The Southwest, Anywhere
You don't have to live in the Southwest to have a beautiful southwestern-themed garden.
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No matter where you live, you can incorporate the elements of Southwest-garden design into your garden.You don't have to live in the Southwest to have a beautiful southwestern-themed garden. By combining river rock in soft desert hues with an array of complementary-colored plants, landscape designer Wesley Wall merged two very different elements for one unconventional effect — a beautiful southwest courtyard garden in the heart of middle Tennessee. The catch — the plants he chose are suited to the area's warm, moderately humid climate. With more than 40 varieties and 300 plants, plus a fountain, homeowners Carol and Lee Duckwiler's courtyard and its surrounding garden beds are sure to leave a lasting impression.
Wall worked closely with the Duckwilers to ensure that the garden would remain consistent with the integrity of their southwestern-style home. They wanted to design a space that not only reflects the nontraditional structure but also showcases the home without compromising the natural beauty of its surroundings. And although this eccentric courtyard breaks many traditional design rules, Wall offers a few suggestions to capture the essence of two contrasting landscapes while maintaining unity and balance in the garden:
He paired the river rock with the deciduous azalea 'Dawn's Glory', which has orange flowers in the spring, and autumn fern (Dryopteris erythorosora), which has bronzy new growth.
The delicate pink flowers of Erodium reichardii 'Bishop's Form' accent the contrasting iris moss (Sagina subulata), which features tiny white flowers during spring or summer, and the dark green of cypress spikemoss (Selaginella plana). Add plants with multiseason interest such as rockspray cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis), which has pink flowers in spring, red berries in summer and colorful fall foliage.
Caution: If you're using a lot of stone in a sunny garden, be sure to select plants that can take the heat that usually accumulates. Plants like rhododendrons wouldn't be able to take the deadly combination of sun, heat and drought. Instead, use drought- and heat-tolerant plants such as barberries, santolina, succulents, some penstemons, etc.
Photographs by Rochelle Duckwiler and Marie Hofer
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