HGTV's Dream Home 2004 Landscape

The house is magnificent--a three-story Victorian-inspired home complete with a tower that soars to 45 feet. From there you can see storied Cumberland Island. From the back deck and much of the house, there's a sweeping view of the Georgia salt marshes. Adjacent to Point Peter Creek near the Intracoastal Waterway, the marsh is everything you'd want it to be--a seemingly endless sea of grasses waving in the gentle winds, birds floating on the ribbons of water. A boat dock, topped with a screen room, caps the scene. This is HGTV's 2004 Dream Home.

One might think that with a view that beautiful plus water access, it almost wouldn't matter what the landscaping looks like. But landscape architect Peter Langham found a way to give this house the setting it deserves, tying the house into the landscape and providing a seamless transition from landscape to marsh. In fact, he even improved the view from the house, suggesting at the early planning stages that the house be angled slightly on the lot so as to give full view of Point Peter Creek. He also raised the front yard to strengthen the view to the marsh beyond the home.

Although he infused drama into the landscape with three large pindo palms at the driveway entrance and an expansive lawn of St. Augustine grass flowing beneath live oaks, Langham's design is simple, intended to blur the line between the yard and the neighboring marsh. Black-needle rush and ornamental grasses such as miscanthus and crown grass harmonize with the multi-hued marsh grasses. Wax myrtles, 'Nellie R. Stevens' hollies, tea olives, Japanese yews and pineapple guava provide a buffer for the adjacent lot.

"This is a place I could live in," says Langham. "It's wonderful. You get the breezes, the salt from the marsh, the spectacular views, and this wonderful architecture that's been carefully positioned on the site to maximize the views."

With the simple, natural landscaping, the house, lawn and marsh come together as one. "The most important thing we try to do in our designs is create a sense of space and a place for the architecture. In this site, we have this beautiful marsh and beautiful house, so we wanted everything to blend together, to feel comfortable. It has the character and warmth a Dream Home should have."

Pindo palm (Butia capitata). A feather-leafed palm, the pindo palm has arching blue-green fronds whose upward-pointing leaflets form a V-shape. The trunk has thick, overlapping arched stubs curved outwards. Small (one-inch) round fruits taste a little like pineapple. Mature height of the pindo palm is about 15 feet. Zones 8 to 10b.

Live oak (Quercus virginiana). The state tree of Georgia and a landmark specimen in many southern coastal areas, the live oak may live many centuries, becoming a massive and picturesque tree with a broad canopy. New leaves are olive green. Mature size varies from 40 to 80 feet tall and 60 to 100 feet wide. Zones 7 to 10.

Pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana). This fast-growing evergreen shrub or small tree bears one- to three-inch-long fruits that taste like pineapple and spearmint. Mature size of the shrub: 10 to 15 feet high and 10 feet wide. Pruning is required to encourage dense growth. Zones 8 to 10.

Waxleaf privet (Ligustrum lucidum). A fast-growing evergreen shrub that's common in southern landscapes, waxleaf privet can serve as a great privacy screen. Whitish flowers appear in late spring, and blue-black berries develop later. Unpruned, it can reach 50 feet tall with substantial girth.

Wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera). A beautiful, wisp, broadleaf evergreen, the wax myrtle is tolerant of poor, sandy soils and salt air. In spring the new growth has a bayberry-like scent. Defoliates at 0 degrees.

Fragrant tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans). A large shrub or small tree, the fragrant tea olive bears small white fragrant flowers in spring. Mature height: 20 to 30 feet tall. Zones 8 to 10.

Japanese yew (Podocarpus macrophyllus 'Maki'). An upright columnar shrub or tree, the Japanese has long dark green needle-like leaves. Reddish berries in fall. Slow grower to 20 to 35 feet tall and 10 to 18 feet wide. Zones 8 to 10.

'Nellie R. Stevens' holly (Ilex) 'Nellie R.Stevens'). A vigorous, relatively fast-growing holly that's often used for screening, 'Nellie R. Stevens' is the best holly for use in the South. Leaves are lustrous dark green and have two or three points on each side. Round red berries in fall. Mature size: 15 to 25 feet tall.

'Radicans' gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides 'Radicans'). A graceful evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green leaves, this small gardenia bears small, fragrant white double flowers. Mature size: two to three feet tall and a slighter wider spread. Zones 7b to 10.

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). A plant that's native to the southern coastal plains, the saw palmetto often forms a groundcover beneath tall pines. Clumps of blue-green palmate fronds appear close to the ground. Grow in full or partial sun. Mature size: three to six feet. Zones 8 to 10.

Dwarf yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'). The standard yaupon holly is a small tree, usually about 15 to 20 feet tall. 'Nana' is a dwarf form, growing very slowly and averaging three to five feet tall and six to eight feet wide. Leaves are small, lustrous and dark green. Zones 7 to 10.

Sago palm (Metroxylon sagu). A large clumping palm which feels at home in the rainforest, the sago palm has a tall broad trunk and upright featherlike leaves. Give the sago palm full sun and copious amounts of water. Grows slowly to 10 feet tall and eight feet wide.

'Adagio' maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensus 'Adagio'). The plumes of this cultivar are pinkish in late summer and turn white as they age. Narrow blades give this ornamental grass a fine texture. Mature height of 'Adagio' is about one to three feet tall. Zones 6 to 9.

Black needle rush (Juncus roemerianus). This salt-tolerant grass spreads via rhizomes to form a five-foot-tall groundcover in marshy areas.

Crown grass (Paspalum quadreifarium). A coarse-appearing grass (blades are fairly wide), this ornamental grass grows to about three to four feet high and wide. Zones 7 to 10.

Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora). This beautiful evergreen fern needs a shady location. New growth is reddish-bronze, eventually becoming medium to dark green. Mature size: 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide. Zones 5 to 8.

Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum). A vigorous groundcover, Asiatic jasmine (also called Japanese star jasmine) has small leaves and yellowish-white flowers in spring. Grows equally well in sun and shade. (Other groundcovers: St. Augustine grass and pinestraw)

Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). This twining evergreen vine (also called star jasmine) bears fragrant creamy-white flowers in late spring. It can also be used as a groundcover. Give it shade. Zones (7) 8 to 10.

Blue lily of the Nile (Agapanthus africanus). Blue flower clusters appear throughout the growing season atop three-foot stems. Herbaceous. Zones 8 to 11.

White African iris (Dietes vegeta). White flowers with blue and yellow markings appear atop two- to three-foot stems. Herbaceous. Zones 8 to 10.

—Watson Hawkins, HGTV Dream Home editor, and Marie Hofer, Gardening editor, HGTV.com