I get the opportunity to design many gardens for many different reasons. Sometimes the parameters are set by owners, sometimes they have to meet strict standards set by a public entity. It is always fun to have a limited pallet to work with. Recently I was asked to design a buffer between a new house and the shoreline using only native plants. Restrictions about shoreline plantings are becoming more stringent in our area and many different city departments have a say in what you can plant so that makes it challenging. Because of this it is always a good idea to hire a landscape designer to help with this type of challenge.
The owners originally hired an engineer to design the plan for the buffer area. However, the plantings that the engineer had planned would eventually have obscured the view to the water. After all the reason for building a house by the water is for the view! Instead of having large trees across the shoreline I pushed the larger trees and shrubs on the edges of the property and gathered lower native plants towards the center. A bench at the end of the path near the edge of the bank gives a place to sit and watch the changing sea. The required split rail fence along the edge of the bank is a low barrier to keep people from getting to close to the edge and falling. Planting native Elymus grass helps to hold the bank and give great movement and color.
Using a mixture of herbaceous and evergreen low growing plants helps with the preserving the view to the water. Sedums, grasses, and camas line the pathway to the bench. Take a look at the plant list below which represents the required plant quantities and the percentages of evergreen and deciduous for the space.
Do you have special challenges with your garden?
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