A designer's garden!
By Jeremy Locke, Director of Horticulture & Design, Great Lakes Landscape Design

How does the landscape designer create their own personal oasis? The creative processes that I use are completely different than the method that I use professionally. When I design for a client, their goals, wants and needs take precedence. This can limit my creativity but therein lies the challenge. When you’re designing for yourself, you’re limited only by what you’re willing to invest.

The challenge of designing for two people lies in balancing their different opinions, and my relationship is no different. I must take into consideration my husband’s opinion as this is his home as well. I have found someone who shares my love of nature and growing beautifully landscaped places, but that does not mean we do not have a difference of opinion from time to time. What makes a great designer is how creative they can be in the solutions they provide, for both the client and the environment.

A great deal of thought went into developing the garden of our second home. Having gone through this process before, I decided to emulate a similar design on a grander scale. A main entertaining space that leads to key attraction; a koi pond with a sitting room. The larger property gave me the ability to expand on a previous design and the space to experiment creatively with new features and techniques I’ve always wanted to try. A benefit of having been through this process is that I was able to learn from my mistakes such as stone selection, pavers or natural stone patio, construction techniques and plant selections. Plant material and design style are always something that will change with a passing whim as I have a very eclectic style of design and, as a designer myself, I wanted to use my personal space to allow me to learn how new plants grow and interact with my new environment.

When we purchased our new home, we had to take in all of the existing features and determine if anything was salvageable. The property’s existing fence was a major benefit, as they are difficult and expensive to add in our area. Sadly, there was very little that we wanted to keep, and opted to remove pretty much all plant material except some very scalped Boxwood, a Weeping Mulberry, a volunteer Redbud and a large Arborvitae on the corner of the existing concrete patio (Photos 1, 2, 3, & 4).

Once all materials were removed, I had to start by designing the items that I had taken from our previous home, such as my prized piece - a Tricolor Beech, several ‘Slender Silhouette‘ Sweetgum, a number of Korean Boxwood, clumps of Carex ‘Ice Dance’, along with a small number of various perennials. These were all items that I did not want to leave behind. The Sweetgum were utilized as a living wall to provide privacy from our neighbor directly behind, while the boxwood lent some structure to the existing patio border, enclosing the space and directing the eye (Photo 5).

From the very beginning, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to see in the backyard but the front was something that I wanted to ruminate on for a while. I wanted to make sure that I made quite the statement and knew that it was going to take many seasons for me to complete. I first had to transplant and rehabilitate the remaining plants; all had value in some form or fashion. The boxwood was relocated to the front of the garage with a Vermeer, roots intact. These plants had been sheared so hard that no green was left. It took many years of fertilizing and care for them to fill back in. The mulberry became a much-needed anchor to assist in separating the butterfly garden from the front of the house, while the globe arb helped define the beginnings of the butterfly garden. The Tricolor Beech became the focal point placed on the corner of the property. The main goal was to plan out the basic bed lines utilizing the existing beds and I would start filling beds and adjust the bed lines as the plan came together.

The backyard was my focus for the first year. Not only did I have to immediately design in my transplanted material, but I also had several Koi that had been relocated from our previous pond into a holding tank, waiting for their forever home. The pond took some thought, as it needed to be large enough to support our fish and fill the space while providing the desired water noise. The pond was a requirement for my husband, who spearheaded this portion of the project. My only task was to integrate it into the overall design. Performing this work on my own was out of the question; it required additional muscle and machines to excavate and place all of the large stones that lined the base of the pond along with the river at the top of the pond. My team at Great Lakes Landscape Design were up for the challenge and helped guide me through the design process. The shape took a couple of tries, but eventually we created a large enough space that would support plants along with the Koi. A meandering pathway was created to help navigate the space and bring you different vantage points around the water feature, leading to a stone bench next to the waterfall. It was important for the pond to be the main view from all vantage points inside and out and the final destination that the design leads you to (Photos 6, 7 & 8).

The space around the pond was fun to work with. My planting options were limited due to shade from the large silver maple and being dry because of a dense root structure. I decided to use hosta, lamium, hellebore, coral bells and brunnera, to name a few. Utilizing lamium and brunnera because they seed helps naturalize. One plant that I did not add to my space was Irish Moss, but somehow it has multiplied and established itself in all of the walkways, giving all my hardscape a softer, aged look.

Once the pond was completed enough to fill and get the Koi established, the focus shifted to the next most important aspect of the project; complete privacy. The neighborhood is quite open, allowing neighbors to peer right into each other’s homes. Like most, we value our privacy. Arborvitae are great, fast-growing plants that can create a great deal of privacy in a few short years. I used two different varieties; Steeplechase, “a form of Green Giant” and Nigra. Both are deer resistant and adapt to a variety of conditions. Using arborvitae gave me the opportunity to utilize them in my pots, as thinning out would eventually be necessary along the property line. A little more thought went into the installation of the Steeplechase as I needed a place to backwash the pond to, and decided to take advantage of the wastewater and run a perforated tile along side of the root balls with an exit point at the end of the run. This allowed me to help get them established quickly and dispose of the bead filter wastewater. I would later come to understand just how flexible the Nigra Arborvitae really are. Ice and heavy snow can easily damage them, so pruning became essential to firm up the main structure. Within a few years, the arborvitae had grown enough to provide ample privacy, leaving neighbors to wonder what was going on in the space as no other neighbor possessed that level of seclusion.

Once all of the property lines were established, I started to deal with garden structure and layout, all centered around the main patio. The shed was to become a sitting room, and the existing patio needed to meld with that space seamlessly. We decided to go with an oversized Ohio Blue patio with a decomposed granite inlay to help the transition. There were many directions that I wanted the traffic to flow so I decided to use that space to connect them all together (Photos 9, 10 & 11).

My experiences help me shape this space as a growing living thing and I didn’t always make decisions based on vision but on circumstances such as my husband’s request for his hammock, that ended up being tucked into the corner at the edge of the pond. The beach was created for my dog who claimed the space so she could lay next to the pond and watch the fish, a pathway from the concrete patio to the lawn under the large arb which was a path that the dogs had consistently used since we moved in. I chose not to change their behavior but to embrace it and the design around that space was with them in mind.

It took me a long time to decide on the layout, but I finally arrived at the most pleasing shape; a small deck extending from the concrete patio to a hot tub, a pathway around the east side of the house where a small, raised garden would be established, and the entrance to the backyard. I began with a meandering path leading from the existing paver walk to the concrete patio. I wanted to force you to observe the path and the surroundings by slowing you down to give you a sense of anticipation of what’s to come (Photo 12). The existing patio was elevated and required steps along the path to give you the feeling of entering another space. Enlarging the existing beds around the patio along with the large remaining arb, I was able to create a more suitable beginning for the space by enclosing the patio with beds and directing the attention towards the pond. The arb made a perfect anchor to the space, separating the lawn from the visual space between the patio and the driveway. Canadian Finish stone was used to elevate the beds and give structure for the path with natural stone steps and Ohio Bluestone connecting to the existing pavers.

The main patio was large enough for a full-sized dining table and a living room set. It took a few years to get the layout right, and eventually we decided that a custom dining table was the best option to fill the space. I remember being in Menards, grabbing boards and laying them out on the floor to see how many guests we could get around the table. The process was fun, and we were not afraid of the challenge. This was the mindset that we had as we added to each space. You cannot be afraid to try new things, and as a designer you must take chances to stay relevant (Photo 13).

Proper drainage was something that I would eventually have to deal with. I chose a dry riverbed to assist with this, starting with a rain chain that led around the front of the pond. This led to the back of the property, directing water away from the house. The drainage solution by the garage was a little more complicated, but I eventually decided on an additional rain chain into a vessel which sat upon a drain connected to an existing drain tile off the garage, for which I relocated the exit point in the middle of the lawn (Photos 14 & 15).

The backyard was our quiet get away from the world and, honestly, I enjoy every moment that I get to spend in it. Creating separate spaces was a great way to make the space feel mulch larger than it was. It made you want to stop and appreciate each space, take it in and enjoy all of the different things visually that were going on. This I did intentionally as I like to go big or go home; it also doesn't hurt to have someone in your life that you can share the love of creating beautiful spaces and a love for nature and feeds your addictions. Each space I wanted to be a feast for the eyes; a lot of plants and many textures. Each space I maximized what could go into it. Planting dense helped keep competition down, so weeds were easy to manage.

The Tricolor Beech became the focal point of my butterfly garden which I placed on the corner of the property. The space had perfect light conditions to allow a wide range of plants. Being a corner lot gave me a great deal of visibility within our neighborhood, and I wanted to make sure that whatever I did it would be dramatic, bold, and completely original. The front of the house was something that I wanted to really think about, flowing lines with wide swaths of ornamental grass, hosta and other perennials, shifting with the changing light conditions and exposures of the site. The perennial garden was going to be the focus with a large focal point, the Tricolor Beech. The site and light conditions were perfect for whatever I wanted to put in. I experimented with a lot of plants ranging from coneflowers, goldenrods, gaillardia and other pollinator-friendly plants. I wanted to set the stage, and step back and watch the show (Photos 16 & 17).

The window boxes were something that took a lot of thought, taking a couple of seasons to land on Corten steel which was a great option; thin and very manipulatable for my fabricator. It was perfect and was a pity to have it covered with a boxwood hedge that was in place prior to my material selection. These raised planters became the main focal points of the house; with seasonal color changes I could make them pop and every year I can try different combinations and just have fun with it. Seasonal color changes have always been an important part of my designs and perpetuated by my husband’s obsession with large ceramic pots. Pots provide pops of color that can change from year to year, season to season and are things that bring me a great deal of joy. The ability to recycle material within my garden influenced my plant selections. Redtwig Dogwood, Red Bud Willow, Holly, and Arborvitae are all favorites in the ground or in a pot, so adding pockets of these useful plants saved me plenty in materials but also helped me maintain the health and size of my plants. I wanted to work with nature and have it work for me (Photo 18).

The design continued to change over the last few years, fine tuning the layout after most of the plants were established. Environmental changes would force me to alter my perspective of the backyard off the concrete patio. A heavy snow and ice event claimed the large arb, crushing it as I watched helplessly. My husband asked afterwards if there was any hope in salvaging it. Alas, there was too much structural damage for it to remain (Photo 19). This is where my creative juices began to flow. We had always wanted a fire pit and my husband had specific requirements within its construction; sand. He wanted to be able to sit around the space and put his feet in the sand. Other than that requirement I had free reign deciding on a round space with natural stone steps, boulders to assist with the transition in grade and black granite cobbles to hold the sand in place. We already possessed the fire pit , an antique kettle which I designed to sit among boulders. The pathway that the dogs had established eventually became this grand destination and link to the lawn space, opening the space and creating a completely different feel in the backyard (Photo 20).

Over the next few years, I would gather perennials and shrubs that were conveniently available, weekend splurges at my favorite wholesale suppliers, end of season sales at local hardware mega stores, and suppliers would give me new plants to test and try out (I love that part of my job!). On occasion, I would have to contend with my husband bringing random plants home or informing me that he went by the wholesaler and purchased a plant. He loved to randomly take advantage of my position at my company and it didn’t hurt that he befriended my salesman. I tried to keep the design loose and easy to manipulate, trying new things, seeing what works, what didn’t. I moved plants until I could find the best locations, all while studying what plants work and what doesn’t and how much effort I wanted to spend in caring for them. All of these things I used to help me build the fantastic space that I have today. Overall, I had no real plan but what I did have is vision. I could see the space but not the specific details; keeping an open mind was necessary. I loved the challenge and feel that designs always turn out better through different perspectives.

Adding additional garden details, like large simple arbors at the garden’s entrance and exit and columns carefully placed to help elevate containers throughout the garden, create additional drama (Photo 21). The updated pavers were the best addition to the space. The update allowed me to change the path to the front door from curvy to a simpler linear pattern. When doing this, we were able to add pavers directly on top of the concrete porch, tying everything together. With our modern mid-century home, a linear path just seemed like the best option. This gave me the opportunity to adjust the existing beds as the beds were higher than the previous path. Adding the pavers on top of the existing porch gave me the additional inches necessary to overcome that issue. This also forced me to redesign the flagstone pathways providing proper flow around the house (Photos 22 & 23).

As a designer I am always looking for ways to change and adapt my space based on the conditions that are presented to me at any given point. When my husband sees a shiny, sparkly plant or Mother Nature providing an unexpected twist, I must always be prepared to adapt. Gardens are living, breathing things that change, and you can do one of two things; change with the garden or forever be trying to manipulate the space, making more work for yourself. Style is subjective and I glean from various sources to create something that suits my needs, it also allows me to showcase plants and options for my clients. I will continue to add new features as I get older; time will only tell what, and I keep asking myself when enough will be enough (Photo 24).

Click on the photos below to enlarge and to scroll through the photos.