APLD ~ APLD Members ~ Member of the Month

APLD Members ~ Member of the Month

Ruth Bowers
Featured Member, APLD Website, November 2006

Site Constraints- Stone Solutions

This is a tale of two sites. In each case, a key portion of the property was essentially unusable because of problematic site conditions. For each property, the design resolution replaced unusable space with inviting outdoor areas where people readily go to enjoy the surroundings.

First case. The gracious colonial home had a spacious front yard, but a back yard which, though very private and boasting beautiful views into adjoining woods, was nonetheless unused because a steep slope began 6’ to 10’ out from the house and the property line was not far beyond Construction of stone retaining walls made it possible to install two patios, one formal (and wet laid) for dining and one informal (and dry laid) for lounging, reading, perhaps just gazing.

The existing rather stingy deck and steps were removed ; the replacement is larger and provides a more graceful transition between house and patio and garden.

The only large tree on the rear property (not in the adjoining woods) was retained and became a pivot and a link between the two patios.

Additional access to the patios is via serpentine stone steps from the parking area, out of view to the side. Plantings, predominantly native, are acid-loving, shade tolerant, and deer resistant. The owner adds annuals. The redesign of this area has provided the owners with a very inviting, multi-function, multi-mood space. This back yard is now in constant use.

Second case. The rear corner of the property, the convergence of a narrow side yard and a small back yard, additionally burdened by being nearly 7 feet below the door of the house, was slightly more inviting than being at the bottom of a pit. The design solution opened the space to the fullest extent possible with freestanding stone walls along portions of the rear and side property lines and a stone retaining wall on the house side.

A bluestone patio fills the majority of the space delineated by the walls. A generously proportioned ipe staircase provides an easy flow of traffic between house and patio and also partially divides the patio into two linked but distinct areas. Although the bluestone extends from wall to wall sideways, the patio is invitingly plant enclosed due to mature trees nearby, a mature dogwood retained in the center of the patio, planting space between the patio and the rear wall, and the garden to the front of the patio.

The space works well both as a quiet retreat (the walls enclose) and as an entertainment area (the walls provide additional seating). Formerly an unused liability in the landscape, the area is now the hub of the garden, the place where people want to be.

The moral of these two tales : Site constraints are our challenge and our inspiration. They are the raw materials with which we work as much as plants, stone, water and our design ideas. In these two cases, thinking about the qualities and capabilities of stone led to the final designs. It is the stone, in turn, that largely contributes to the timeless and peaceful qualities of the resulting spaces.

Designer Bio

Ruth E. Bowers has been designing and installing gardens for nearly 20 years. She holds masters degrees in English literature and botany and a certificate in landscape design from the New York Botanical Garden. She has been a certified member of APLD since 1993. She has served on the Environmental Committee of APLD and was a founding member of the Shade Tree Advisory Committee in her hometown, serving as either chair or co-chair for ten years and as a regular member for many more. Her new company, Linnaea Design, LLC was formed in 2005.

Ms. Bowers’ first loves in horticulture and design are native plants, woodland and shade gardens, natural materials and natural style, but she works happily with the modern, the traditional, the formal and the quirky as well. Her years of studying, visiting and creating gardens have confirmed the belief that these elements are essential for a successful garden :

1) the garden must be responsive to the owners’ aesthetic and functional requirements, and

2) it must be appropriate to the home it enhances with respect to both architecture and setting.

Looking to the patterns of nature for inspiration, referring to garden history for traditions, and responding to the style of each home and the desires of the owners for directives, Ms. Bowers’ priority is to design and install gardens that will provide inspiration, solace, and utility, and that will be used and loved for many years.

Ruth Bowers can be reached at linnaeadesign@gmail.com.

Certified Members seeking to be profiled should send before and after photos with SHORT design intent statement to:

Bethany Dennis
APLD Communications Manager
Email: communications@apld.org
Phone: 717-238-9780

* PHOTOS SHOULD BE CLEAR COLOR PRINTS OR JPEG COMPRESSED FILES