Tailoring Your Design for Every Home

Clients often come with a set notion of their dream yard and then turn to you to execute the fine details. From the flower beds in back to the hedges in front, highlighting the essence of the home should always remain a priority.

And a cohesive landscaping design has other benefits than pleasing the eye. “That resale value is higher if the [landscaping] style matches the neighborhood,” says Dan Wanzung, president of American Gardens, Inc. in Elmhurst, Ill.

Borrowed styles
Often, the result of a successful landscaping project is a blend of the client’s requests with touches that match architectural style of the home in combination with other regions or countries.

Behind Tuscan and Mediterranean homes, for example, you’re more likely to plant materials that reflect those regions, such as lavender, Italian Cyprus and olive trees. Visually, the homes also lend themselves to courtyards and natural pathways, as opposed to large, expansive lawns, says Peter Estournes, owner of Gardenworks, Inc. in Healdsburg, Calif.

The style should also be reflected in the materials and accessories you recommend. For Mediterranean styles, Estournes suggests courtyards filled with natural products like decomposed granite, as well as cobblestone or pavers for entries and driveways. “You might see wooden arbors that are naturally stained, not painted,” he adds, as well as birdbath and fountains to complete the look.

American styles
American architectural styles can also benefit from a tailored, well thought out approach to landscaping. Take ranch style homes: “That’s where you typically see more lawn, more foundation planting up close against the house, and more pronounced fence lines,” says Estournes. No matter where you are, other common landscape elements include gravel paths, wooden decks, natural rock and a varied assortment of perennials and greenery in the garden, he says.

In the Midwest, Wanzung works with many prairie style homes, which naturally lend themselves to native types of grass. He believes the strong, natural grasses complement the horizontal lines of a prairie home, as opposed to upright, ornamental grass. The same rule of thumb applies in the garden, where manicured plant forms should be avoided in favor of native prairie flowers like corn flowers and black-eyed Susans.

Other design factors
For any style of home, its basic shape and entry points help drive the landscape design. “If you have a really large garage sitting off to one side, its nice to offset that with trees planted on he opposite side to provide some balance,” says Estournes.

The home size also plays a factor. While a large, symmetrical home may be complemented by tighter, more traditional shapes in its landscaping design, adding asymmetrical touches—an ornamental tree or asymmetrical shrubs off to one side—can make a smaller home appear larger. When these kinds of unexpected elements are added to a design,  “the eye has to spend more time to digest it,” says Wanzung.

“A hedge is a very defining element in a landscape,” adds Wanzung, one that mirrors the home’s degree of formality. A more elaborate home might end up with tighter hedges, like a well-manicured boxwood or evergreen shrub, to reflect the home’s formal style. On the other hand, to complement a less formal home he suggests something looser, like a flowering shrub rose.

Drawing the line
Ultimately, landscaping is as much a reflection of the homeowner’s personality as is his or her house. Still, if the owner of a Victorian home has always dreamed of having a Japanese garden, you might want to suggest tucking it away in back. Or, figure out what the client likes about that type of style, and then offer a compromise. If it’s the sculptural element they’re after, offer to plant a Japanese maple in front.

Wanzung once turned down an opportunity to create a rounded stone porch in front of a traditional, farm-style house he described as wooden, boxy and symmetrical. “I kept coming back with a very rectilinear structure and squared-off shapes that would match their house,” he says.

The client found another landscape architect, but later told Wanzung they regretted their decision. Only after it was built did they realize the porch style was more appropriate for less distinctive, contemporary style homes.

Alternate choices
Of course, rules of style are subject to change. When resources are limited, substitutes might allow you to maintain the proper feel of the home. While a Southwestern home welcomes cactus and succulents that are appropriate to that climate, a similar home in the Midwest can have a yucca plant in front—a diverse perennial that has a look of a succulent with dagger-like leaves that harken to the arid southwest.

The desire to use sustainable materials is also contributing to a more natural look overall. Particularly for less distinctive or newer homes, landscapers are steering clients toward local, natural plants and pathways, as opposed to a more sheered, unnatural look.

And as water becomes an increasingly precious resource, landscapers need to consider water source, as well.

In many states, for example, ranch style homes have dogwood trees in front. But in the hot, arid climate of southern California, that’s just not an option since the soil is too compacted to allow for proper growth. “Here we don’t have dogwood trees,” Estournes says. “We’ll use crepe myrtle,” which have a similar height, shape and look—but a higher tolerance for the sun.