In the spring of 2006, homeowners Brian and Marisa Lewis, after doing extensive research and working with a designer, were getting ready to renovate their front garden. 1105 South Carolina Ave, SE has a large front garden with a lawn, mature shrubs, a large Crape Myrtle, and a beautiful Japanese maple. But the Lewises had decided that they wanted a traditional, formal front garden suited to their historic property. They interviewed landscape companies to install their plans and chose a designer for the front install. Well, the install… stalled.

The Lewis’s, who still plan to move forward with the redesign, made a180-degree turn to the rear of the property. The major motivation to renovate the landscape in the back yard first was the need for safe, private playing space for their twins, who were quickly becoming toddlers. They wanted a perfect outdoor room for two curious children to safely stretch out and begin to learn about their world.

The Garden Before
Privacy is provided by a two-story wall, belonging to the neighboring church, on one side of the space. The wall runs the entire length of the back yard and, while it protects the garden from much of the street noise, it is an imposing element in the garden, towering up and enclosing the air space. To the rear there is a garage that further privatizes the space. The garden was very overgrown with several trees and various ground covers such as English Ivy and Vinca Minor. There was a cast cement wall that was in a state of decline and a raised bed that held a pond that was caving in on itself. The space had become a storage area for several hundred old bricks, and the existing patio was broken and fragmented along the edges.  The decision was made to take out the wall, remove all existing plants and the pond, and find a new home for most of the bricks. The Lewis’s wanted a pergola, and a fountain. They also hoped that a portion of the bricks could be reused to build a sitting wall.

The Renovation
The garden was cleared of all plants, the patio was repaired and slightly extended, and the wall was torn down and the pond removed. The brick storage area was cleared and bricks were saved for the new sitting wall. The designer worked with a mason to construct a swooping, brick wall with a raised bed for a large Gingko tree, which became the backdrop to the entire area. The wall provided additional seating space for entertaining, and served as a focal point for the cast cement fountain that was to occupy the ponds old home. Once the wall was built, the area was back filled with soil and every consideration was taken to not cover the Ginkgo’s roots. (Trees should never be covered with more than 1-3” of soil around their base).

The carpenter now installed a custom-built pergola, using 6”x6” timbers for the posts. At  two feet higher than what is needed, this design element was constructed to help bring the church’s wall down visually and blend the spaces into one. The wall’s impact has been minimized and it is now a great display space for some of Mrs. Lewis’s artifacts. An additional design element that has “shortened” the wall was inspired by the sporadic paint peeling on the garage. This pattern was painted on the churches brick wall and now ties the two walls together.

The Plants
The landscape designer created a low maintenance garden that now softens the entire space. The plants installed are tough and resilient to the family’s dog, Joe, who loves to chase squirrels in the back yard. There are Boxwoods and Chindo Viburnum, Liriope and Mondo grass, Daylilies and Nandina. Flowering bulbs will be installed in pockets this fall.  Several areas of the landscape have been moved around over the last few months to accommodate Joe’ s favorite resting areas and plants and pup now coexist.

The garden has lighting that adds an ambiance to evening entertaining, enhanced by sounds of the gentle flow from the fountain. The family now has an outdoor retreat and the twins can safely frolic in their outdoor paradise.