RE: enlarging space

Hi David,

(Whaddyaknow...I went to Cal Poly SLO, too! A bit later, I suspect, and I
was a computer science major dabbling in art and design, but I knew a
landscape architecture student and went so far as to marry an architecture
graduate. Good to meet you up at the garden show, btw!)

> Michael's reply perhaps reflects a rough day?  I would
> suspect that the scraped subgrade is not the end of
> the world if the location has deep subsoils, and
> amended compost repeatedly applied over several years
> can go a long way to recovering the pre-existing
> condition.  Checking for good drainage is an excellent
> suggestion, and mounding or raised beds, and/or french
> drains can also help with this.

Fortunately, these clients are apparently interested in doing the
landscaping in stages, stage one being patio and lawn. I hope that a good
tilling in of amendments and Loren's trick of upside-down sod (multiple
layers?) will do for the lawn; meanwhile, I'll "prescribe" compost mulches,
raised beds, and patience for the rest of the yard. The yard has a
subsurface drain already installed, and I hope it will be enough to drain
the yard assuming the yard is sloped toward it.

> Small yards and low maintenance are not all that
> difficult to work around, and the idea of layers to
> screen the garden from complete view from one vantage
> point, capturing borrowed views, and contrasting bold
> foliage against finer foliage are all classic tricks
> to make a space seem bigger.  I also tend to think
> that repeating foliage and species throughout the
> garden helps it read as larger, too much variety and
> "business" can make it seem smaller.  Using built in
> seating on a patio or deck can also eliminate the
> clutter of too many chairs, and one main focal point
> either close to the house or at the rear of the
> garden, with a link between them, is a useful
> enlarging device.  Sean's idea of developing the
> garden on a diagonal is also good for visually
> enlarging the space, and using paving patterns to do
> this also helps.  I find curves included into such a
> small garden, either through plantings or hardscape,
> and sometimes even as freestanding low walls, also
> helps.

Great suggestions! The clients are disinterested in subdividing their yard
into rooms, but I've got the diagonal and a large curve in the design, and
may look into adding more curves. Can I email you a PDF version of my design
for a critique?

Thanks to all of you who have responded for all the good advice!
Cheryl

------
Cheryl Renshaw
Santa Clara, CA (Silicon Valley)
cheryl@wr-architect.com
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index