This small, informal design for a Rome, GA residence was such a treasure to work on. The client wanted something they could DIY over time. They wanted food, not just for themselves, but to share with all of their neighbors — humans and birds and pollinators.
A public-oriented entrance will be located on the north side, where there’s easy access for wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility supports from the road. This entrance will be dressed up with blueberries flanking the sides and will lead to more fruit, like figs, raspberries, and kiwi vines, plus vegetable beds. Wide mowed paths (4-5’+) allow ample room for any body. On the west side of the property, a river birch will provide year-round interest. It’s a keystone species, meaning it serves as a host plant to hundreds of butterfly and moth species, who will love all of the flowers, and whose caterpillars will feed baby birds. Heading south on the lot, there’s more fruit: serviceberries, a mulberry, chickasaw plums, plus room for more. Pawpaws and red chokeberries sit in an area where water collects and drainage is an issue, and they will look exceptional together in their golden- and crimson-colored fall foliage glory. A privacy screen will buffer the intersection and possumhaw hollies add seasonal interest and good bird food. St John’s Wort sits at the driveway because the client loves yellow, and it’s so cheerful.
I gave the client options for perennials in different locations based on conditions to provide cheerful flowers and food for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. This gives her agency to pick some of the plant palette and the precise locations to plant in existing beds with existing plants. Less formal designs, like this one, sketched over good quality base maps with room for the client to make autonomous, well-informed decisions make designs more affordable (they require less time). Just like there’s a time and place for formal designs meant to be installed in one fell swoop, there’s a time and place for designing for slower time and gardener agency. I love working on both. I feel so lucky to have worked on a property for such a thoughtful and caring client.
