October 23, 2024
Great garden design starts from the ground up
BY IAIN WILSON
One of the key philosophies driving a great landscape design is to curate a space that balances both function and aesthetic with place and purpose. A thorough site evaluation and analysis can help to identify these considerations and dictate how we are going to move forward with the design.
A number of questions should be kept front of mind when entering a site, including what the current soil and ground structure is like. Will there be a need for amendments? How are you going to manage the space during the build, especially if the client is in residence? What plant material will you keep and what needs to be installed? Is the plant material available locally or do you have to source inter-provincially or internationally? And how will the landscape be maintained once installed?
In our fast-paced world, clients are looking for low maintenance spaces. As designers, there are specific actions we can take to ensure a landscape meets their needs, adheres to provincial policies (such as water restrictions), helps combat climate change, increases pollinator numbers and doesn’t require a lot of attention. It is essential we design with full understanding of the ground plane, as not only is the Earth itself the anchor for plant material, but it is also their lifeline.
In their book Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes, Thomas Rainer and Claudia West highlight the essential need to understand the geology and soil composition to be able to select the correct plants, and ensuring stable site conditions is the only way to achieve stable plantings. A planting surrounded by concrete, for example, that has had acidic soil amendments will bring the pH down for a time, but run-off from the concrete surface can raise it again. So without proper and constant management, certain plants won’t thrive. Therefore, choosing plants that will thrive in a specific environment lowers the need for constant oversight. Whilst we can create microclimates and specific soil profiles, it is argued that the best practice is to not introduce massive amounts of nutrient-rich compost or soils, but to add smaller amounts of organic soil conditioner so site conditions aren’t altered too much in order to minimize stress on younger plants as they adapt.
Choosing the right plant for the right place is one element of good design, but the ongoing physical management of a landscape also needs to be considered. A designer may want to install a Picassoesque imprint on a landscape — colourful, abstract and angular — but the physical maintenance and management of that landscape comes with its own challenges. Sharp points create issues with mowing of lawns, hard surfaces gather soil or aggregates, access to garden beds for weeding and general maintenance cause erosion, compaction or damage to plants. All of which adds unnecessary time, cost and increased inputs, such as fuel.
Ensuring new plants establish and survive their first season really depends on having a strong design and grounds management plan; from planting through pruning or cutting back, to providing appropriate protection in the depths of winter. Whether a design adheres to a Piet Oudolf-inspired all-season perspective, such as showcasing plants that have foliage and flower interest from spring to fall and adds structural interest through their decline and death over winter, or a more traditional three-season perspective, where evergreens are called on for winter interest, there is a greater chance of survival when plant communities are created in the planting plan. Like humans, plants thrive when they’re in communities. They draw on similar nutrients, sunlight and care, meaning our intervention is reduced and management becomes easier.
In Planting A New Perspective, Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury highlight that while monoculture block planting is dated, blending a series of blocks planted in elongated drifts, interspersed with each other helps to increase pollination, create great visual and textural impact, but most importantly, provides protection to plants that have finished performing and fall dormant. Managing a new planting this way also increases the survival rate of new plants.
To further ensure the longevity of the planting, a strong design states installation requirements for planting size and depth. Not to take away from the skill of our industry, but too often budgets don’t allow enough time to install plant material properly. If we approach planting the way Matthew Wilson showcased in his Dry Garden at RHS Garden Hyde Hall — by breaking up the earth around the planting to three times the size of the pot — we create a “well” that allows roots systems to reach out for moisture and nutrients, reducing any existing compaction that allows plants to thrive in the long term.
Ground management and care of new plants forms the backbone of design, installation and ongoing care. If considered as part of the initial design phase the result is a landscape that establishes and shapes itself quicker, becomes more robust to the pressures of climate change and water restrictions, and reduces inputs and maintenance time — ultimately allowing clients more time to enjoy their outdoor space.
Iain Wilson is the owner of ISW Landscapes in Langley, B.C., a design firm dedicated to creating bespoke spaces using sustainable design principles.