Spanish Colonial Revival Garden
Wisconsin, USA
The clients who are skilled gardeners and landscapers required a bit of inspiration for their front garden planting bed and side garden pergola – which they went on to plant and build themselves over the pandemic. After the removal of a dying Elm in the front garden, the large lawned area felt bare and the clients wanted planting that would bring colour and attract wildlife without being too formal or high maintenance with the idea it would be developed over time. The new planting scheme takes inspiration from local wildflower meadows found in Wisconsin and naturalistic planting styles where native grasses intermix with annuals and flowering perennials.
Illustrations showing the proposed new planting throughout the seasons helped the clients visualise how the naturalistic planting would look in summer while in bloom and during the dormant winter months. The bulk of the maintenance happens in Spring and in Autumn with weeding throughout the Spring and Summer. Many of the grasses and annual seedheads are left intact over the winter period and no doubt will look stunning with frost and snow.
Nicotiana was planted near the bedroom windows and are the client’s favourite plant with its jasmine-like scent that fills the lower ground bedrooms on summer evenings!
A tiered pergola with zinc roof provides a shady retreat during the hot summer months. String lights create a cosy area to sit in the evenings.
Features
- Expansion of existing front garden planting bed to reduce the size of the large lawned area
- Naturalistic block planting of ornamental grasses, colourful perennials, and self-seeding annuals
- Scented Nicotiana as feature self-seeding annual
- Planting to attract insects
- A tiered pergola stained brown with zinc roof and string lights
