Great design carefully considers the proper scale and proportion for the space. We proposed a trio of 6-7 foot tall garden obelisks to balance three mature trees with the foreground planting as it fills in.

Garden obelisks are reminiscent of the traditional English garden style. These elegant cedar structures are topped with pyramid finials and planted with climbing roses and clematis.

Garden ornaments add personality and here, they also serve as a strategically placed, mid-garden visual transition from a new installation to the mature planting behind.

This large garden bed is a focal point when approaching the home. More than 1350 square feet in size, it was overgrown and had not been maintained for many years by the former owners.

We edited the bed selectively, retaining the mature dappled willow and two fruit trees. These trees collectively occupied approximately 400 square feet; the balance of the space was to become an English cottage-style garden.

Soft winds stir this large dappled willow with its pretty blush pink catkins in spring and arching colorful branches in winter. It is one of three mature trees retained in the bed as part of the renovation plan.

Two mature fruit trees were kept. Offering beauty and food for wildlife, these trees are a lovely backdrop to the garden when viewed from the home.

When planting, we dig holes and site all plants before completing each one. This allows us to ensure that there are no underground immovable rocks that will require us to alter the design.

Here, 153 holes were dug over the 950 square planting space. Lots of rocks, but the crew removed each one allowing us to keep to the original design.

Each hole is filled with water to make early watering by the client easier before adding fresh high organic soil and bonemeal.

A narrow path leads into the shade where a bench will be placed to create a space to relax and enjoy the garden.

The impact of the obelisks is evident…they provide visual interest and balance to the garden.

Thirty shrubs and 123 perennials were planted. The garden will stir the senses with its beauty and the fragrance of mock orange, climbing roses and catmint.

Narrow stakes will support a towering collection of 21 purple and blue delphiniums. Foxglove, peony, coneflower, Japanese anemone, iris, geum and rudbeckia will provide season-long bloom from spring till fall…in the sunny spots and shady ones too.

Maggie was a frequent visitor to the garden during our work…and once the catmint showed up, she took center stage knocking over pots, chewing leaves and rolling around on the grass.

Catmint is a different plant than the well-known catnip with its aphrodisiac qualities…but Maggie didn’t seem to notice the difference.

The visual transition from the backdrop of mature trees is softened by the obelisks and large landscape boulders from the property. Rock as a garden element is timeless…there are three placed throughout the bed, each one providing structure and balance to the overall composition.

In the foreground, Maggie’s catmint is in bloom. We planted Nepeta x faassenii “Novanepjun’, a low maintenance, drought-tolerant, deer-resistant and long-lasting plant. Sited near the foreground and perfectly placed, this variety’s mature size of 16” tall and 36” wide will form a drift of aromatic showy, soft purple spikes.