Winter 2005-6

A Winter Garden

ACCORDING TO BRAD BAKER, THE
ULTIMATE ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE FOR ANY
LANDSCAPE DESIGN BEGINS IN WINTER

By Margo Aramian Ragan

Left, harmony between the stone exterior of home and design is created by mirroring the tonal qualities of the stone with the installation of the concrete bench, stone pathway and animal sculptures. Center, the pathway serves several purposes. As it meanders, the pathway reinforces the graceful lines of the tree and provides easy access to various parts of the garden. Right, a fine example of the many shades of green within this focal group of evergreens. The shapes of the shrubs draw the viewer to notice the different colors and forms.

Brad Baker, owner of Baker Creative Inc. in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, with his ever-present cap.

If you think winter conjures up images of a bleak landscape devoid of color and life, think again. Think of a winter garden. For Brad Baker, owner of Baker Creative Inc. in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, a winter garden provides the ultimate architectural structure for any landscape design. In fact, he believes a garden should look beautiful all year long, and that definitely includes the winter season. "What one sees in the wintertime is as important as any other time of the year," Brad said. "A properly planned landscape should always reveal an appreciation for light, color and shape."

Brad is no ordinary landscape designer. He grew up with grandparents who had a large vegetable garden on their farm, and his other grandparents were ardent rose growers. That early interest in the land led him to pursue more formal studies with a Bachelor of Science degree in Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture from Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Brad is one of a few Pennsylvania landscape designers who earned the right to have the initials P.C.H. following his name, designating him a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist. To earn his P.C.H., Brad passed a comprehensive four-part examination, encompassing all aspects of design, including concepts, knowledge of plant material, understanding of diseases and pest controls and growth cycles. The P.C.H. certification is relatively new in Pennsylvania and identifies a person as an expert within the field.

"When I consider a landscape design for a property, I always plan for all seasons, and a winter garden starts the design process." Brad said.

As he explained his thoughts, it quickly became clear why one satisfied client described him as an "exterior designer as well as an interior designer." Brad's vision encompasses the property and the home as a unified entity, each complimentary to the whole.

Brad explained his concept by citing the example of a client whose favorite color was salmon, which was used throughout the interior. Just adding salmon color impatiens to the garden became the unifying element in the design.

The first steps in planning a winter garden, according to Brad, is to take into account all the elements within the property itself, the materials, size and construction of the house, as well as special preferences the client wants included. A stone house, for example, would lend a definite tonal quality to the landscape design, which would he quite different for a modern dwelling.

Brad speaks in terms of architectural design. Visual interest begins with trees, their silhouettes providing the focal points. Conifers, such as pines, firs, spruce and yews, have interesting forms and their colors are a vital part of the design. Conifers come in all shades of green, including blue-green, greenish yellow, light or dark green. There are also variegated conifers with white or yellow highlights. "Against a backdrop of snow, a conifer has artistic value, both in terms of its shape and color," said Brad.

Deciduous trees, which shed their leaves during their natural growth cycle, such as flowering species or maples, are important too. "When the leaves are gone, sunlight can now shine directly upon the bark, reflecting upon the texture and importing nuances of color and tone, giving a whole new dimension to the effect of the trees," explained Brad. "The backbone of the tree is open to the design and shows its ultimate structure."

Another interesting aspect of including conifers and deciduous trees in the winter garden is that they provide cones, seeds and berries for squirrels and other small wildlife for their winter survival. Here, the client's desires must be taken into account. "An individual may want to make their winter garden a haven for wildlife, so they could enjoy looking at the live squirrels. Others may prefer to have a sculpture of a squirrel instead," said Brad. "Some choose lifelike sculptures in bronze or concrete to create a tableau, a representation of people in a real life situation. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I always work with the desires of the homeowner."

Many winter gardens include sculpture as a design element. While the homeowner selects what they are attracted to, Brad factors in the size, height and density of the selection because of the impact the sculpture can make upon the overall design. The placement of a sculpture along a path or walkway helps the eye move through the landscape from one point of the design to another, creating the dynamic energy that makes a winter garden so interesting.

Aside from conifers and deciduous trees, Brad likes to consider weeping trees because of their slender, drooping branches. "There are many varieties that can be used in the Delaware Valley," he informed, "Weeping willows, birch, pine, cherry and hemlock are among the more popular, but there are many more to choose from."

He added that landscapers for hundreds of years have utilized weeping trees because of their cascading lines, which evoke harmony and grace. "There is an elegance to a weeping tree that other trees do not have," Brad cited. "They are dramatic, poised, seemingly eternal."

Brad stresses the importance of visualization, which must be thoroughly thought out during the planning process. Proper proportions and architectural spacing become design considerations that leave no blank spaces in the natural cycle of flowering plants and shrubs. "Because we look at a house and the garden as a whole, we have to consider the view from within the house as well as from without," he said. "Ornamental grasses as architectural plants help to make a design impact."

A meandering walkway, as seen from the interior of the home, could take the homeowner's eye from a major visual concept such as a tree, to a smaller grouping of shrubs that do produce succulent berries like hackberries, cranberries and snowberries. "The berries are vibrant in color, especially when set against the dull winter landscape," Brad explained, "and attract migrating birds and other wildlife, which again makes the garden become more alive and active. There is something actively happening in a well planned winter garden."

Aside from its visual impact, Brad said that a path, first and foremost, should be functional and wide enough for people and large garden equipment to move freely through the design. "While we appreciate a path for its role in the winter design, we need to think of the garden as a living entity throughout the year. That means maintenance of the plants during the rest of the seasons; therefore, functionality is important," he added.

Whether or not the dwelling is a large imposing home or a small rancher styled house, the winter garden should have elements within it that complement the size of the home and balance the proportions. "One should think of a winter garden as part of the architectural backbone and design," said Brad. "It allows for the basic layout of paths, walkways, walls that will echo the contour and flow of the house, always bearing in mind that the garden is an integral part of the property," Brad said.

Just because a garden has been created during the winter season does not mean that the garden does not need attention. According to Brad, this may be a time when pruning should take place, although that depends entirely upon the tree or shrub in question. Brad defines pruning as the art of controlling the shape, size and dimension of a plant so that it stays in proportion to the design. "If you prune a plant properly, you should not he able to tell that pruning has taken place," he said, "There is a world of difference between pruning and just cutting off limbs of a tree or trimming a shrub."

Given the fact that a winter garden reveals the structure of trees and shrubs, proper pruning lends a more natural feel to what is there. An added benefit to proper pruning is that the plants are less likely to have disease and insect problems, improving the overall health of the plants.

Brad pointed out that a winter garden landscape design should also take into account the placement of the home's driveway. "What we see about a house usually comes to us as we approach the house from the driveway, so we should look to make an interesting first impression," he stated.

For the uninitiated, a winter garden seems to be an anomaly. But with talented architectural landscape designers such as Brad, more people are embracing the concept of a winter garden, with colors, shapes and dynamic energy in harmony with the environment.

Baker Creative Inc. is located at 131 Washington Lane in Wyncote, PA. For more information, call 215-884-4978. Visit www.BakerCreative.com

Margo A. Ragan is a contributing writer with Montgomery County Town & Country Living magazine and an area freelance writer.

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