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FeedA Natural Wonder
Outdoor living space relies on the beauty of Mother Nature
After living in this brick, Georgian-style home for over 20 years, this South Tampa couple was ready for a landscape change. They had renovated a rear screened porch into a lovely, spacious family room but the wife generally kept the wood shutters on the windows closed to block the uninspiring view. “It was just weeds and grass back there and I didn’t want to just resod and throw some flowers in. If we were going to do something, I wanted to do the whole thing,” the homeowner says. This is where Kim Levell of Levell Design came into the picture.
Determining what is important
This project was a meeting of the minds that nearly didn’t happen. The homeowner had spoken to three other companies before finding out about Levell through a family member. Once they had met, they knew it was the right fit.
“I am an exterior designer,” Levell says. “Like interior design, it is really about space planning. ‘Where are we going to sit?’, ‘Where are we going to cook?’, ‘Where do we want to read or relax with a glass of wine and how do we get there?’ It is about delineation and functionality but it is also about feeling. In a well-designed space, you don’t consciously notice it but everything has its place. Even the table setting is designed specifically for this space.”
With the homeowner’s enthusiastic blessings, Levell went on to redesign not only the entire backyard living space, but the front as well to create a total transformation of the property.
Elegant outdoor rooms
The brick walls and white trim of this lovely, older, two-story home, set the tone of the garden design. Levell took cues from these strong, formal design elements, as well as the home’s interior design, to create the back yard. The final result is a home and garden that fits just as comfortably in Charleston, South Carolina as in Tampa, Florida.
“The project was a complete remodel,” she says, adding that she completely reworked the front of the house to serve as a design bridge to the rear of the home. “When designing a project, I look at the style of the home, intuitively get to know the homeowner and study their interior style.”
In this project, the homeowner had a strong idea of what elements she wanted including a trellis, a cooking area, a rose garden and a place to read but she was not sure how to make it work since the back yard is a relatively small space.
An existing driveway and separate brick garage structure were two permanent features that had to be worked into the design. To begin the transition, brick pillars topped by lushly planted black urns flank the driveway approach to the rear of the home. This element is repeated along with a custom designed iron gate at the approach to the garden proper. A small rose garden lining the driveway thrives in the full sun.
Entering the back garden is like stepping into a private Charleston garden. Brick paths lead to a raised gazebo with a comfortable shaded seating arrangement. Levell designed this area so it would be both beautiful to look at from the house, and provide lovely views for those using it. “Wherever you look, it is a pretty picture,” she says.
White trellises covered with climbing vines make a shady covered walkway from home to gazebo. Separate brick pathways lead to the adjacent cooking area with its own patio and seating. Even the narrow “dead space” along side of the home where the air conditioners sit, has been beautified. A black iron gate creates formal separation from the outdoor kitchen. A neutral green divider wall hides the actual AC units, while a meandering path of paver stones lead the eye down a wandering path. This area also doubles as a dog run for canine visitors.
To the back of the garden, the large brick patio features a trickling wall fountain and an outdoor dining table partially protected by the shade of a large oak tree. Additional seating with brightly colored cushions ties the space together. Much of the outdoor furniture belonged to the homeowner already and was supplemented by pieces chosen by Levell. All the cushions were reupholstered with outdoor, acrylic fabrics made to withstand the rigors of outdoor life.
A place for everything
The brick garage wall is accented with a black iron trellis and a custom-built window box planter. Raised planting beds host a bank of white blooming spath lilies. Even the rear of the garage has been utilized—this potting and storage area features a handsome painted potting bench and the crushed stone bed used here was deliberately dug lower to provide a large drainage area for the patios. Less attractive, but necessary, gardening items are discreetly tucked behind a wood panel. Additionally, fast-growing, weeping podocarpus were used to create an attractive green privacy hedge above the rear brick perimeter walls.
Low maintenance plants such as weeping podocarpus, confederate jasmine, Japanese boxwood, and iris are used as structural plantings and to add softness to the garden. Attractive container plantings add unique, eye-catching points of interests. While black metal urns are used for continuity in several areas of this garden, other container plantings in complementary textures and materials are used to create an eclectic look. Glossy black ceramic pots punctuate the gazebo seating area. All the pots are set up with drip irrigation for regular watering though some full sun areas may need supplementing.
Protecting Mother Earth
At only two years old, this garden is now well established. “I use full-sized plants for an ‘instant impact’ garden,” Levell explains. While she originally designed the pots, the homeowner has become very adept at creating beautiful combinations on her own.
Levell travels the country attending garden shows and visiting growers and suppliers to look for new design ideas and better ways to plant. One of her discoveries used in this garden is EuroGrout. This water-permeable product looks like regular grout but allows rainwater to seep through into the ground. This both reduces the risk of pooling water and protects the roots of surrounding trees.
“I’ve become a big proponent of using organic microbials to beef up the good nematodes,” Levell says. “It’s nature feeding nature.”
Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that occur naturally in soil. Some nematodes, which thrive in Florida’s sandy soil, cause damage to plants root systems while beneficial nematodes can help enrich the soil and reduce destruction caused by grubs, mites and insects.
Levell also uses an organic “tea” called Fulvic Bloom to promote plant growth and says she is transitioning to several green products in this garden.
What was once a barren space of dry grass and weeds is now a lush, beautiful southern courtyard with plenty of places to relax, garden and play. It is a wonderful change for this homeowner who used to keep the blinds shut to block the view; now she never wants to come in the house.
Resources:
Landscape design: Kim Levell; Furnishings: Lane Venture Cuddle Chairs; K&F mosaic table; Brown Jordan tables and seating sets
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