Dear Homework,
We love our Tudor-style home, but it needs some landscape help. We’re not sure where to begin. Can you give us some suggestions?
Thanks,
Tudor in Trouble
Dear Tudor in Trouble,
Your plant-free property provides a great backdrop for a ‘teachable moment’ about the relationship between architecture and landscape, as well as how to get it right the first time.
You should always start out with an analysis of the given situation. In this case, we have a beautifully composed and detailed Tudor-style home with only one obvious drawback – an undetailed half wall at the living room terrace. While it would be possible to add some detailing here (perhaps a brick veneer ‘facing’ to match the house), it would probably be easier to just ‘plant it out.’ Beyond that, the landscape direction should not upstage the architecture.
—Homework
[scheme a] Scheme A shows an approach that is often taken and initially complements the house fairly well. Upright evergreens frame the front door, boxwoods hide some of the terrace wall, and a clump birch frames the right side. On the left, a Japanese maple is centered under the main gable roof; its color nicely complements the color of the brick. Another pair of upright evergreens are planted at the corners of the façade, and in time-honored suburban fashion, a shade tree is placed in the middle of the lawn. After the initial planting, it all looks very cozy.
As the second view shows, after five years of plant growth and deferred maintenance, the house has been overwhelmed by the once seemingly appropriate landscape scheme. The trees and shrubs no longer frame the house, they hide it. Even with aggressive trimming, it wouldn’t look much better.
[scheme b] The first impression of the second scheme is that it is perhaps a little ‘underplanted.’ Still, the boxwoods hide the ugly wall, and a long row of planting boxes along the terrace both acts as a railing and provides the opportunity to include colorful seasonal flowers. Large pots frame the entry and corner, and upright evergreens have been pushed beyond the corners in anticipation of their growth. Any shade trees that might be planted will be placed close to the street.
The final image shows the mature effect. The boxwoods have grown into a formal, clipped (wall-hiding) hedge. The large flower pots and planting boxes are much the same, and the corner evergreens frame the house without blocking it.
The architecture and landscape are now in elegant, yet simple, harmony with each other.
[Homework is penned by Paul Doerner, founding partner of the Lawrence Group. If you would like your home critiqued, contact us at homework@townandstyle.com.]
