The MacDonald project was a very fun project for me. The home is in Cottonwood Heights and is a great example of my landscape design for the Salt Lake, Utah area. Access was limited, which complicated things, but I was able to work things out and complete this Outdoor Reading Room as it was designed. Notice the difference between the first picture below without any accessories and the rest of the pictures. An Outdoor Living Space or flower bed is naked without accessories.
My children spend all of their time around the water feature when they play outside. And I love to leave the window in my bedroom open a crack at night so I can lie in bed and listen to small waterfall.
I have six koi in my pond, and I used to have a turtle in my pond, but we had a problem with her hibernation last winter and she is not with us anymore. The goldfish in the pond are left overs from feeding the turtle, and they have grown quite large now.
A water feature tends to take over as the center piece of your Outdoor Living Spaces, no matter how large or small. Everyone I do a pond for says that the pond is hands down the best addition to their yard.
My back yard is in desperate need of the walls and ceilings for my Outdoor Living Spaces, but I keep running out of time and money.
I have a deck planned and three separate pergolas, only one of which will function as an outdoor room for the table and chairs tucked away by the head of the water feature.
The trees behind my swing will be the ceiling for that little space when they grow up.
I have, however, been able to tuck away several accessories that give the back yard that whimsical feeling that makes us feel comfortable outside. Some of the accessories have been purchased, but others my kids have made, like the gazing balls and the little hidden caterpillars.
I just love to walk across the thyme lawn in my front yard! The scent is heavenly and two of my six varieties of thyme are starting to bloom. The thyme was placed using the same informal flower bed design philosophy as the rest of the yard.
Thyme is a great floor for an Outdoor Living Space. As always, let me know what you think of my front lawn.
The Palmer Residence is a project which incorporates an Outdoor Kitchen, Dining, Hot Tub, and Great Rooms. Click below to check out the design and the before pictures.
The Allen Residence is a flower bed and Outdoor Dining Room that I designed and installed in Hooper, UT and completed late in May 2009.
Allen Residence Before Pictures
Allen Residence Progress
Allen Residence Pergola
Allen Residence Completion Pictures
I like to say that in all of my flower beds, each plant is placed with purpose! The purpose is much more obvious with the straight lines, even numbers and geometric shapes of a formal planting, but harder to conceive with the organized chaos of an informal planting.
Either way, I design beds with year round color and impact. Click on the links below for more information about flower bed design philosophies and for examples of flower beds.
Call today for a free consultation. I do travel for large jobs.
Artisan Landscape Outdoor Living Podcast Episode 3–Informal Flower Bed Design Basics 10 Easty Steps to a Beautiful, Informal Flower Bed Informal Flower Bed Design Pictures Do You Want to See My Yard Part One
Click on the links here below to see examples of designs I have done.
Palmer Residence Back Yard Allen Residence Front Yard Flower Bed and Back Yard Dining RoomThese are the before pictures for the Palmer Residence project. There are some drainage issues by the back door, and otherwise we are looking at a plain sod and sprinklers canvas for their outdoor living spaces.
I will post pictures throughout the project which will probably take a few years.
The park strip is a mix of colors and varieties, but I love the small patch of large, red oriental poppies mixed in with the purples of the sage and hardy cranesbill.
I want to add some more flowers and a couple of cherry trees to the plantings in the park strip. Then, if I can get some mulch in there, it will help with weed control! Let me know what you think.