Small Garden Walls

Size does matter, so the saying goes. Yet Exterior Worlds has found that small garden walls can carry a big wallop, so don’t let the use of the word “small” here mislead you.

A classic concept within the landscaping lexicon, the small garden wall—so called due to its short height—lends its strong, clean lines to bring order and structure to a garden landscape. Short walls create zones. They direct traffic from one area to another. They divide a space. We prize the short wall in our landscape design work, particularly in the way they can bring interest to otherwise flat and uninspired terrain.

Some of ways we have used short walls for our clients:

• We have built small garden walls in entertainment areas to provide de facto seating or table space.
• They have been used as lines of demarcation, specifying areas to be highlighted—a custom swimming pool, rose garden or outdoor room.
• When built to enclose flower beds, these walls can protect the plants from wind and other elements.
• They can serve as retaining walls when constructed with proper engineering.
• With a subtle but sophisticated touch, a small wall can delineate a property line to give it clear distinction. A small wall used in this way is particularly apt for a front yard, since it creates a visual barrier rather than an actual one, thus preserving a welcoming look for your home.
• Conversely, we have used a small wall in combination with a wrought iron fence. The results—a finely crafted fence that is built for durability, longevity and beauty. These combination fences convey an open ambiance and elegance while also providing protection.

If you are working within a particular theme for your landscape design—maybe a French garden or a Southern garden—small garden walls can further underscore that choice. With a classic theme like a French garden, all you need to do is visualize the structured gardens of Versailles to understand the impact of short walls. For romantic designs like a Southern garden, a small wall builds on the sense of intimacy and enclosure.

In general, walls are versatile tools for any custom landscaping project done by Exterior Worlds. For instance, living garden walls—in which we sculpt tall plants such as a lantana, cherry laurel (both of which are drought-resistant and have the added benefit of flowering), or reedy bamboo and turn them into green and living walls—add form, interest and texture to your yard. A glass garden wall that uses architectural glass within a sturdy framework provides both definition and privacy. You even get a hint of mystery when the sun shines through it and back-lights the plants on the other side.

Whether small, glass, brick, stone, or living, exterior walls allow you to take advantage of the strength inherent in geometric lines. Your garden will bloom, grow and flourish by putting this concept to work in your landscape design. It is such design consciousness that brings distinction to a landscape, so let Exterior Worlds seamlessly integrate walls into your landscape plan.

Houston Pool and Lanscape Project

A Houston family by the name of Friedman was adding an outdoor summer kitchen and screened-in dining room to the rear of their home. Their home was a traditionally style home residing on an enormous lot. They hired us to develop a master plan that featured a pool and Houston landscape concept that would connect to the new addition and extend the semi-outdoor space of the screened room into fully open space.

Our assignment was to create movement, interest, intimacy, and a controlled sense of drama that would ultimately help this enormous property appear inviting and intimate through carefully constructed, special points of interest.

The design we created, in many ways, introduced the theme of the entire Houston landscape. Since the view of the backyard was by nature panoramic, and because we were dealing with an enormous yard to begin with, we wanted to create a controlled sense of drama that you were coming into a yard whose plane dropped down. Grade change was the key here. By varying elevation and step width, we could make even the largest of forms on the Houston landscape feel intimate and inviting.

One of the two most prominent elements on this vast expanse of Houston landscape was the ornate custom swimming pool that we designed for the Friedman’s. It consisted of a two-level structure, with a fountain on one end. In the fountain there were three bubblers that shot water up into the air. The bottom of the fountain was completely covered in blue glass tile and lighted from within. Although small in comparison to the rest of the pool, the uniqueness of the fountain’s design made it one of the most prominent areas of interests, ideal for pulling chairs around its perimeter.

The fountain also adds something of a spa element to the pool. The lower end is 18 inches deep-deep enough to sit in, and the water is both heated and lighted. People can actually recline here much like they do in the spa, and dangle their feet over the edge of the waterfall.

This waterfall was one of the most unique features we added to this traditional Houston landscape. We had a quarry cut a slab of stone in a radius design and cut runnels in it with a diamond saw. We then thermal finished the slab and covered the front end with a custom blend of glass tile. The various colors and hues in the glass are intentionally reflective of surrounding vegetation and water patterns. There is also a deliberate copper hue to the design to help reflect pool lighting.

This further develops the sense of controlled drama that creates interest and intimacy on such a large tract of Houston landscape. The variation of colors, especially when catching either sunlight or pool lights, especially mirrors the elegance of the adjacent parterre garden and various flower species planted to the side of the arbor entrance.

Both the upper and lower portions of the patio were made of Pennsylvania full color sandstone. The coping of the pool is a lighter colored material known as Leuders Limestone. It has a rich hue that provides a superb compliment to both the architecture of the home and the surrounding foliage. Water rises up from jets covered by custom stone covers for water jets. This adds scale and sound to the patio, and provides special effects when illuminated at night.

It is very relaxing to pull up a chair by the water jets and watch the kids run in and out of spurting water as it arches into nighttime sky above the Houston landscape and lands in the lighted water of the pool.

What do we mean, by definition, when we say softening the view?

We mean that we soften the view of other structures, buildings, and homes, with plant material, bamboo, shrubs, and other kinds of plants. It also involves training trees and shrubs into forms that lend organic sense to the Houston landscape and separation between homes and businesses

What neighborhoods in Houston are so crowded that they need this service?
Typically, we are talking about Upper Kirby, Bellaire, West U, Southside Place, and Rice Village. All of these areas have magnificent homes but very small lots.

How can clients benefit from this style of landscaping?
It helps them feel they are in more private space and more open space at once. It is private in that other elements of the Houston landscape are obscured from view. It is more open because with a new sense of enclosure, a smaller yard looks larger.

What structures must be built to create a softer view?
We normally create visual barriers out of some sort of organic wall. This does not need to be a total barrier, just a partial barrier.

What specific types of hardscapes, including patios and walkways, work well here?
Gravel is a great material to soften connection between ground covers and hardscapes. We do not want concrete everywhere. Sometimes, we may even plant in gravel to blur distinction and merge inorganic and organic elements. The standard depth we aim for is about 10 inches of gravel in a bed, then plant trees within that gravel to create a natural screen from the surrounding Houston landscape

Are there ways to alter hardscapes to make them appear “softer”?

Other types of vegetation can be planted in gravel just like smaller trees can. With concrete patios, you can leave cutouts and plant tropical plants, flowers, trees, or bushes in the cutouts.

What softscape elements are needed to soften the view of the Houston landscape in a crowded neighborhood?
It is always a good idea to line borders of hardscapes with grass and boxwoods. Small hedges and grasses no taller than hip high can often be all you need to soften harsh exterior of neighboring homes and buildings.

Does outdoor lighting play a role in this process, and how?
Lighting is integral to the aesthetic of the Houston landscape. One of the great thing about light is you do not have to light anything that you do not want emphasized. At night, all that you need to do to control the eye is to up light or feature light such elements as planters, screen walls, architectural walls.

Outdoor lighting also gives you control of the view of garden.

What water features, including pools, are most common in these projects?
Small swimming pools and reflecting pools are very popular in tightly knit Houston neighborhoods. Custom fountains and all fountains help to break up sounds of traffic, commercial life, neighbors.

Landscape Design Build

Exterior Worlds is a residential landscape design build consulting firm specializing in landscape architecture, design, and custom landscape maintenance. We prefer to operate under the design build model of construction for a number of reasons. It offers us more direct control over the promised outcome of the project, and thus guarantees that clients will be satisfied with the results they have invested in. It also streamlines process in a way that expedites project completion and thus keeps labor costs—and the ultimate cost of the landscaping design—within the anticipated budget of the homeowner.

Design build construction is the oldest model of construction service in the world. It is based upon the principle that the architect, or Master Builder as he was called in many cultures, was the supreme authority to oversee the building of monumental structures. Palaces, temples, and public forums were constructed by such men for millennia. A modified version of this model is still used today. Basically, it means that a general contractor develops the design for the landscape or home, then brings in subcontractors to build out the specific elements of that design under the strict supervision of the general contract management team.

In the commercial world, many companies use the design-bid-build model, where the designer sells the concept to the company, which then bids it out to a general contractor and respective subcontractors who develop it. This is too complicated and expensive for even wealthy homeowners, and it often leads to errors in the final project. If a landscape design is bid to a landscaping firm who did not develop that design, they will most likely interpret it differently than from what it was originally intended, and in all likelihood, cost the homeowner much more money with problematic or a disappointing outcome at the end of the project.

It is for this reasons that most landscape companies like Exterior Worlds prefer to serve the custom home residential marketplace from a design build perspective. We begin by consulting extensively with the client and getting to know as much about their lifestyle, aesthetic sensibilities, and predetermined expectations for their home and yard. We then develop a landscape design that includes every element of form and function necessary to creating an outdoor living experience that respects the architecture of the home and compliments the lifestyle lived within the home itself. Once this model is complete (and we use graphic design software to create it), we then either build each element of the landscape ourselves, or we subcontract a specialist firm who will build specific outdoor structures and forms strictly according to the design plan we have already finalized with the homeowners.

The accountability this creates is incredible. Subcontractors brought in on the project are handed specifications and a list of materials in advanced that ensures they remain within the parameters of the intended build. Pool contractors, hardscape experts, and lighting design firms all work under the umbrella of our project management to seamlessly produce a finished project that embodies the conceptual in a form that typically exceeds the expectation of the client at the end of the day.

By acting as a landscape design build firm, Exterior Worlds is able to act as a single source of delivery of consultation, planning, design, and implementation. With a vision in mind combined with a plan on paper, we can forego the complexities and multiple layers of detail needed to produce the detailed schematics used by design-bid-build firms, and we can finish the project sooner as a managing, hands-on, single source design-build solution provider acting for the benefit of all parties concerned.

Southern Garden Design

Were else can you have your favorite beverage on the porch during Thanksgiving or Christmas in shorts?
Houston is a distinctive manner of southern gardening because of our location to the Gulf coast. Our climate is a mixture of the hot humid south and the tropics of Mexico. This gives us rich year round possibilities for gardening. Even in the Carolinas were gardening might be 9 months out of the year, Houston is 12 months out of year gardening with freeze possibilities only lasting from January 15-February 15th. As hot and miserable as Houston can be in the summer months, there are opportunities for outdoor living just about every month of the year. Your southern garden is about creating a link to the horticultural past while creating the use of spaces for today spiced with the tropics.

In addition to creating stunning southern beauty, the Houston tropics can add fun and visual coolness during the hot summer months. In creating your southern garden be sure to include year round colors, textures, and scents from both the southern garden traditions and the hot tropics.
What is Southern Garden Landscape Design in Houston Texas?
In creating your southern garden landscape design, decide if want to create a formal patio or an informal woodland garden. Add in tropical flavor were you feel it is appropriate or to your liking. In creating the year round color garden the traditional southern garden plants bloom in Houston starting with azaleas and spireas around February, spring includes red buds, star jasmines and Carolina jasmines and camellias. As summer continues to heat up around June, tropical plants can really help to provide variety and color through the hot summer months: Bottle brush, plumbago, Ruessellia, Katie Ruellia, bulbine, salvias, knock out and nearly wild roses. Be sure you have excellent drainage systems and irrigation systems as well as proper bed preparation as southern garden plants require lots of feeding, healthy soils and excellent drainage.

How do I enjoy my Southern Garden in the heat of the summer?
The key to creating a landscape design in your garden is to plan for hot humid weather so you can enjoy the garden year round. Deck and patio areas for entertaining need to have shade. Patio covers, awnings or large trees can extend the use of patios through June. If there is no way around having a full sun patio due to the orientation of your house, create multiple outdoor rooms for sitting. Use lawn areas in the shade to enjoy a hot summer beverage. With careful planning and landscape design to accommodate 100 degree weather your garden can be a place of retreat even in the heat of the summer.

Great plants for the southern garden
Trees for the Tropics: Meditteranean Fan Palm, Canary Palm, Medjool Palm Shummard Red Oak, Nealy Stevens Holly, Tuscarora Crepe Myrtle, Japanese Maple, Angel Trumpet, Saucer Magnolia, Live Oak, Japanese Blueberry Tree, Bottle Brush, Japanese Yew.

Tropical Plantings: Bottle brush, Pineapple guava, Philodendrons, Gingers, Ixora, plumbago, asparagus fern, lantana, Australian Tree Fern, Angel Trumpet, Bamboo, Foxtail Fern, Leopard Plant,

Accent Plantings: Saw Palmetto, Flax, Agave, Yucca, Bird of Paradise, Dianella, Century Plant, Crinum Lily, Crotons.

Shrub Plantings: Azalea, Viburnum, Boxwoods, nearly wild roses, knock out roses, Camelia, Philodendron, Gingers

Flower Plantings: Russelia, Angelonia, Coleus, Mealy Sage, Plumbago, Bottle Brush, Salvia Coccinea, Cross Vine, Star Jasmine, Buddlea

Tropical Groundcovers: holly fern, foxtail fern, Mondo Grass, Asian Jasmine, Ardisia, Agapanthus, Ajuga

Southern Garden Color: snap dragons, pansies, petunias, geraniums, begonias, caladiums, cyclamen, pentas

French Garden Design

French garden design applies the principles of symmetry and geometry established by André Le Nôtre, chief gardener for Louis IVX at the Palace of Versailles. Versailles had originally been a hunting lodge, but Le Nôtre turned it into the envy of the European Elite with his elaborate parterres, radiating pathways, water pools, and stone coping that were laid out with an order and system that all came together into a complex, interconnected unity when viewed from a balcony or palace room. Soon, this style was copied by the remainder of the French aristocracy, and it to this day still follows the same basic design principles as its royal prototype.

Of course, today’s French gardens are obviously much smaller than the ones built around the chateaus of the 18th century. The typical Houston home resides on far less land than even a small European estate. Nevertheless modified derivatives of the original formula can still be replicated in virtually any Houston setting to the flat nature of our terrain. This is because Houston, like much of France, lies on a very level plane that is ideal for the type of formal bedding the garden is planted within.

The essential elements of parterres surrounded by trimmed hedges, repeating geometry, and embroidered patterns are used as compliments to landscaping features such as fountains, patios, and outdoor sculptures. Within these basic structures a tremendous freedom now exists for the landscape designer to create all sorts of shapes and colors within the formal bedding and enclosed low-level hedges that have remained characteristic of this form for centuries.

While French gardens will always be exquisitely breathtaking when appreciated from a removed, elevated vantage point, today’s modern landscaping techniques make it possible to create the same effects with smaller gardens, or even micro gardens, viewed from ground level. Such smaller French gardens are often located in front of outdoor patios, outdoor rooms, and arbors. This allows homeowners to sit outside and overlook a landscape whose diversity also represents unity and balance.

This bending, rather than breaking, of pattern and form allows for virtually any low-level plant species to be used in a French garden. Boxwoods are typically used to frame the edges of parterres, with perennial blooms, herbs, and special grasses comprising the interior. Color choices can range from the monochromatic to a diversity of red, blues, yellows, and varying shades of green.

The only requirement that really limits plant material options is the need of every French garden to clearly have more horizontal space than vertical space. So long as the formal element of a flat, cultivated, and highly sculpted planting remains clearly seen from any desired vantage point(s) , the options for flowers and plants are diverse and numerous.

knot Gardens

A knot garden is a garden within which plants are trained to grow in very intricate patterns that resemble embroidery patterns or knots. This type of gardening became popular during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, when the English gentry wore garments that were richly adorned with intricately woven embroidery. To reflect the formality and symmetry of the English estates, the first knot gardens were shaped like perfect squares.

Because knot gardens were originally intended to be viewed from ground level as people strolled through the landscape, gardeners avoided using traditional hedgerows to define the geometric proportions of these gardens, because this would create obstructions that would obscure visibility. Instead, they would create square sections of land out of sand or gravel, then plant slow-growing plants so close together they would mesh and intertwine—creating a knotted appearance around which other species could then be introduced.

Originally, knot gardens in England consisted mostly of herbs and small, flowering plants. Almost any kind of herb or flower may have been used at this time provided it created an aroma equivalent to its visual aesthetic. Everything was constantly trimmed to keep the vegetation low-enough to the ground that every element could be clearly seen. Normally too, English gardeners would design these landscapes with entrances and exits that would allow people to stroll right only inches away from the heavy concentrations of lush and fragrant vegetation.

Over the centuries, the basic concept of the knot garden has remained relatively unchanged. However, the Renaissance insistence of the geometry of the perfect square, as well as the aversion to any type of hedging, has given way to a new, more practical aesthetic. This is particularly true in the world of residential landscaping. In most instances, a knot garden on a typical Houston property is one of many unique elements all interrelated to the same comprehensive landscaping plan. As such, knot gardens often intersect with other features on the landscape. You commonly see them around patio areas, along stone walls, and around fountains and sculptures.

Because a modern knot garden is more often a landscaping element rather than the featured center point of a landscape, its shape will often follow whatever earthwork, water feature, or decorative element it is meant to compliment. For example, a knot garden planted that is planted along a stone wall to add a complimentary, organic element to its structure would be rather narrow and rectangular instead of a perfect square. More than likely, too, it would have more flowers than herbs to give the entire scene a splash of many colors, and it would further deviate from the Renaissance by framing the flowers in row of boxwoods trimmed to grow very low to the ground.

Another popular use of the knot garden is to accent statuary or fountains in the center of the yard. Again, the strict linearity of the Old World style gives way to the 20th century aesthetic principle of form following function. Abstract sculptures in contemporary landscapes may use a combination of alternating circular, square, and rectangular trainings to command one’s attention toward the subject in abrupt, incremental steps. Fountains often look much better when surrounded by a circular knot garden as opposed to a rectangular or square one.

Ultimately, however, the shape and contents of such a garden depend greatly on the surroundings at hand and the preferences of the homeowner.

Running Bond Brick Walkway Built in Tanglewood Front Yard Landscaping

We were contacted by a Tanglewood resident who was unhappy with the way her front yard looked. The existing drive was nothing more than a massive concrete slab that took up almost the entire front yard, leaving almost no room for vegetation other than small patches of San Augustine grass. For at least six months out of the year, the grass would die and turn brown, giving the front yard a drab appearance that diminished the Old World architecture of her home. Another major problem with this front yard was a small Magnolia tree growing next to the back wall. If it continued to grow at its present rate, it would begin to push against the bricks and crack the wall over the next few years. The homeowner wanted us to completely change the vegetation and trees in her front yard and replace the bulk of her driveway with a brick walkway. She wanted something more classically European--reminiscent of the horse and carriage days of past centuries.
After careful study of late nineteenth century photographs of brick roads and sidewalks, we decided that the most appropriate pattern for arranging the bricks would be that of a running bond. This pattern involves laying the bricks on their sides so that the narrow parts face upward. It is a very practical style for creating curved walkways that wind in front of homes or bend through gardens. We used some unique construction methods to create this structure and to make it look as historically authentic as possible. We laid down a concrete foundation first in the general shape of the walkway. We did not want to ruin the illusion of antiquity by placing mortar or grout between the bricks, so we spread the mortar over the concrete, and set the bricks with only sand to fill the spaces between them. We sealed the sand with paver seal, so that when it set it created a smooth surface with no cracks or gaps.

Removing the bulk of the driveway had now given us a golden opportunity for landscaping all along the outer edge of the brick walkway and portions of the front yard that were previously dominated by San Augustine grass. The first thing we remove the magnolia tree and plant a line of Japanese yew trees that goes from the street all the way to the wall in the back. This stops the eye from wandering into the neighbor’s yard, and it frames the south side of the landscape with a lush backdrop of dark green. We then varied the color scheme by planting plum delight in front of the Japanese yews. This is a burgundy bush that is very hearty, and maintains its color throughout the year. Boxwoods planted just at the edge of the running bond walkway formed a third layer of vegetation that worked to highlight the bricks like a portrait frame accents a picture, forcing the eye to follow their intricate patterns around the curve to the front of the house. Using boxwoods to frame all or portion of a front yard is a common technique in landscaping. Boxwoods can be used to enclose everything from shrubs to decorative sculptures. When curved, boxwood frames help draw the eye around structures as it did here, where the vegetation keeps the eye moving down the walkway until it lands just square in front of the home.

We then introduced dwarf monkey grass to hide the stalks of the boxwoods and to further frame and highlight the bricks in the sidewalk. We replaced the San Augustine grass throughout the front yard with more drought-resistant zoysia grass. For small front yards, it creates a much plusher lawn that requires little maintenance or rainfall to sustain its emerald color. It also features a much finer blade that encourages you to walk on it.

In the back, on either side of the walkway, we completed our project with a few additional plantings. We introduce camellias to give the home flowers in the winter time between December and February. On the north side of the property, we kept a portion of the original driveway for parking. This left nothing but a small strip of San Augustine between our client’s home and the neighboring property. We planted a linear row of boxwoods and mondo here, and added a row of crepe myrtles to create a natural boundary equivalent to that of the Japanese yews on the other side of the yard.

We completed the project with a full-grown tree on a truck to plant in the very back to balance the expanded front yard and the multiple layers of vegetation that now shaped and contoured the landscape around the running bond brick walkway.

Grass Pool Patio and Landscape Installation in River Oaks

A couple in River Oaks loved the simple life, and they built a Craftsman style home that reflected this. They wanted their home to look austere, and their lawn to resemble a grass courtyard featuring minimal construction and plenty of green space. They asked us to come in and design a custom swimming pool and concealed drainage system that would be fully functional, yet aesthetically harmonious with the intent of the home design.

The front yard of the home bordered a major street and was lush with San Augustine grass. Two massive oaks accentuated the property line near the sidewalk. The only problem with the property was it had no means of draining water. The design of the house itself had also posed a problem with the architect, who had been unable to design standard gutters on the home because of exposed rafters that extended past the sides of the roof. We were asked to develop a drainage system that would move water away from the house and off the property without diminishing the landscaping aesthetic.

We decided to frame the entire yard with a French drain made entirely of gravel. This created the look and feel of a grass courtyard that the homeowners had requested. Aesthetically it consisted of exclusively natural elements that completely concealed their actual function. While appearing to be only decoration, the gravel actually acted to quickly pulls water away from the house and out of the yard any time it rained.

We did something even more unique in the back yard—we built a custom swimming pool surrounded only by a grass courtyard. The only concrete we used was that required to build a low profile coping around the water’s edge. This was because the owners wanted paving kept to a minimum so their children and pets would have plenty of grass to run and play in. We installed the usual pool skimmer throats without lids in order to make the entire construction flush with the grass, and we installed water jets on one side of the pool so water would arch over the top of the water.

We put the finishing touches on our grass courtyard design by planting a number of plant species along the boundaries of both yard areas. We planted boxwoods around the French drain to give it a dark ground cover border, and we interspersed Crepe Myrtles behind the boxwoods for height and floral coloration. Along the far back wall across the pool from the house, we planted Japanese blueberry trees and lit them with concealed luminaires. We also added color to the ground cover with Caladiums and Lantana, and we planted a Star Jasmine to train along the fence between the house and the back wall.

This is one of the most popular custom pool designs ever designed by Exterior Worlds. We believe this is because it combines two very distinctive disciplines—pool construction and landscaping—into a fusion of water and earth.

French landscape design

In 2003, we were contacted by a West Houston couple by the names of John and Jennifer Randall. They had just built a French-style near Piney Point and Memorial. Jennifer a house like this surrounded by a French landscape design in the style of an Old World Estate, and John had always loved the architecture and landscaping designs of his French ancestors.

The first element we created for the Randall’s was a driveway/parking area that ran all the way to the front porch. French homes typically feature paving like this that funs all the way up to the house. When such a driveway area is created with interlocking concrete pavers like we used at the Randall home, it looks much older than it is. It is a very useful tool in making a new construction look more like an estate owned by landed gentry, and provides a good central starting point around which to develop something as intricate as a French landscaping design.

To the side of the driveway, there was an open area that John asked us to do something with that would be both ornamental and functional. He had purchased a boat, and was waiting for a slip to open at the marina. In the meantime, he wanted a place to park it temporarily without just backing it into the grass. We came up with a plan to accommodate the need for temporary storage that would also play a major contributing role in our French landscape design.

Using small dark stones laid down like gravel, we made a small parking area for the boat that was shaped like a horseshoe. We surrounded it with a bright green, scalloped hedge. We planted boxwoods and Holly trees around this hedge, and we them throughout the yard and around the side of the house. This contrast of light and green ground cover is used a great deal in French landscaping design. The varying shades of color to create an unconscious sense of movement which the eye tends to follow. (The temporary parking area was subsequently transformed into decorative space a few months afterward. John moved his boat to Clear Lake, and asked us to come back and install an outdoor sculpture that looked very elegant when placed in center of the parterre garden.)

The elegance of this residence and its French architecture and landscaping design made this home overnight sensation in regards to Piney Point landscaping. To make sure that everyone could see it at night as well as the day, so we contracted a lighting design company to ensure that all important elements of the house and property were fully visible in the dark. Using mercury vapor lights concealed in trees, we created artificial moonlight over the parterre garden and front porch area. To accent the architecture, we used a blend of up lights and down lights, and we further emphasize the front of the home with special façade lighting.

John and Jennifer have since sold the home and moved on to even bigger and better things. However, the home they built and the landscaping they so carefully maintained throughout their stay in Houston has remained a premier attraction for this West Memorial neighborhood.

Heights Landscaping

A Heights family contacted us and hired us to design them an Italian garden with a number of corresponding decorations and functional elements that would support a Classical design theme. The house itself was perfect for this project because it was built with very Old World architecture to begin with. It was a two-story home that had a porch and an upstairs balcony in the front. Stairs led up to the porch, and the windows were decorated with large shutters. Just next to the house grew a very large and stately old oak—ideal for concealing a tree light to illuminate the entire roof of the structure and showcasing throughout the night the European look and feel we intended to create.

The lights that we hid in the oak tree provided more than enough lighting for the roof, balcony, and windows. To light the porch, we concealed fixtures under the eaves to light the walking surfaces, steps, walls, and downstairs windows. In the front area surrounding the oak tree, we planted a small Italian garden with a variety of ground cover plant species, shrubbery, and smaller, ornamental trees. This added an organic feeling to the angular symmetry of the house. We then completed the first phase of our project by placing urns on either side of the stairway leading up to the front porch. This lent a sense of Classical grand entryway that, although technically Roman nonetheless remains consistent with the theme of an Italian garden in form, proportion, and placement.

Because the house itself had been built more toward the front of the lot, there was a great deal of property behind the home that gave us plenty of room to integrate organic, functional, and decorative elements of an Italian garden. The first thing we created for our clients was a planter, built in the shape of a small wall just tall enough to sit on. This wall followed the contour of the rear of the home, and provided both a place to plant greenery, and sufficient room to comfortably sit and have coffee, conversation, or a quick read of the morning paper.

Just beyond this planter, we then built a water fountain in a design consistent with the architecture and general layout of the property. All Italian gardens work to support the linear movement of architecture, so the design we chose was a simple rectangle whose decorative appeal was enhanced with lighting and water jets. In the evening, four water spouts spray upward with the light dancing between them.

To further compliment linear design and right angles, we built a limestone patio around the water fountain. The limestone pavers actually began at the base of the planter, and were slightly sloped on that end toward concealed, 1-inch drain channel to provide water runoff. It was constructed with a blend of hardscape and softscape that created the illusion of it stretching past the fountain and fading away into the grass. This helped the patio blend harmoniously with the Italian cypress we planted in the garden, and complimented the handmade pottery we interspersed among both organic and inorganic designs.

To create a sense of enclosure and destination for our new Italian garden, we built a fully functional garden arbor at the far end of the property. This area had previously been obscured by the unsightly appearance rising out of an adjacent commercial lot behind the property. The new wooden arbor, built over a limestone patio with Permacast columns and a cedar roof, worked to partly block the view of this building. To further draw the eye away from it, we added a rather innovative feature in addition to the standard lighting and ceiling fans we normally build in our arbors. We placed a mirror on the back wall that reflected the patio in front of the arbor and the Italian garden that stretched all the way back to the fountain and the planter. Like all mirrors do, this had the unconscious effect of making the property look a little larger and more self-contained within its own boundaries. Then, to complete the project with an extra touch of comfort and elegance for guests, we decorated the patio and placed chairs and tables in front of the arbor that would give seated guests a good view of the Italian cypress, the fountain, and lighted interior of the arbor.

Unique Landscape Design

What is a unique landscape?

Unusual, not expected, sensational, inspiring, this is our definition of a unique landscape or landscape beauty that elicits a mental/emotional response. Not only beautiful, a unique landscape should fulfill and exceed the requirements and dreams of the client, the site and the home. Design experience, understanding, knowledge of materials and construction methods as well as experience in the execution and maintenance of landscape gardens are what one should look for in a great landscape designer that has the ability to create a unique landscape.

What makes for great design?

The homes relationship with the property and the properties relationship to surrounding homes, easements, streets and trees are the site context. These are the spatial relationships of use areas to include future wants and needs and the sequence of spaces from inside the home to the outside of the home. What is the walk experience from the street to the front door? Is there a clear distinction of spaces or rooms in the back yard and does the space tell you what its use is? Great architecture should articulate space meaning “tell the perceiver were to go and how to travel through the space.” This statement couldn’t be more true for landscape designers in creating a unique landscape.

What does great space have to do with selecting materials and building a garden?

Choosing appropriate hardscape and landscape materials to define space and the garden is were the actual unique garden is created. Materials can have a wonderful blend with architectural materials or contrast them creating a complimentary effect with the home. There are three components of selecting hardscape; patio or deck materials which are scale, color and texture. In regards to scale, you need to know what uses you are intending to accommodate. Color can be used to either compliment the finishes inherent in the home or contrast with it similar to material selection discussed above. Texture is the final detail selection in the hardscape. Textural details can accent back to the architecture. This is done by contrasting materials which define spaces and as a finishing touch add warmth and intimacy. In designing the landscape planting we also utilize the same elements of scale, color and texture. Laying out landscape planting is done much like a painting arranging plantings in groupings and masses with contrasting colors and textures.

Should the landscape style match the style of the house?

The landscape style does not have to be an exact replica of the homes architectural style it can reflect other styles while still being sympathetic to the homes architecture and entries. Regardless of the architectural style the use of space should reflect today’s lifestyles which include integration of indoor and outdoor living spaces. Often times even a classical landscape design or formal landscape design will have a contemporary approach in terms of how the spaces are utilized for today’s busy lifestyles i.e. low maintenance and cleaner finishes. A modern home with its sleek lines often times is not carried out into the garden and the update may include the integration of a true contemprary landscape design. Also a modern home may not take full advantage of the many possibilities to display sculptures and opportunities which are true to the home and its style.

Creating a Unique Landscape Takes Design and Construction Understanding

A unique landscape takes the experience and knowledge of design theory and implementation throughout the selection of materials. It requires an understanding of architecture, design principles, hardscape materials, landscape materials, their installation and construction methods as well as knowledge of landscape maintenance over time. The understanding of site context, the architecture of the home, the client’s wants and needs and the execution of these fundamental elements creates the unique landscape.

Mediterranean landscape design

What are the elements of a Mediterranean landscape design?
For Houstonians longing for the atmospheric qualities of, say, Tuscany or the ancient Greek era, no garden fills that desire like a Mediterranean landscape design. Our clients travel abroad and come home wanting to recreate a setting that they fell in love with in Italy, Morocco, Spain or Greece. At Exterior Worlds, we think every garden should have a bit of fantasy in it.

As the name implies, Mediterranean gardens are dry-climate gardens. Think of the semi-arid, rocky hills of Austin, but with olive groves. These gardens have the same attributes—use of axis, linearity, and central focal points—of formal landscape design. Their most distinguishing feature is in their use of materials; limestone or gravels for pathways, for example. For plants choices, we suggest junipers, Italian cypress, dwarf yaupons and other blue-green or gray plants.

What are the features of a Mediterranean landscape design?
The architecture of the house needs to blend with a landscape done in a Mediterranean theme. You can achieve this goal with the intelligent positioning of a hardscape feature: perhaps a wrought iron garden gate as can be found in Barcelona or a limestone garden arch. Your goal is to create an Old World ambiance.

When working in this style, the home and landscape can be further connected through selective use of plantings. The choice of plants, in fact, is the main definer of this style:
• Herb gardens. Herbs, especially attractive in terra cotta planters, enhance the Italian influence and create enticing smells. Ahhh…basil, rosemary, sage and thyme.
• Vegetable gardens. The original Mediterranean gardens were quite practical and were extensions of the ubiquitous farming cultures. Therefore, a vegetable garden fits right into this landscape, providing sustenance and color.
• Trees and shrubs. Given the sunny climate from which this style arose, it is no surprise that shade is extremely important—making it a natural for Houston. The twists and turns of live oaks are very fitting in this garden. Other tree choices are olive trees, Italian cypress and orange or lemon fruit trees.
• Vines. Use creeping vines like wisteria and grapevines.
For material choices, you can choose among several different notable elements suitable for residential gardens done in the Mediterranean style. To name just a few: stone, weathered bricks, terra cotta tiles, flagstone, tumbled travertine, wrought iron, classical statuary, Roman columns, and wooden beams.

What other elements work in a Mediterranean landscape design?A residential garden done with Mediterranean flamboyance is refined and relaxed, capturing the easy living of the outdoors. In choosing the spaces and hardscapes to further enhance the surroundings, consider these options:
• Outdoor water fountains. Water is a critical part of the Mediterranean lifestyle, so consider fountains that are in a Romanesque, Italianate or rustic style.
• Swimming pools. Within this theme, classic shapes, like squares, rectangles and circles, work well for pools. We often suggest that our clients combine them with an outdoor water fountain.
• Outdoor kitchens. A focal point of outdoor entertainment, a summer kitchen provides a natural gathering place.

We would love an opportunity to consult with you in creating a Mediterranean Garden Design for your Houston backyard. Exterior Worlds has been providing the residential landscape services and garden design services discussed above for the Memorial villages Tanglewood, Bellaire, River Oaks, West University and the greater Houston, area since 1987. Contact us at 713-827-2255

Landscape Achitecture

Whether you are constructing a building or a home, landscape architecture is one of the most commonly overlooked aspects of a project.

You can see it in professionally-designed residential properties, public parks and playgrounds, parkways and golf courses. The principle of landscape architecture is to create spaces that are functional and beautiful. Landscape architects plan the location and the arrangement of outdoor water fountains, garden arbors and gazebos, and swimming pools. They are also focus on designing and developing landscapes that suit the natural environment and conditions.

Who can deliver the landscape plans, documents and designs?
To become a landscape architect usually requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are (2) undergraduate professional degrees: a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) and a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA). Typically, these degrees entail four or five years of study in design, construction techniques, art, history, and natural and social sciences.

For landscape architects seeking advanced degrees, there are two routes. Those who obtain undergraduate degrees in landscape architecture can earn their Masters (MLA) in 2 years. If you hold an undergraduate degree in a field other than landscape architecture and want to go into landscape architecture, the MLA usually requires 3 years of full-time study. In 2007, 61 U.S. colleges offered 79 undergraduate and graduate programs in landscape architecture that were accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Working with home architects, surveyors, engineers and contractors, landscape architects help determine the best arrangement of the property’s elements. Landscape architects, in collaboration with these professionals, create detailed plans indicating new topography, vegetation, walkways, and other landscaping details, such as outdoor kitchens, gate placement and other decorative features.

Landscape architects first study the project as a whole. They think about the wants and needs of the owner and the existing budget. They analyze the natural elements of the site, such as the climate, soil, slope of the land, drainage, and vegetation; examine where sunlight falls on the site at different times of the day and different times of the year; and assess the effect of the existing neighborhood, roads, walkways, and utilities.

The next step in the development is the conceptual design stage that develops out of the meeting notes, site analysis, program of uses, and the architect’s knowledge. At this level, an architect conveys the overall design goals, such as the general use areas and their sizes, material choices, irrigation, drainage systems, turf areas, and plantings. An overall cost estimate is developed from the landscape plan as well.

Once you have decided on the final design esthetic, you are ready to begin the landscaping, development and construction phases. The documentations for these phases include: planting plans, drainage plan, construction details, electrical plans, irrigation plans and a permit set, for presenting to the locate municipalities. These plans also convey final design intent, and construction details which include specifications for materials and their installation.

Exterior Worlds, in business since 1987, provides landscape design and services for residences, commercial buildings and retail centers in the Houston area. Call them at 713-827-2255 to request a consultation or estimate.

Traditional Garden Design

What is Traditional Garden Design?
Rustic classic garden design. Arcadia was a legendary place in Greece known for its quiet garden beauty were Virgil, the Roman poet, described as the home of pastoral simplicity. Natural woodland trees weaving into weathered stone columns and colonnades covered with Wisteria vines and English ivies is the rustic beauty of the classic garden. These ideal and romantic garden settings of the past are a cross between Formal garden design forms, English garden design and have an arid feel likened to Mediterranean gardens.

Classic Garden Design in Houston.
We can look for inspiration in the painters of the 18th century -Ruins of Greek and Roman architecture with garden statues, grottos, temples, water, winding paths, and the surrounding land. The look is natural yet the positioning of every tree, rock, and planting element was placed to present a balanced, harmonious and timeless mood. First, set up the axial paths and open spaces that create structure in the garden. A rustic patio of limestone gravel, step stones, and groundcovers for relaxed entertaining and European contemplation. Elements such as an antique concrete bench weathered or chipped with moss or ferns on it for nostalgia or concrete plinths that terminate at a Texas mountain Laurel or Olive tree in a rustic Gardiner. A natural effect utilizes plants such as Wisteria, agapanthus and lace ferns. At its smallest scale create a weathered vase with a sphere of dwarf yaupon and creeping rosemary and fig ivy covering its curves.
The Rustic Pool-an understated square pool with a Tuscan tan shell. At the waters edge; a simple mixed tile of greens, blues, and browns accented with a bold coping of thick chiseled stone.
Outdoor Water Fountains of Antiquity-An 18 century stone trough that catching the water from iron spout, is a perfect touch for an old world landscape design. Vines can be trained up its edge, which can echo the Italian centuries of long ago.
Arbors, Pergolas, Colonnades and Grottos- similar to English gardens is the opportunity for an arbor or pergola. Concrete pillars covered with a wood pergola, rambling wisteria and star jasmine vines.
Landscape Lighting- Tradition gardens did not have landscape lighting, however given the opportunity to illuminate their gardens, we can be reasonably sure they would. Landscape lighting is a fantastic opportunity to add ambiance and accent statuary for evening drama.
Landscape Maintenance- classic garden maintenance will be critical in keeping the natural yet orderly feel of your garden in check on a regular basis. Regular trimming of vines, fig ivies, and dead heading of roses is a weekly necessity in the classic garden.
Elements of good landscape maintenance:
1. Lawn service
2. Rose maintenance
3. Annual flowers
4. Irrigation inspection
5. Mulching

If you are interested in a traditional garden designs discussed above, Exterior Worlds has been providing high-end landscape services for upscale homes throughout the Houston (Hou) area since 1987. Specializing in Memorial Villages landscaping (Piney Point Village, Bunker Hill Village, Hunter Creek Village, Hedwig Village), Tanglewood, Bellaire, River Oaks and West University. Contact us at 713-827-2255

Classic Landscape Designs

What is Classical Landscape Design?
Thought-out history, a wealthy Roman families would most likely have had a garden surrounding their home. In it, you might find an open-air palazzo, pergola-style structures dripping with vines and blooming flowers, a dining area with couches for relaxation, water features such as an outdoor water fountain or wall fountain, and walkways that led out into the garden proper, perhaps to a prized rosebush or into an olive grove. These are some of the elements characterizing what is now called classical landscape design, also known as traditional landscape design.

Classical landscape design is a sub category of formal landscape design that uses lines and radiuses, to develop an uncluttered look. These lines can be drawn with rows of trees and well-trimmed hedges, perfect plantings for the classical landscape design. Or perhaps a seat wall made of regimented terra cotta tiles can do double-duty. Here and there, vines, such as ivy or wisteria, can soften any harshness. In this regard, this style is similar to the Mediterranean landscape design with its Roman and Greek influences.

What is the history of Classical Landscape Design?Borrowing influences from previous civilizations, classical landscape design solidified in Rome and the surrounding countryside. Villas were built with comfortable courtyards, sparkling with the sound of water, shaded by large trees, fragrant with rosemary and citrus fruits. It was from this setting that we got the term “pleasure garden.”

In the late 1700s, English property owners started looking backwards, past the Baroque period and the Renaissance, to the beginnings of western civilization. There, they found classical landscapes making use of woods, water, indigenous plants and small temples. These elements were incorporated into the gardens of that day, further defining the principles of traditional landscape design.

By the way, when Rome fell to the barbarians, the gardens had become so exquisite that the barbarians chose not to destroy them. Instead they kept them up and learned from them. This development is one of the early examples of how we, as humans, learned that beauty can change the world: it can stop violence. This principle is now being used to good effect in gardens started as rehabilitation projects in prisons, inner cities and ghettos.

What Choices are there in Classical Landscape Design?
As with all landscape design, the architecture of the house needs to be considered when using a traditional landscape design. For this style, the home and landscape can be tied together through the subtle placement of a pathways and patio feature, such as the use of tumbled travertine for the courtyard flooring.

Because of the formal principles inherent in this style, you want to strike a balance when choosing materials between boring blandness and baroque lavishness. Think instead in terms of interesting variety. For instance, well-contained decorative gravel can provide color and texture. Courtyards, pool decking and patios should use materials that are symmetrical, in keeping with the formal style. Stone, terra cotta tiles and flagstone are appropriate choices. Granite benches, concrete grottoes and marble urns add sturdiness and reference antiquities.

Your preference for classical landscape design can also be demonstrated in the plants you choose. Your homes’ garden will be enhanced by fruit trees and other dwarf trees—or perhaps a stand of cypress, mulberry or fig trees. The cheery colors of marigolds, hyacinths and roses are well suited for the classical landscape design. Herbs planted in terra cotta pots scent the air and provide fresh flavor in your outdoor kitchen cooking.

How do hardscapes relate in Classical Landscape Design?
Color, form, line, scale, and texture are your means of expressing classical landscape design preferences just as they are with modern landscape design.
Hardscapes to include:
• Outdoor rooms for outdoor living. These living areas, in effect, make your home bigger. They also serve to create transition areas that connect the indoor and outdoor spaces. Plus, they further the notion that a garden is a place of rejuvenation. In particular, outdoor kitchens are important to the traditional landscape design.
• Water Features. If you remember your ancient world history classes, you know that the Romans perfected the aqueduct. So water is prized within classical landscape design and nothing showcases it like a picture-perfect water feature. Look for fountains in formal, Romanesque, Italianate, Mediterranean and rustic styles. Those made of tile, cast stone, cast iron and concrete work particularly well with this style.
• Luxury swimming pools. When placed within a classical landscape design, the shape of your swimming pool should tend towards basic geometric shapes like rectangles and ovals. Thus, the shape of the pool frames the water and turns it into a classical design element of the landscape. It is often efficient to combine the pool with an water feature to eliminate some maintenance redundancies.
• Landscape lighting. Landscape lighting is another important element of traditional landscape design as it creates ambiance and lets you enjoy the outdoors, night and day.

Can I get a Classical Landscape Design in a Houston Setting?
“We implemented a classical landscape design for one of our Houston clients, whose home was French Country. For the garden, we chose a design that closely resembles a famous garden in Florence,” says Jeff Halper with Exterior Worlds. “The landscape design makes good use of gravel and limestone, which looks very natural in a Houston garden. And we planted boxwoods, which we trim and shape regularly as part of a well-thought-out residential landscape maintenance plan. It is a lovely and relaxing space.”

Call Exterior Worlds to put the principles of classical landscape design to work in your residential garden—713-827-2255.