Landscape Design
Patio of the Week
Yard of the Week: A Serene, Plant-Filled Backyard Sanctuary
Stone paths and colorful perennial gardens connect a pool, fire pit lounge and dining area in Maryland
Craving expansive outdoor living spaces beyond their tired pool deck, a family near Baltimore happily turned their backyard over to the team at the Pinehurst Landscape, who brought the design by landscape architecture firm Campion Hruby to life.
“The pool deck was too small for the clients’ needs and [was] enclosed by a large brick wall,” Pinehurst president Ted Carter says. “They wanted us to create a larger, more dynamic space for dining, lounge furniture and a fire pit. Overall, they wanted some connectivity to the whole space.”
“The pool deck was too small for the clients’ needs and [was] enclosed by a large brick wall,” Pinehurst president Ted Carter says. “They wanted us to create a larger, more dynamic space for dining, lounge furniture and a fire pit. Overall, they wanted some connectivity to the whole space.”
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Gravel Dining Patio
The homeowners wanted a designated space for dining, and the new gravel patio provides just the spot. Existing Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) surround the dining area, with new plantings of catmint (Nepeta sp.), peony, coral bells (Heuchera sp.) and beardtongue (Penstemon sp.) plantings filling in.
The steppingstones seen here lead to the new fireside lounge patio.
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The homeowners wanted a designated space for dining, and the new gravel patio provides just the spot. Existing Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) surround the dining area, with new plantings of catmint (Nepeta sp.), peony, coral bells (Heuchera sp.) and beardtongue (Penstemon sp.) plantings filling in.
The steppingstones seen here lead to the new fireside lounge patio.
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Bluestone Patio and Fire Pit Lounge
The homeowners wanted a defined 4-by-4-foot area with a fire pit and seating at the edge of the dry-laid bluestone patio, overlooking the lawn, Carter says.
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The homeowners wanted a defined 4-by-4-foot area with a fire pit and seating at the edge of the dry-laid bluestone patio, overlooking the lawn, Carter says.
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“It’s a pleasant place to view and enjoy the open area,” Carter says. The fire feature is made of Maryland fieldstone constructed on a concrete base, with tumbled lava rock sitting on top of the fireplace burner.
10 Things to Know About Buying a Fire Pit for Your Yard
10 Things to Know About Buying a Fire Pit for Your Yard
Revamped Pool Deck
The pool sits just past the new fire pit lounge area. The existing hot tub adjacent to the pool was left intact, but the paving was reconfigured to make the space more functional. “We had to pour more concrete on both sides of that pool and then take every other stone along that demolished edge out so that when we laid the new Pennsylvania bluestone in, it matched the existing pattern,” Carter says, adding that now it looks “like it’s always been there.”
The pool sits just past the new fire pit lounge area. The existing hot tub adjacent to the pool was left intact, but the paving was reconfigured to make the space more functional. “We had to pour more concrete on both sides of that pool and then take every other stone along that demolished edge out so that when we laid the new Pennsylvania bluestone in, it matched the existing pattern,” Carter says, adding that now it looks “like it’s always been there.”
A new cedar pergola offers some welcome shade over the poolside lounge area on sweltering summer days. “We used oversized cedar, which we call rough-cut because it hasn’t been planed, so it has a more rustic look and is very pretty,” Carter says. “We also mounted some hidden lighting in the joists of the pergola, so that during the evening, there’s soft lighting that shoots down upon the coffee table and love seats.”
His crew also installed a 60-foot-long custom iron fence with two metal gates to ground the space. Two steppingstone pathways connect the bluestone patio to the renovated pool deck.
His crew also installed a 60-foot-long custom iron fence with two metal gates to ground the space. Two steppingstone pathways connect the bluestone patio to the renovated pool deck.
Bluestone Terracing
The team installed long stair treads leading from the patios down to the lawn area, to create interesting levels as well as depth and dimension. “We pour lines of concrete, and then take several bluestones and turn them up on their ends and set them in a mortar bed, so it reveals the riser of the step is bluestone,” Carter says.
The team installed long stair treads leading from the patios down to the lawn area, to create interesting levels as well as depth and dimension. “We pour lines of concrete, and then take several bluestones and turn them up on their ends and set them in a mortar bed, so it reveals the riser of the step is bluestone,” Carter says.
Colorful Perennial Plantings
A dynamic perennial garden was also high on the clients’ must-have list, so the team planted large swaths of bright purple catmint and ‘Blue Hill’ sage (Salvia x sylvestris ‘Blue Hill’) for seasonal impact. These late-spring- and summer-blooming flowers give the homeowners an enjoyable view when they’re out near the pool during summer, Carter says.
“We have a good combination of grasses, perennials and a little bit of shrubbery in certain spots to create some structure. Then there’s a series of six serviceberry [Amelanchier sp.] trees that we installed in a grid pattern to eventually create shade for the various seating areas,” he adds.
A dynamic perennial garden was also high on the clients’ must-have list, so the team planted large swaths of bright purple catmint and ‘Blue Hill’ sage (Salvia x sylvestris ‘Blue Hill’) for seasonal impact. These late-spring- and summer-blooming flowers give the homeowners an enjoyable view when they’re out near the pool during summer, Carter says.
“We have a good combination of grasses, perennials and a little bit of shrubbery in certain spots to create some structure. Then there’s a series of six serviceberry [Amelanchier sp.] trees that we installed in a grid pattern to eventually create shade for the various seating areas,” he adds.
Plantings in this part of the garden include boxwood shrubs, ‘Ice Dance’ sedge (Carex ‘Ice Dance’), ‘Husker Red’ foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon ‘Husker Red’), peonies and various coral bells, geraniums and roses.
The clients preferred a perennial garden that wouldn’t require too much maintenance, so the crew planted ‘October Skies’ aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘October Skies’), beardtongue and germander (Teucrium sp.) beneath the serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.) trees.
The planting design has been adjusted and revised since the project was completed, and the team is proud of its evolution. “We still maintain the property, and we’re always tweaking and moving things around,” Carter says. “There has been some editing and some simplifying of the combinations, and we’ll keep evolving.” He adds that the homeowners are very happy with the outcome.
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Yard at a Glance
Location: Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland
Size: 5,000 square feet (465 square meters); 50 by 100 feet
Who lives here: A couple with three college-age children
Landscape architect: Campion Hruby Landscape Architects
Landscape contractor: Pinehurst Landscape
Carter’s team revamped and expanded the property’s poolside patio and also created two new outdoor rooms: a dry-laid Pennsylvania bluestone patio for lounging, seen here in the background, and a gravel dining patio framed with bluestone borders set in concrete, seen in the foreground. With bluestone in both spaces, “there’s some continuity with the materials,” Carter says.
He adds that the homeowners wanted each patio to have a distinct look. “Now those patios are connected to one another through bluestone steppingstones,” he says.