To my eye, a house never looks finished until it’s landscaped. And I don’t mean a few shrubs around the foundation. A good house is just one component, albeit the major one, in an environment that includes landscaped and hardscaped spaces, like the entry sequence from public street to front door and the more private gardens and outdoor spaces that are really extensions of the house.
Plantings anchor the house in the natural world. They soften angles and hard edges, camouflage awkward features, and hide ugly views. In neighborhoods with mature trees and well-tended gardens, even modest houses gain a measure of curb appeal they wouldn’t otherwise have. A well-landscaped site sets the scene for the house.
In this issue, we feature two very different examples of outstanding custom homes that are taken a notch higher by superb landscaping. One is a retreat surrounded by water, walking paths, and carefully selected greenery—all part of a highly detailed landscape plan that creates truly a place apart for the home’s owner. The second is a remodeled house and site right in the middle of the city. Despite its tiny site, the house lives big thanks to a landscape plan that gives the owners at least three well-appointed outdoor rooms.
Finally, if you’re looking for landscaping ideas, you couldn’t find a better source than landscape architect Carol Franklin. Contributing editor Cheryl Weber details Franklin’s opinions and ideas on residential landscaping in “Second Nature” on page 34. I think you’ll find them thought provoking, challenging, and useful as you think about setting your next scene.
Leslie Ensor
Editor
