughout the entire process and welcomed our collaboration in the design. I found her to be very easy to reach at all times and she is frankly a delightful person to work with. The end result was so much better than we expected and it's almost hard to believe that this is the same property. I highly recommend their services and frankly think we got much more value than we paid for!

Totally redesigned the garden in the front of the house with new walkways and garden pots . New planter boxes were built across the front of the house. Planting beds were redone and planted. The garden is lovely and a pleasure to be enjoyed by us all.

Mary Palmer Dargan redesigned our entry way so that it became more gracious. It went from utilitarian to an area of beauty as one approached the house. She also designed and planted a garden for us which remains a daily joy. Mary Palmer was completely dedicated, professional and able to envision the beauty we could create.

I would like to start out by saying that when you have a big project that included building a home and walls and many hardscapes you need a team that will work with both the knowledgeable as well as workers that only know how to do what they are there to do. Mary Palmer and Hugh Dargan were saints balancing the workers and the other professionals on our team. Our Project was in Columbus Ga and we had many types doing many different jobs. They not only complemented the other workers they helped with fundamentals like widening the driveway. We would not have been able to turn around had they not stepped in and pushed in an area that I had not hired them for but they knew we needed and every time I pull out of my driveway I am thankful for them. Mary Palmer and Hugh Dargan tag teamed our project. Starting with wide brush strokes Hugh painted a picture for us that included hardscapes as well as water features and a pool refinish. He then took me to several gardens to see the styles and types of plants that would do well in my area. Mary Palmer found the most wonderful plants because it was very important to me to have things that were not any where else in my community and yet would survive. Mary Palmer also took me to the most hidden places to find pots and planters to finish the look we all started. My husband and I were new to the world of landscaping. We along with 6 kids and 5 elderly adults over 80, lived for over 20 years with an "as is" property and the Dargans combined his and mine together with what they thought we could and would love. Getting to know us was a huge part of their process and together with our thoughts and their vision for us we are now living in an oasis of tranquil beauty. We have a cascading property and it was mostly pine trees now it is the home of so many birds and butterfly, koi and Gold fish together enjoy over 10 thousand gallons of water and waterfall. Each and every side of our property has it's own look and you can not find one window that you don't want to continually gaze out because you know something new is always blooming. I love color and for me they gave me little surprises every week something new and beautiful blooming all spring into summer. They had many challenges, to start, a 40 degree slope with the driveway and extra parking. Every challenge brought more clarity to the project. Both Hugh and Mary Palmer have a few books they have written, get one of their books and start to think and plan. Then pick flowers from magazines and pictures of gardens you love to show them. Hugh and Mary Palmer will design everything your heart desires and then will put it in effect as your pocket book can handle it. Hugh gave me the joy of picking things that would be a part of our lives and the families that come after us and Mary Palmer gave me the most spectacular blue river of pansies over 120 flats that our daughter was married over. She wanted to be married in her childhood home and we used a clear tent so she could see the beautiful courtyard. We looked like we had flown the entire party to Japan... Say Yes to the Dress filmed her ceremony and said it was the most beautiful location they had ever been to and that is saying a lot. If you have a chance to have Mary Palmer speak to a group or garden club in your area book her for a week because she has more knowledge than anyone I have heard or read. Hugh is the quiet one and can be prodded to get before a group to show some of the beautiful places they have been and designed. For those of us lucky enough to find them and get on their schedule we become family. I know that Mary Palmer and Hugh designed a space for a young family and the mother wanted the front yard a certain way so when her 3 year old daughter grew up she would be married there, and guess what she was married there. They have been around for years and so you know they back what they do. Our project started at the top of our drive way and we were given 4 phases so we complete things as we could afford. Once the wedding plans started we decided to put the money we would spend on a venue in our own property. This is what our daughter wanted and we about killed Mary Palmer and Hugh getting it all done about a year ahead of time. They pulled it off and now a year later we are enjoying it even more. We are now the location all the charity's want to use for fund raiser cocktail parties in the garden. (this helps me keep the gardens weed free and looking beautiful, just knowing any day someone will call to see if they can show someone our retreat. Make sure you tell them the truth about how lazy you are. If you are not going to get out there and work there are entire plant groups that just grow and grow and you don't have to do anything but enjoy. (I have lots of that) I spent more than you have to if you are starting out. We lived here 20 years and so I wanted to buy plants that were mature. One of the biggest complements came from a writer from the news paper who said "Obliviously this garden has been in the works for over 20 years" when I told her that the entire yard was dirt a little over a year ago she could not believe it. Hugh found full grown trees from all over Georgia and placed them perfectly so they looked like they had been there for years. I love this about my garden as much as the garden itself. If I had anything to do over it would have been to get them sooner. We had to tear out a few things I did when I was not informed or educated about the big picture of our garden. What they lovingly teach you is, you have a life time to do things in your garden, so do what you love and do what you can and do the foundations correctly and your garden will last for all the generations to come. I hope this helps you to ask yourself questions so you are ready when they come. Walk with a tape recorder because when they go you will only remember how much you like them and want them back. Once when Hugh left my husband asked what I learned and I said "I learned I don't have to know anything just point to what I love, and they will do the rest!!!"

Without knowing their outstanding reputation or that they had literally written the book on landscape design, I found them on the internet, liked what I saw and hired them to create a backyard sanctuary using mostly native plants. In return, I got two fabulous designers who helped me create the garden of my dreams! They designed the space and helped with plant selection. I love to garden, but am by no means a designer. The plans left me the room to put my own mark on the garden but with balance. We now enjoy a very natural pond, patio and backyard with a fabulous collection of native azaleas and more. It has a natural feel with a flair. They get to know their clients and help them to create their dreams instead of imposing their own personal style. Their reputation is well deserved. Equally important, they are a delight to work with and as down to earth as the land they help to shape.

I have a small garden but the Dargans created an amazing transformation of it for me. They are a delight to work with and I have since recommended them to friends who have been likewise very happy with the work performed. I commend their services without reservation.