Nature Refined: An Ecological Garden in a Formal Setting
Designer: Barbara Popolow
Referred to us by a retired landscape designer, this lovely Belmont couple had nearly finished rebuilding a home on a property where the husband had been raised. They asked for a contemporary design that was in harmony with the mid-century modern feel of their home and were excited to focus on plants that provide food and shelter to birds and native insects.
The home contractor had installed a patio and walkway, and just a few plants remained in the yard along with a heap of construction debris. Designer Barbara Popolow was tasked with incorporating the patio into a more inviting and usable backyard, adding plants all around the exterior of the home, and screening along the street front and the neighbor’s property.
Now the property boasts a wealth of native plants in generous beds, reducing the lawn by about seventy-five percent. The front of the house acknowledges the more traditional neighborhood plantings, with a mix of small evergreens, flowers, and ground cover. A hedge of low-growing sumac will fill in over the years, creating a dense border emphasizing the home’s horizontal lines.
Anchoring the substantial corner bed is a river birch with ample room to stretch out. Winterberry holly creates a natural boundary leading into the backyard with a formal layout including a small grassy rectangle for play and visual enjoyment. Two trees, a dogwood and a redbud are placed at each end of this formal area, with serviceberries, arborvitae, native grasses, inkberry holly, evening primrose, chokecherry, viburnum, and many other shrubs and perennials creating four seasons of enjoyment for humans and wild critters.
