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A well-known
resident of River Oaks contacted us and asked us if we could
harmoniously blend the organic and inorganic components of her
landscape into a design that would complement the classical
architecture of her house and exterior masonry. We immediately
noticed that the symmetry of her three-story house, and the fine
linear designs of the yard and surrounding stonework, were also
two very key elements used in Italian gardening. We shared this
insight with the homeowner, who agreed that such a design would
work very well for what she had in mind.
We began by working on the walkway that ran from the sidewalk up
to the front of the house. This walkway curved in from the
sidewalk between two small stone walls and converged in a series
of very small, ascending steps reminiscent of those in a
staircase. This gave us an opportunity to establish an immediate
sense of formal entryway by framing the front of the walkway
with Agapanthus and a number of other perennial and flowering
plant species that bloom in seasonal cycles throughout the
spring and summer. We framed the flowering plants with boxwoods
to create an organic enclosure whose angular symmetry and
self-containment speak to essence of an
Italian garden.
At the other end of the walkway, where the steps ascended to the
porch, the walkway widened symmetrically and intersected on one
side with the motor court. This proportional
stonework was almost like the design of a planter, and
provided us with an additional opportunity for planting a number
of colorful plant species. We deliberately used annuals such as
snapdragons in order to create an entirely new set of floral
patterns that would change colors with the coming of each new
spring. As we had done in the front, we then framed the flowers
with boxwoods that were planted in rows and intersecting right
angles. This served to frame the flowers with an organic
enclosure consistent with the balance and angular symmetry of
Italian garden design.
The thee-story house itself was a classical element in its own
right. It rose up from the landscape to a height nearly
equivalent to its width. Its architecture featured both
Renaissance and Roman elements that gave it a very old, stately
European sensibility. Its windows were shaped like tall arches,
and its third floor was ornamented by a balcony that
geometrically complimented the entirety of the structure and the
roof above it. We added pots and planters to this area to create
an outdoor garden on the patio, along with an irrigation system
that would minimize the need for constant maintenance. Then, to
draw the eye upward to the patio garden, we planted two Italian
cypress trees, one on either side of the house, whose height
added a sense of continued vertical movement upward. We kept the
vegetation in the very front of the house to a minimum. This was
done both to maintain the aesthetic of the windows, and also to
allow people within the home to better see out of the windows.
To make certain that both vegetation and architectural
highlights were clearly visible at night, we installed Façade
lights and lit the Italian cypress trees with Mercury vapor
lights. We also lit two very tall oak trees growing on either
side of the walkway near the sidewalk. This maintained the sense
of a grand entryway after sunset. We deliberately took a
minimalist approach to lighting the front of the home, using
illumination only to accent the Italian garden elements of the
landscape, and letting the remainder of the light come through
the windows from the interior of the home.
After we completed the front area, we turned our attention to
the side of the house. This area was quite unique in that it was
a yard that was completely covered by masonry. Its linear
proportions and right angles framed the
luxurious pool with an exquisitely formal sense of symmetry.
The geometry was ideal to create a
small Italian garden on the far side of the pool, and
required only a few basic elements to add this organic
aesthetic. We planted a row of Holly trees on the far side of
the pool, and lit them with concealed fixtures. We mounted an
Italian cherub in the center of the pool wall, lighting it with
special sculpture lights, and balancing its presence as a center
piece with handmade Italian pottery placed on either side of the
pool wall.
This effectively turned what had been empty space on the far
side of the pool into a mini-garden area that functioned as a
decorative, living wall of green that enclosed the entire patio
and provided complete seclusion and privacy to the homeowner and
her guests.
For more the 20 years
Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's
fine neighborhoods.
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