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Garden Design
Larsen Design
Associates creates unique landscape designs for clients who want a
garden which expresses their own personal style.
To understand
the client's needs and preferences, we ask them to complete a landscape
questionnaire. From this information, drawings, plans, watercolor
renderings or computer edited images are prepared to develop a design
which is individually suited to each homeowner.
Low
maintenance, water conserving designs using native plants are a
speciality.
( Scroll down
to see more. )
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Entry
design incorporating a lily pond for
an Arts and Crafts era New York estate.
For
more Arts and Crafts designs click here.
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Native backyard
woodland edge. Click picture for
larger
version. |
Computer
generated rendering of foundation planting for Pennsylvania estate
house.
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Formal backyard
grass oval. Click picture for larger
version. |
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Watercolor
rendering of proposed entrance to Chestnut Hill estate house.
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Formal entry
planting showing Winter color.
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Rear yard
garden planting in Spring using owner's favorite colors, white and
purple. |
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Renovation of
front yard garden for formal symmetry. Click picture for another view.
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Native backyard
garden plan. Click picture for a
larger
version. |
Bucks County
equestrian estate
Master Plan rendering. |
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Formal front
yard circular rose garden. Click picture for larger
version. |
Trellis
designed as a construction project for owner/carpenter hobbyist.
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Native planting
for front yard. |
Rain garden
for downspout runoff using native plants.
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Q. What is a
rain garden?
A. A rain garden is a depression or basin which is
used to infiltrate or get rain water back into
the ground. Rain
gardens
are planted with flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs that are adapted to
wet soils.
In the example above and to the right, the rain garden is fed from a
downspout,
through an
underground pipe. Sweetbay magnolia, dwarf american holly, switch
grass, native iris
and lobelia are
planted.
The following before
and after pictures illustrate a typical subdivision house landscape
project with
dangerous slopes. The main living space
is one story above the back yard and the woodland is
too far away. The young owners
wanted a safe play space for their toddlers, usable outdoor space
and a
connection to the woodland.
Yard before (above)
and
after (below) with screen porch addition and multi level deck by the
woodland.
At the edge of the
regraded yard, now toddler friendly, new native plantings provide
privacy
and a transition with stone steps to the
woodland preserve (below).
New stone
steps lead from woods to deck.
New screened porch leads to deck to
woods.
Steep slope
is planted and steps added for safety.
Large level grass play area with swing set.
Garden Ideas
October and November are months
with a lot
of fall foliage color, but not much blooming. If you would like some
flowers in your autumn garden here are a couple of suggestions.
The
Aromatic Aster (Aster
oblongifolius)
blooms here in Pennsylvania from early October through November and
into December. This is an unusually long blooming period for the two
foot tall plants. Like many asters they are covered by flowers of a
lavender blue color. Plants require at least a half day of full sun.
In the
North, camellias are not a shrub
that is thought of as hardy. Many have been disappointed by a camellia
brought home from a garden center that didn't survive the winter.
However, Oleifera hybrids developed by Dr. William Ackerman of the U.
S. Department of Agriculture survive -12°F. They are available at Roslyn Nursery 211 Burrs Lane, Dix Hills, N.Y. 11746 phone 516
-427-9347.
Two
camellias we've had success with in
southeast PA are: Camellia japonica Magnoliaflora (April light pink
semi-double blooms) and Camellia sasanqua Yuletide a December bloomer,
shown at left. Available from Roslyn and local nurseries. These grow
5-7' high, need shade and shelter from wind.
When the full brunt of winter hits in
January and February, we miss the color of the rest of the year. This
is when gardeners think about plants with winter interest. If you would
like some flowers in your winter garden here are a couple of
suggestions.
The Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis)
blooms here in Pennsylvania from February through April. The flowers
are generally in hues of pink, from white to dark purple. Hybrids from
Britain, not yet generally available here, have yellow blooms. Plants
are best with at least a half day of shade and shelter from wind.
One of the earliest of the bulbs, Snowdrops
(Galanthus nivalis) are aptly named as their white flowers are often
seen peaking through a late February snow. Snowdrops and other small
bulbs such as Snow Crocus and Winter Aconite bring welcome flowers to
the winter landscape, hinting that spring will be coming soon.
These small bulbs are strong naturalizers
and will self seed to form large colonies. Snowdrops and Winter Aconite
will do better in part shade locations, while Snow Crocus will take sun
and can even be grown up through a grass lawn.
Hellebores and the small bulbs described
above are available from most mail order catalogs.
When used
in combination plants can add
drama to the garden. This striking red and white design is found at The Scott Arboretum in
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The Arboretum displays
plants which are suited to Delaware Valley gardens.
The white
flowers of Anemone Honorine
Jobert (Anemone x 'Honorine Jobert') bloom at the same time as
the fruit of Harvest Red Winterberry (Ilex verticillata 'Harvest Red')
comes into its full red color.
Grasses
can be used effectively in
combination when the colors are complementary. These grasses from front
to back are: Purple Maiden Grass (Miscanthus purpurescens) with white
plumes, Japanese Blood Grass (Imperata cylindraca) solid red foliage,
and Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln') beige plumes.
This is an effective, low maintenance combination for fall color
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401 Vassar Avenue Swarthmore
PA 19081 2020 - telephone 610 544 9803 - telefax 610 544 9804 - plarsende@yahoo.com
