Italian Inspired Formal Garden

After the children had grown up and the clients developed other interests, it was time for the tennis court to go. But what to put in its place? We suggested an Italian inspired formal garden to compliment the recently remodeled home, which now boasts a Mediterranean theme.

A post and beam structure became the feature of the garden. Its size was developed in response to not only the space, but also to the views from the house, which stands 150' away, across a pond. Its shape came about by way of hosting a destination bench beneath the shade of an arbor.

In order to better appreciate the design from across the pond, the previously flat, tennis court space was tilted, raising the arbor and sloping the garden towards the water. Granite cubes are used to create a raised planter on the higher side of the garden, about the structure, adding dimension.

Classic, traditional, historical lines, curves and axes navigate throughout. Spaces become stages for plants and ornaments alike. Being an "up north" property, trees, shrubs and perennials undesirable to deer were selected. European concrete planters provide seasonal color atop granite pedestals. Bronzed metal birdbaths invite feathered friends. Deliberately, exact center of the garden was left unidentified, so as to not compete with the arbor structure, the star of the show.