Here's a look at what we loved this week. 

• Above: Summer squash noodles with a side of melon. Photograph by Lindsay Love. 
• Plant this in August. 

• Above: A budget-friendly feeder for your avian neighbors. 
• A lovely tour of Brooklyn's Fox Fodder Farm. 

• Above: DIY leaf tray, ceramic skills not required. 
• Knife Skills 101

Instagram and Pinterest Picks of the Week

• Above: We're following Monrovia Nursery (@monrovianursery) on Instagram. 

• Above: We're re-pinning almost everything in Jenni Kayne's Garden board. 

For the latest posts from Gardenista, read our Landscape with Less issue and don't miss Remodelista's week dedicated to Guest Quarters. 

More Stories from Gardenista

• Voting for the 2015 Considered Design Awards Ends at Midnight
• Trending on Remodelista: Guest Quarters
• Table of Contents: Landscape with Less

Tonight at 11:59 pm Pacific, we'll close the voting for the 2015 Gardenista + Remodelista Considered Design Awards, and the winners will be announced on Sunday. Don't miss your chance to vote for your favorite gardens and outdoor spaces.

A Gardenista bonus: Cast your vote, then enter to win a set of two signed books by David Stark—awards guest judge and NYC party planner extraordinaire. Submit your email address for a Chance to Win. 

Learn more about the finalists in each category below, and head to each site to cast your vote: 

Gardenista Awards Categories

• Best Amateur Garden
• Best Amateur Small Garden 
• Best Outdoor Living Space (Open to Everyone)
• Best Edible Garden (Open to Everyone)
• Best Hardscape Project (Open to Everyone)
• Best Professional Landscape

Remodelista Awards Categories

• Best Kitchen Space (Professional)
• Best Living/Dining Space (Professional)
• Best Bath Space (Professional)
• Best Kitchen Space (Amateur)
• Best Living/Dining Space (Amateur)
• Best Bath Space (Amateur)

More Stories from Gardenista

• Current Obsessions: Hot Links
• Trending on Remodelista: Guest Quarters
• Table of Contents: Landscape with Less

August is not a month to rein in anything. Join us for a week of letting gardens grow wild:

Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista. For another untamed garden, see Garden Visit: A Wild Secret in the Heart of Temescal.

Monday

Above: How hard is it to actually grow a marijuana plant? Today: Part 1 of our new series, "The Marijuana Plant and Me." Meanwhile, see our Growing Guide: 11 Essential Tips to Grow Marijuana.

Tuesday

Above: Are you heading out of town for a few days (or weeks)? Keep your houseplants happy in your absence with self-watering planters, in this week's 10 Easy Pieces post. 

Before you leave for vacation, install one of our favorite Rain Barrels to collect rainwater.

Above: A long, narrow side yard can be a challenge to landscape. Gillian discovers a charming solution in this week's Garden Visit.

Wednesday

Above: We figure out how to create a painterly effect with Mexican feather grass in this week's Roundup post.

Meanwhile, catch up with our most recent Landscaping posts, including The New Gravel Backyard: 10 Gardens That Inspired Me and 10 Ways to Improve Your Garden with a Pergola.

Thursday

Above: Steal This Look to recreate the perfect, lazy-days screened porch.

Friday

Our Outbuilding of the Week is a corrugated chicken coop in France, turned into a rustic luxe cabin.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Current Obsessions: Hot Links
• Trending on Remodelista: Guest Quarters
• Table of Contents: Landscape with Less

I was at a marijuana dispensary in Berkeley not long ago where the budtender told me about a legendary California hybrid called 'Blue Dream.' Through the magic of botany, she said, this cultivar ameliorated the bad effects of both of the main strains of cannabis—sativa (anxiety, paranoia, sleeplessness) and indica (dopiness, general stupidity)—while heightening their desired effects.

“I’ll take some,” I said.

“We’re out of it,” she said. "Unless you want to grow your own."

She pointed to the shelves along a side wall where tiny plants—clones grown from seed—sat in spiky rows, lit purple by overhead grow lights. She walked over, selected a 'Blue Dream' clone, and beamed as if she had picked a puppy from a champion’s litter: "Here's a cutie!"

I took the potted pot gingerly and examined it with fear, though in most respects the baby 'Blue Dream' looked like any nursery seedling. It was a few inches tall and already had sprouted a bunch of sawtoothed yet fragile-looking leaves. It reminded me of a baby rattlesnake. 

"That'll be $15," the budtender said, before I'd made up my mind to take the little plant. Was this a good idea? I’m the IT guy at home, not the gardener. The State of California allows me, as a medical marijuana permit holder, to grow up to six mature plants (or a dozen immature plants) for my own use. But I've never grown any kind of plant, unless you count the tomato clone that once sprouted in a wet sneaker I’d abandoned behind a radiator in college. Can you even grow marijuana in a sneaker? 

Photography by Michelle Slatalla.

Above: My Blue Dream seedling came home in its starter plug made of rockwool (a mix of basalt rock and chalk).

I had many questions. How long does a marijuana plant take to grow? What do you feed it? Does it drink a lot of water or will it tolerate California’s Biblical drought? How big does it get and when do you harvest it? Would I need to cure it like tobacco, and if so, what does that even mean? What kind of yield could I expect from my little plant?

On the way home from Berkeley, as I glanced at Cutie in the passenger seat, looking vulnerable and tiny, I wondered how I had gotten into this.

It started in the spring, when I made the decision to get a permit to buy medical marijuana. It wasn’t peer pressure, exactly, but some of my best friends were doing it—and that had put the idea in my head. Honestly, the whole process, from getting the marijuana card to actually buying weed, sounded pretty interesting, like something I’d want to tell my grandchildren about, after Prohibition was over.

So I fired up Yelp one afternoon and zeroed in on a local doctor who specialized in such matters. I phoned something that called itself The Telepsychiatry Network, got voicemail, and left my name, saying I’d like to schedule a visit. While that did not seem like a promising start, two minutes later a woman called me back and identified herself as the doctor. “Is this about a marijuana permit?” she asked.

Above: My marijuana seedling, Day 1.

She said I could come over and that the examination cost $100. Her office, in a modular redwood building alongside Highway 101, had trippy psychedelic photos on the wall, and an honest-to-God M.C. Escher table book. The doctor asked why I wanted medical marijuana. I told her truthfully that I had trouble sleeping sometimes, and that I did not like taking prescription sleep medicine. 

She signed a heavily pixelated, one-page form that had been Xeroxed too many times. She made it clear that this was not a prescription, just a permit, good for a year. Then she gave me the business card of a dispensary she recommended.

I ended up driving to a different dispensary, the one in Berkeley, which a dear friend had recommended.

A guard in sunglasses who was patrolling the parking lot checked my permit, then waved me inside the building, where a receptionist phoned the Telepsychiatry Network doctor to receive verbal authorization—SOP requires “new patients”  to establish their bonafides at dispensaries.

Satisfied, the receptionist gave me a frequent flyer card, which would allow me to earn discounts on purchases, and two welcome gifts: a cigarette lighter emblazoned with the cannabis-leaf logo of the shop, and a small pack of  raspberry-flavored dark chocolates that were suffused with marijuana and worth $10. 

“We also offer 24-hour delivery of our products,” the receptionist said. The dispensary had a website and a mobile app to make ordering easier.

The receptionist pointed to the dispensary proper, a lofty room adjacent to the reception area. “If you know what you want, you can go directly to the express line,” she said. “If you need consultation, go to the other line.”

Above: My seedling finds a new home in the garden.

It was the Other Line and all my questions that led me here, to my backyard, Baby Cutie trembling expectantly in hand.

Now what? I found a spade and dug a hole 8 inches deep, and planted her in a spot in the garden that got plenty of sun and was reasonably secluded. It was time to learn how to be a marijuana farmer. 

Coming next: Where do you get gardening advice when what you are growing is marijuana?

For more about marijuana plants, see:

• Growing Guide: 11 Essential Tips to Grow a Marijuana Plant.
• The World's Most Scenic Marijuana Farm.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Designer Visit with Darcy Daniels: Simple Landscaping Ideas for a Side Yard
• Best Amateur-Designed Small Garden: Pete Joseph
• The Soulful Side of Old Cape Cod: Justine's Family Cottage

We're thrilled to announce the results of the third annual Gardenista + Remodelista Considered Design Awards: You submitted more than 800 projects, pinned and Tweeted your favorites, and cast more than 60,000 votes. A huge thanks to everyone who participated. 

Each winner will receive a $200 gift certificate to Gardenista sponsor Terrain or Remodelista prize sponsor Kaufmann Mercantile, as well as a profile post on either site—watch for these over the coming week. And don't forget to visit Remodelista to see the results of their Considered Design Awards. 

Without further ado, congratulations to our winners!

Above: Best Amateur-Designed Small Garden: Pete Joseph in Leesburg, Virginia. 

Above: Best Edible Garden: A tie. We have two winners including Rob Maday Landscape Architecture in Santa Barbara, California and Judy Bown of Butleigh, Somerset in the UK (Below).

Above: Judy Bown's edible garden. 

Above: Best Hardscape: Elliott + Elliott Architecture in Blue Hill, Maine. 

Above: Best Amateur-Designed Garden: Bettina Mueller in Tivoli, New York. 

Above: Best Outdoor Living Space: Earth Inc. in Toronto, Ontario. 

Above: Best Professionally Designed Landscape: Outer Space Landscape Architecture in San Francisco. 

For a look at last year's Considered Design Awards—including finalists and winners—see the 2014 Gardenista Considered Design Awards archive.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Required Reading: Charlotte Moss's Garden Inspirations
• Vote to Win: Signed Book Giveaway from Designer Extraordinaire David Stark
• Congratulations to our Finalists; Now It's Time to Vote!

The winner of this year's Gardenista Considered Design Awards Best Amateur-Designed Small Garden is Pete Joseph of Leesburg, Virginia.

His project was chosen as a finalist by guest judge David Stark, who said: "The structure is adorable and inventive, and I love its scale relationship to the trees and lawn it is nestled in. While the garden itself is clean and simple, the greenhouse did just the right trick of providing a focal point to reinforce its lush green expanse."

N.B.: This is the first of seven posts spotlighting the winners of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards. Go to this year's Considered Design Awards page to see all the entries, finalists, and winners, and have a look at Remodelista's Considered Design Awards, too.

Pete Joseph's Design Statement: "I converted an existing pergola to a greenhouse with windows and doors pulled from a dumpster."

Q: Where do you live?
A: I live in a typical Northern Virginia suburb with cookie-cutter houses and good neighbors. The trees we planted when we moved in 15 years ago have matured and give us nice privacy in the summer when we're on our deck, which is most nights. Our current garden consists of four raised beds which I built and expanded over the years.

Q: What were your practical goals for the project?
A: First, to find a better use for the pergola that I built five years ago. Second, to provide a way to extend the growing season as long as possible for herbs and cold-weather vegetables. Third, to use as much of the free dumpster material at my disposal as possible.

Q: What solutions did you find to your design problems?  
A: Although I built it out of old and recycled windows, I didn't want it to LOOK like I built it out of old and recycled windows. The pergola dimensions were set and I struggled to find a combination of windows to fit the available space. My best move was using Google's SketchUp to experiment with designs. 

Q: What advice do you have for someone undertaking a similar project? 
A: Triple the time you think it will take to complete. Don't get too locked-in on the design; it will change as you move forward.

Q: What was your biggest splurge?  
A: The biggest single cost was the roof panels. They are specifically designed for greenhouses and provide great light.

Q: Where did you cut corners?  
A: I cut corners everywhere. I was determined to do this using only the materials I could pull from the dumpster up the street. The materials available drove the design.

Q: What project would you tackle if you had an unlimited budget?  
A: A new kitchen.

Q: What is your day job?  
A: I'm a program manager.

Q: Where do you get your design inspiration?  
A: Gardenista, of course! Houzz and Pinterest are also excellent.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Designer Visit with Darcy Daniels: Simple Landscaping Ideas for a Side Yard
• The Marijuana Plant and Me: Part 1
• The Soulful Side of Old Cape Cod: Justine's Family Cottage

Side gardens are notoriously difficult to landscape. They can be narrow alleys or shady, and may have variable light conditions or poor soil or ugly utilities lines to hide. Portland, Oregon-based garden designer Darcy Daniels of Bloomtown Gardens has come up with some stylish ways to make her own side garden beautiful and productive even in the height of summer.

Photography by Gillian Carson for Gardenista.

Above: The side garden used to be a driveway. But as her garage was too small to use, in 2006 Daniels decided to make the area into a productive side garden growing both fruit and ornamentals. 

"In the beginning I grew a lot more vegetables, but more recently I have moved over to ornamentals and easy fruit like blueberries and raspberries," she says.  "It's not that it didn't work, it's that I found I had less time to tend the garden and I quite liked going to the farmers' market, and so it has morphed over the years."

Above: The entrance to the garden is through a wooden gate that uses delightful 1930s stained glass panels, which she thinks originated in England.

Above: Daniels bought the windows from a local antiques dealer and reused them as a nod to her previous garden.

Above: Daniels also is the founder of eGardenGo, a web app for gardeners. In her own garden, she has created a series of raised beds laid out in a zig-zag pattern to encourage visitors to meander through the garden and stop to look at different elements. The beds are wider in some areas to allow for some quite large plants, such as dahlias. But it is quite narrow in areas too, where she has planted vines that cling to the steel mesh fence.

"Narrow spaces can feel very linear and fast, like you are asked to walk right through them without stopping to look at anything," she says. "The trick is to take away the bowling-alley aspect and play with shape and form until you create a different story."

Above: Side yards, by their very nature, are often the boundary between you and your neighbor. Creating a screen or fence that is also neighborly is important. Darcy made a fence out of a wide metal mesh that has a rusted appearance. She added glass balls, for decoration, that were created by a local artist. They also bring more light into the space.

Above: "The mesh lets the light though and so I have more growing options. It also gives me an opportunity to bring some art into the space," she says. "On the flip side, don't be afraid to use a solid screen if it's needed. We have one fence panel that is solid to afford privacy to both neighbors. That works for us."

Above: Darcy has created interest by using very tall plants. On one side is a clematis that climbs the side of her house and on the other is a huge dahlia that occupies the middle of the garden and almost forces visitors to stop and look up at its bright orange blooms.

Above: Container groupings are vital to keeping the garden looking fresh. Darcy frequently changes out plants and even pots to create a new look based on the season. Her plants here are low maintenance, with an emphasis on edible fruits (raspberries) and shrubs (blueberries) and more perennial flowers (dahlias and echinacea). 

Above: "If you are in an urban or new construction situation, then raised beds enable you to control your growing medium more successfully. It also extends the variety of plants you can use," Daniels says.

Above: "Changing your garden's line from linear to angular can open up lots of new opportunities," she says.

Above: "Hiding ugly utilities is often a need in a side garden," Daniels says. "Maybe you use a plant, or maybe a screen, but you can use the fact that you are playing with the width of the beds to hide these."

Above: Daniels says the garden will probably continue to evolve as her tastes and needs change: "My main garden is so small that I run out of space a lot. The side yard has become an experimental ground where I try out plants. I play with flowers more there too, which I tend not to in the main garden. I rarely cut flowers and you won't see me deadheading either, so the side yard certainly has a free feeling to it."

For more of our favorite Portland-area gardens, see:

• Before & After: Expat Gillian Carson's English Garden in Portland.
• Steal This Look: A Black Backyard Backdrop at Library House.
• Rehab Diary: A Garden Makeover for a Ranch-Style House in Oregon.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Best Amateur-Designed Small Garden: Pete Joseph
• The Marijuana Plant and Me: Part 1
• The Soulful Side of Old Cape Cod: Justine's Family Cottage

Headed out of town? Dog sitter (check), house sitter (check), cat sitter (if necessary). But a plant sitter? No thank you. Instead, we've rounded up 10 stylish self-watering pots to keep your plants alive while you're on vacation.

Above: A cylindrical stoneware Self Watering Planter by Chromo has an indented channel on one side of the pot to make it easy to pour water into the planter's ceramic drip tray; available in two sizes, from $75 to $100 apiece, depending on size from Light + Ladder.

Says Brooklyn design collaborative Light + Ladder, "The planter stacks into the drip tray, drawing water through a single hole that extends into the reservoir. Additional drainage holes around the planter base offer aeration. The tray holds excess water, allowing the plant to draw water as needed.

For more, see An Irresistible Self-Watering Planter.

Above: Sarah reports: "Designer Joey Roth's Self Watering Planter does require filling with water once in a while but that's it. Plants are placed in soil in the outer doughnut-shaped chamber, and the center chamber is filled with water. The natural porosity of the unglazed terra cotta allows the water to move from the center chamber and into the soil, based on the soil's moisture." Planters are available in several colors, including Gray as shown; $50 at Joey Roth.

For more, see Self-Watering Terracotta Planter by Joey Roth.

Above: With a sloped chamber to collect moisture, a Boxx Planter will keep a succulent watered for up to two weeks without rotting its roots. It is available in two shapes, square and rectangle, at prices ranging from $46 to $62 at Potted LA.

Above: From Danish designer Eva Solo, a frosted glass Self Watering Herb Pot has a wick to draw up moisture, into plants' roots; available in two sizes, at prices from $49 to 49 at Amazon (depending on size). Both sizes of a Self Watering Herb Pot also are available, for from $48 to $61 apiece, at John Lewis in the UK.

Above: Made in Japan, a ceramic Sui Sui Self Watering Planter pulls up water into a white porcelain funnel that holds a plant is $34.36. Sold separately, a wide-mouthed glass Rounded Water Container is $4.49; both from Lotus Mart.

Above: For larger plants, a self-watering resin Blow Planter from designer Stefano Giovannoni is available in five sizes at prices ranging from $112 to $1,361 (a size useful for a large potted tree) from 2 Modern.

It's one of the best-kept Secrets of Brooklyn: Shop Outdoor Designs with Landscaper Julie Farris.

Above: From Sweden's Cult Design team, a collection of terra cotta pots with absorbent felt wicks to draw up water are designed for countertop kitchen use. A  Self-Watering Herb Pot is $29.99 from Aka Dwelling.

For more about Cult Design's collection, see A Kitchen Herb Garden You Can Sprout on a Countertop.

Above: From Orthex, a trio of self-watering pots have hydro-felt mats to maintain moisture for roots. A measuring stick alerts you to add more water as necessary. A four-piece Self Watering Herb Pot Set comes with a tray plus three pots; $48 from John Lewis.

Above: A self-watering Pleated Planter from Toronto-based MSDS design practice has a wick to keep roots moist and is $60 from Umbra Shift.

Above: With a railing overhang to hold it in place, a white 20-inch-long Self Watering Balcony Planter by Viva (also available in five other colors, including black) requires no hardware and is on sale for $33.99 from Gardener's Supply.

See more planters for a terrace at 10 Easy Pieces: Black Balcony Box Style Planters.

For more irrigation inspiration, see:

• Hardscaping 101: Drip Irrigation.
• Garden Tech: An App to Water Your Lawn.
• A Stylish Way to Water Plants While You're Away.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Curb Appeal: Borne Doorstop from ODC in Paris
• Outbuilding of the Week: A 190-Square-Foot Writer's Studio in Maine
• Summer Sale: Portable Fire Pit

This year's Best Edible Garden contest resulted in a tie. Today we profile co-winner Judy Bown of Butleigh, Somerset, in the UK.

Her project was chosen as a finalist by guest judge David Stark, who said: "This garden is not only functional but romantic and visually stunning. The details—the stained, raised beds, and the natural accessories—all work hard to make this garden a natural extension that complements the cottage perfectly."

N.B.: This is the second of seven posts spotlighting the winners of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards. Go to this year's Considered Design Awards page to see all the entries, finalists, and winners, and have a look at Remodelista's Considered Design Awards, too. 

Judy Bown's Design Statement: "For Christmas, my boyfriend bought me a 'Constant Garden' from Rocket Gardens, essentially six deliveries over the spring and summer of plug-plants for a vegetable patch. With only grass and apple trees around the cottage, I had to act quickly and prepare some ground for the imminent first delivery." 

Q: Where do you live? 
A: I live in a stone workers' cottage, built in 1858, on what was once part of a big country house estate. It’s in Butleigh, an old village in Somerset, which is in the South West of England. The cottage is on the edge of the village and surrounded by fields of cider apple trees and sheep. 

Q: What were your practical goals for the project?
A: When I first moved here last autumn, I didn’t plan to change the garden, which was a simple affair with two apple trees and grass. Then for Christmas, my boyfriend bought me a gift voucher for a series of vegetable plug-plants to be delivered through the spring and summer, and I had nowhere to put them. It was rather romantic, as I have often "waxed lyrical" about my old gardens, and he could sense that I really loved them, even though I said I didn’t want to start another one. So I had to design and build something quickly to take a lot of plants in a small space. I wanted it to be practical and easy to manage year-round, so I put it next to the house. But then it needed to be beautiful, because it would be next to the house! It also needed to be as eco-friendly and organic as possible. I built it nearly all by myself, over several weekends in the spring, just in time for the first delivery of plants in May.

I profiled the entire design and gardening process—including before and after photos—on my blog, Dig My Veg. 

Q: What solutions did you find to your design problems?
A: Having built vegetable gardens before at previous homes, I knew that investing in the "bone structure" of the garden right at the start would pay off in the long run. The main things were:

• Making sure the kitchen garden was positioned to get maximum sunlight (I had to remove an old apple tree to do that).
• Ensuring that the raised beds were easy to maintain, would wear well, and were spaced so a wheelbarrow could get in between.
• Choosing gravel for the paths to make it reasonably dry to walk on all year round and to deter weeds, grass, and slugs. (It also looks good and lasts forever.)
• Filling the beds with the best top soil for vegetable growing.
• Investing in a quality mulch. (I use Strulch.)
• Complementing the kitchen garden with plants and flowers that will attract bees and butterflies and make the garden a pleasure to be in.

Q: What are your favorite features of the project?
A: My favorite features are, by far, the vegetable and fruit plants themselves, and the bees they attract. They are constantly changing, and every day I wonder at their form and beauty. I sometimes find it difficult to harvest them, as I want to see what they do next!

Q: What advice do you have for someone undertaking a similar project?
A: Planning and preparation, and thinking things through practically, are key to good design. And “less is more." Utilizing and up-cycling materials from the shed, garage, or salvage yard is especially rewarding and can make your garden uniquely "you." Also, take lots of photographs along your journey—it’s amazing how quickly things change, and to take visual notes during the season is a useful record.
Gardeners are often solitary hobbyists, but there’s a huge desire to share the joys of the garden! So it can also be really rewarding to document your progress and thoughts with others through a blog.

Q: Where did you cut corners?
A: I bought inexpensive wooden raised beds, and then stained them with a quality eco-stain, which transformed them. I also have a couple of composting systems on the go: two wormeries and bokashi bins. Both create the "caviar of compost" from kitchen waste, for free.

Q: What is your day job?
A: I’ve been a leather goods designer and consultant for nearly 30 years, designing handbags and luggage for brands such as Mulberry in Somerset, Coach and Tocca in New York, and Asprey of Bond Street, London. I’m currently designing my own collection of garden-related designs which I plan to introduce later this year. (Follow Dig My Veg for details.)

Q: Where do you get your design inspiration?
A: I love to visit old gardens, especially if they have walled vegetable gardens, and we have many here in England to choose from. I recently visited the more modern Piet Oudolf gardens at the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Somerset, which were amazing. 

Q: Which garden designers, gardeners, or landscape architects do you admire?
A: In contrast to the lush Somerset Levels, I absolutely love Nicole de Vésian’s dry hillside garden in Provence. I also love Arne Maynard’s gardens—spectacularly beautiful and romantic. My old boss, Roger Saul, the founder of Mulberry, has designed the most idyllic garden on his Sharpham Park estate. And the garden photographer Clive Nichols is a genius—just stunning photography.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Gossamer Gardens: 12 Ideas for Landscaping with Mexican Feather Grass
• Designer Visit with Darcy Daniels: Simple Landscaping Ideas for a Side Yard
• Best Amateur-Designed Small Garden: Pete Joseph

Mexican feather grass looks like a hazy smudge of golden color in the distance, and who wouldn't want that as a backdrop in the garden? 

Like other grasses in the Stipa genus, Mexican feather grass develops delicate pale green flowers which turn wheat-colored, at the tips of stems that move in a breeze. In addition to looking beautiful, it requires little water, intermingles easily with other perennials, and will provide structure in a garden bed nearly year-round.

In addition to Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima or Nassella tenuissima), there are many other useful varieties of feather grasses; heights, colors, and growing tendencies differ. For landscaping ideas, here are a dozen of our favorite gardens with feather grasses:

Gauzy Backdrop

Above: Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.

White flowers with yellow centers pop against a backdrop of Mexican feather grass. In my own garden, last summer I planted a bed of grasses and low-water perennials including Echinacea 'White Swan.'  To recreate the look, plant a mix of Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' ($9.95 apiece from White Flower Farm) and Stipa Tenuissima ($8.99 apiece from High Country Gardens). Both ship for fall planting.

Slope Softener

Above: Photograph via Robert Kennett.

A variety of grasses, including feathery Stipa gigantea, solve problems in a Dorset garden sited "mostly on an exposed, north-facing slope," says UK-based designer Robert Kennett.  "This border looks particularly dazzling when its architectural shapes are covered in frost." A 5-inch-deep pot of Stipa Gigantea is $8.99 from High Country Gardens (ships in September for fall planting).

Breezy Buffer

Above: In the same Dorset garden, designer Robert Kennett planted Mexican feather grass at the front of a border to "billow in the breeze...for a dynamic dimension."

Mown Path

Above: For more, see 9 Garden Ideas to Steal from England's Tom Stuart-Smith.

A mown path cuts through a meadow of feather grass designed by UK-based landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith.

Defining Moment

Above: Photograph via The Garden Wanderer.

Garden designer Piet Oudolf uses a hazy swath of feather grass to create structure in a bed of mixed perennials and grasses. For more of Oudolf's work, see Garden Visit: Dutch Master Piet Oudolf in Yorkshire.

Perennial Path

Above: Mexican feather grass grows alongside a path on New York's High Line, where architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed what they call a “pathless landscape.” Pre-cast concrete pavers with tapered ends organically diffuse into plant beds. The open joints between the pavers encourage growth, “like wild grass through cracks in the sidewalk.”

For more, see 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from the High Line in New York City.

Decked Out

Above: Photograph via Jörg Kaspari.

Feather grass is a hardy potted companion, as well. Planters of Mexican feather grass sit at the edge of wooden decking at Crockmore House in Oxfordshire, UK, in a garden designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole. 

Purple Pros

Above: In this garden bed, plants include silvery Artemesia 'Powis Castle', perennial grass Stipa tenuissima, and purple spikes of Russian sage. For more, see Rehab Diaries: The Resurrection of a Medieval Nobleman's Garden.

To recreate the look, Artemisia Powis Castle is $8.98 apiece fand a low-growing variety of Russian sage, Perovskia 'Little Spire', is $9.98 apiece; both available from Santa Rosa Gardens. 

Border Lands

Above: For more, see Garden Visit: A Seaside Landscape in Northern France.

Designers at Cao-Perrot Studio planted clumps of feather grass as a hedge in a border of lavender.

Cottage Garden Companion

Above: Stipa gigantea grows in an ornamental border by British landscape designer Sarah Price. For more, see 10 Ideas to Steal from English Cottage Gardens.

Layered Look

Above: Photograph via The Garden Wanderer.

Hazy clumps of feather grass add a layer of contrasting texture to Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf's tightly pruned hedges. For more of his work, see Garden Visit: Dutch Master Piet Oudolf in Yorkshire.

Tough Customer

Above: Stipa tenuifolia will grow in happy clumps even in poor soil. For more, see 10 Easy Pieces: Tough Perennials for City Gardens.

For more of our favorite ways to use grasses in a garden, see:

• Leaves of Grass: 9 Ways to Create Curb Appeal with Perennial Grasses.
• Landscape on a Budget: 11 Ideas for a Summer Grass Path.
• 5 Favorites: Shimmery Grasses to Perk Up a Fall Garden.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Best Edible Garden (Tied): Judy Bown
• Designer Visit with Darcy Daniels: Simple Landscaping Ideas for a Side Yard
• Best Amateur-Designed Small Garden: Pete Joseph

We recently looked at the interiors of Ellis House, a historic guesthouse in Kyneton, Australia. Today, we're dissecting the outdoor style of the house's wraparound porch and original 19th-century summer house. To recreate the look, we've sourced a few elements similar to those chosen by designer and creative director Tracie Ellis.

Above: The Ellis House's cool blue-gray exterior color palette (left). Rattan seating and hanging flowerpots on the porch (right). 

Above: Original to the property, the 19th-century summerhouse in the garden. Photograph by Sharyn Cairns for Ellis House.

Above: A slatted wood bench with knitted pillows and a navy throw blanket. Photograph by Sharyn Cairns for Ellis House.

Above: Ikea's Älmsta Chair is made of lacquered rattan with a bamboo back for $99. N.B.: The chair is meant for indoor use, but at this price point, it might be worth the risk on a covered porch.

Above: Happiness is a warm blanket. See our 10 Woolly Throws for Winter.

Above: The Galvanized Steel Planter is €12 from Manufactum in Germany.

Above: For growing plants up the side of a house, the Flexible Willow Trellis is made in Spain from slim willow twigs; €15.50 each from Manufactum in Germany.

Above: Used as an outdoor accent color, Farrow & Ball's Down Pipe imitates lead on exterior ironwork and helps to camouflage plumbing pipes against brickwork; $100 per gallon for the Exterior Masonry finish.

Above: From Tracie Ellis's line, Aura Home, the 50-by-50-centimeter Moss Stitch Throw Pillow is made of  cotton/acrylic yarn; $59.95 AUD for the filled cushion.

Above: These lightweight Fiberclay Taper Pots are made from a fiberglass and clay composite that is frost- and UV-resistant; priced from $128 to $198 depending on size at Terrain.

Above: The Storsele Chair is made of black-stained, peeled rattan coated in a clear lacquer finish; $119 from Ikea.

Above: The Topless Wire Guard Outdoor Light is available in 21 finishes, including galvanized (as shown); $135 from Barn Light Electric. For more, see our post 10 Easy Pieces: Nautical Bulkhead Lighting.

For hundreds of outdoor looks to steal (think pool pavilions, potting sheds, and modern lounge spaces), browse through all of our Steal This Look posts on Gardenista.

More Stories from Gardenista

• 10 Easy Pieces: Self-Watering Pots and Planters
• Curb Appeal: Borne Doorstop from ODC in Paris
• Outbuilding of the Week: A 190-Square-Foot Writer's Studio in Maine

This year's Best Edible Garden contest was a tie. Today we profile co-winner Rob Maday Landscape Architecture in Santa Barbara, California. 

The firm's project was chosen by Gardenista editor in chief Michelle Slatalla, who said: "As an East Coast transplant, I think this design perfectly captures how exciting it feels to move to a mild Mediterranean climate where rosemary is a perennial and lettuce will grow year-round."

N.B.: This is the third of seven posts spotlighting the winners of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards. Go to this year's Considered Design Awards page to see all the entries, finalists, and winners, and have a look at Remodelista's Considered Design Awards, too. 

Rob Maday Landscape Architecture's Design Statement: "A family of East Coast transplants found year-round garden inspiration in California's coastal climate. A modestly sized vegetable garden, stone fruit and citrus orchards, and lavender field provide the family with a continual harvest throughout the year."

Q: What were your practical goals for the project?  
A: Our aim was to create a productive garden that was cohesive with the architecture and an extension of the kitchen, to maximize the potential use of the garden and to ensure the garden would always be tended to.

Q: What are your favorite features of the project?  
A: The ongoing use of the garden.

Q: What advice do you have for someone undertaking a similar project?  
A: Placing a working vegetable garden so close to the home is a long-term commitment. One must really have a passion for gardening—otherwise an unkempt vegetable garden becomes an eyesore.

Q: Where did you cut corners?  
A: Reducing the height of raised beds is a great way to save money on building materials.

Q: What is your favorite local shop or garden nursery?  
A: San Marcos Growers in Santa Barbara makes every project of ours better. We are so fortunate to have their expertise and plants in the neighborhood.

Q: Where do you get your design inspiration?  
A: I believe any garden or landscape that proves its sustainability over time is worthy of study and appreciation. 

Q: What is your next project?  
A: Our neglected garden at home is in dire need of some long-overdue attention!

More Stories from Gardenista

• Best Amateur-Designed Garden: Bettina Mueller
• Gossamer Gardens: 12 Ideas for Landscaping with Mexican Feather Grass
• Best Edible Garden (Tied): Judy Bown

A screened porch sets the stage for the perfect summer evening: lazy, breezy, and ideally accompanied by a glass of wine and a group of fellow lollers. The best part? No insects allowed.

Architects Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown's screened porch at their weekend place in Rhinebeck, New York, stands out as a model of the form. When the two renovated their house, a farmer's cottage, they introduced a pleasing blend of green walls (so dark they border on Gothic) and midcentury Danish antiques. We studied the ingredients that make Tsao & McKown's porch so appealing and sourced the key elements:

N.B.: For our Steal This Look on the interior of the house, see Danish Modern in Upstate New York.

Above: From a distance, the exterior wash of forest green paint reads as almost black. Photograph by Richard Powers for Tsao & McKown Architects.

Above: A welcoming collection of mismatched antiques. Photograph by Richard Powers for Tsao & McKown Architects.

Above: Sculptural wood bowls and other pieces work well with the wooden furniture. Photograph by Richard Powers for Tsao & McKown Architects.

The Essentials

Above: The screened porched is a mix of dark green paint colors. Re-create the palette with Benjamin Moore's Cedar Path 454 on the walls and ceiling, and Farrow & Ball's Studio Green, an almost-black green, as an accent color. For more options, have a look at our Gardenista post Seeing Green: Architects Pick the Best Exterior Green Paints.

Above: A favorite freestanding stove, the Rais Gabo Wood Stove, has a curved front and a well-sealed firebox that ensures optimal combustion control. It incorporates a convection grate above the combustion chamber and wood storage space underneath. Available in black or gray steel; $3,890. Contact Rais to locate a dealer near you. For other options, see 10 Easy Pieces: Freestanding Wood Stoves.

Above: A series of six porcelain ceiling mount fixtures illuminate the screened porch at night. We like Schoolhouse Electric's Alabax Small Surface Mount Fixture, handmade in Portland, Oregon; $85 each. For more options, see 10 Easy Pieces: Classic Ceiling Porch Lights.

The Furniture

Above: The Mc & Co Daybed, designed by Corinne Gilbert & Dan McCarthy, is made of one-inch-thick unfinished cedar; it can also be custom ordered in ash, oak, walnut, and pine. It's 40 inches deep, 27 inches tall, and 76 inches wide, and fits a twin-size futon. Pricing starts at $3,900 without a futon, and $4,200 with a premium futon. For more options, see High/Low: The Modern Wooden Daybed.

Above: A handmade rawhide snowshoe rocking chair we sourced from a variety of sites; this vintage Vermont Tubbs Snowshoe Chair is $1,500 on 1st Dibs. Another source is an Iverson Rocking Chairfor $490.

Above: DWR's Skagen Nesting Tables, inspired by midcentury designs by Arne Hovmand-Olsen, are made of solid walnut; on sale for $491.30 for the set.

The Accessories

Above: West Elm's Silk Hand-Loomed Pillow Covers is on sale for $36, marked down from $44.

Above: From LA design firm Commune, Kilim Pillows are made from reclaimed kilim rugs; contact Commune for pricing and availability.

Above: This natural Linen Bolster Pillow comes in 16 colors; $75 from Lovely Home Idea on Etsy.

Above: From Signature Hardware, the Brilliant Stainless Steel Watering Can with Brass Accents is $53.95.

Above: Victoria Morris' Brown Bowl with Lavender Glaze is $425 for the extra large bowl measuring 5 inches high by 13.5 inches diameter at March in San Francisco.

Above: The BDDW Firewood Holder is made of steel and canvas, and comes with a bundle of scrap wood from the furniture company's studio; contact BDDW for more information and pricing.

Above: Tsao and McKown sourced a vintage iron doorstop. An alternate is the Tetu Iron River Stone Door Stopper in cast iron, designed by Japanese architect Makoto Koisumi; $85 CAD from Mjölk in Toronto. The doorstop is also at Anaïse in California for $70.

For more of our favorite screened porches, see:

• Summer Screened Porch Roundup.
• 5 Screened Sleeping Porches.
• Have a look at a multigenerational gathering place designed for Tsao's family in Common Ground: A Chinese-Style Family Compound in California.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Hardscaping 101: Rain Gutters
• Steal This Look: A Rustic Porch and Summerhouse in Australia
• 10 Easy Pieces: Self-Watering Pots and Planters

Often little noticed, rain gutters occupy a prominent place on many homes. They're frequently perched at the edge of a slanted roof where they are not only a critical part of a building's infrastructure, they also create a visual outline of a house's architecture.  When it comes time to select new gutters, there is a lot to keep in mind: style, color, material type, cost, and longevity are factors to consider. We've put together a cheat sheet to help with the selection process:

Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

Does your house need rain gutters?

Most houses do, but not all. Their primary function is to channel rain that falls onto a roof toward a surface drainage system (or catchment system) and away from the foundation, basement, or crawlspace.  Whether you need gutters depends on the size of your roof's surface area, the slope of the land and surrounding landscaping, and how much precipitation falls on your house. In some climates, gutters are not advised. In heavy snowfall territory, for instance, ice buildup can tear them off. And in regions with little rainfall, they may be unnecessary or only necessary on a portion of your house (above exterior doors, for example). You may wish to consult an experienced builder or architect in your area if you're unsure if you need rain gutters. If most homes in your area have them, chances are you'll need them also.

Above: Gutters over a porch, half-round style; photograph via Steven Harris Architects.

What materials are used for gutters?

Gutters come in a variety of materials:

• Copper
• Zinc
• Wood
• Galvanized steel
• Galvalume
• Aluminum
• Vinyl

Most expensive: Copper, zinc, and wood gutters are at the high end of the price spectrum, ranging from $20 to $32 per linear foot including installation (depending on area and metal gauge). Though expensive, they last longer; copper and zinc gutters have the added benefit of requiring no paint and little maintenance.

Above: Weathered copper gutters; photograph via Euro Gutter USA.

Copper weathers from a bright finish to an understated brown and verdigris that blends well with stone, wood, and Mediterranean style homes. Zinc has an understated, uniform gray finish that works well with a variety of styles.

Above: Brand new copper gutters (L) in half-round style are held in place with copper brackets. A copper downspout flange (R) is soldered in place. Photographs via Ferret & Hound.

Above: Zinc gutters, half-round style. Photograph via Gutter Supply.

Wood gutters made of cedar, redwood, and fir are used mostly in renovation work on historic homes. Allen Buschert, an experienced contractor in the Bay Area, says he often sees redwood gutters that still look great after 100 years of use.

Above: Hand-carved curved redwood gutters made by Blue Ox Mill in Eureka, California. The cost of redwood gutters is from $22 to $32 per linear foot.

Mid-price range: Galvanized steel; “galvalume” (steel with a zinc and aluminum coating), and aluminum are in the medium price range of from $6 to $10 per linear foot, including installation.

Aluminum is the most commonly used material and has the benefit of being corrosion-resistant (although aluminum does not perform well in salt air). Its main drawback is that it dents easily.

Above: Galvanized steel gutters and downspout; photograph via Fitzgerald Timber Frames.

Where I live, north of San Francisco, most contractors prefer to use high-gauge galvanized steel, soldered in place, then painted. Though it can rust, high-gauge steel is strong and durable.

“Galvalume” is a relatively new product made of steel with a zinc and aluminum coating to guard against corrosion.

(A word about joints: Pre-painted galvanized steel and aluminum gutters are an economical choice, but need to be caulked, rather than soldered at the joints, because solder cannot be used on a pre-painted metal.  Caulked joints need to be maintained at regular intervals to prevent leaks.)

Least expensive: Easy to install and corrosion-resistant, vinyl gutters cost as little as $3 per linear foot (plus installation), but have a tendency to expand and contract during warm or cold weather, causing them to crack and break.  It's best to avoid vinyl if you live in an area with extreme temperature changes.

What profile/shapes are available?

Different styles predominate in different parts of the country. In the eastern United States, many homes use half-round gutters, while in the west the K-style, or Ogee gutter is more common.  A third style, also common in the west, is the fascia style, in which the gutter acts as a fascia board.

Above: An example of K-style or ogee gutters painted in trim color.

What are some design considerations?

Perhaps the first factor to consider is color.  If unpainted copper or zinc would work with your exterior, you may want to invest in one of these long-lasting materials. Or if you'd prefer to have the gutters blend in with your home's body or trim color, steel or aluminum gutters (both of which can be painted) may be your best choice.

The second factor is shape, and once again you may want the gutter to blend in as trim or stand alone as its own architectural statement. 

Rain Gutter Recap

Pros:

• Protect home’s foundation, crawlspace, basement
• Protect landscaping and prevent soil erosion
• Protect siding from water damage

Cons:

• Maintenance chore
• Can break or bend under the weight of heavy snow
• Can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, if improperly maintained or installed 
• Can be aesthetically limited

Are you remodeling the interior of your house as well as the exterior? See Remodelista's archive of Remodeliing 101 posts.

Want to know more about gutters? See our earlier posts about Rain Chains: The Beautiful Alternative to Gutters and Mesh Gutter Leaf Guards.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Steal This Look: The Perfect Screened Porch
• Steal This Look: A Rustic Porch and Summerhouse in Australia
• 10 Easy Pieces: Self-Watering Pots and Planters

The winner of this year's Gardenista Considered Design Awards Best Amateur-Designed Garden is Bettina Mueller of Tivoli, New York. 

Her project was chosen as a finalist by Gardenista editor in chief Michelle Slatalla, who said: "The use of simple, rustic materials reinforces the beauty of the natural surroundings." 

N.B.: This is the fourth of seven posts spotlighting the winners of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards. Go to this year's Considered Design Awards page to see all the entries, finalists, and winners, and have a look at Remodelista's Considered Design Awards, too.

Bettina Mueller's Design Statement: "Drawing from her decades-long study of the Japanese Tea Tradition where great—even legendary—gardens are small by necessity, Bettina Mueller sets out to turn her backyard in the small Hudson Valley village of Tivoli, New York into a private world of beauty and tranquility."

Q: Where do you live?
A: I live in an 1860s Victorian house on a quarter of an acre in the small Hudson Valley village of Tivoli, New York. Tivoli is a rural village of about 1,100 people, two hours north of New York City. I can walk into town for Mexican, Japanese, or bistro food and to visit the post office, artist co-op, or library, but I have to drive five miles to the grocery store. At Bard College, which is five minutes away, the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center for the Performing Arts hosts dance and theater companies from around the world.

Q: What were your practical goals for the project?
A: In 2005 I built a small tea house in the backyard which had no trees or plantings. It was a bare patch of ground surrounded by neighbors. Drawing from my decades-long study of the Japanese tea ceremony tradition, where great—even legendary—gardens are small by necessity, I set out to build a roji—a traditional tea garden—to lead to the tea house. My challenge was to make it feel as though it had always been there.

Q: What solutions did you find to your design problems?
A: There are a number of design elements that make a roji or tea garden work, and I incorporated these concepts into my garden so that they didn't look out of place in my Victorian village. Gates and fences play an important role in defining the two main garden rooms: the outer roji and inner roji. I hand-built the bamboo fence that separates the two rooms and tied the poles together with black hemp. This is a traditional fence you would find in Japan, but it is so lightly constructed that it merges into the garden and gives just a suggestion of barrier. Another important element is the two stone paths that define the garden. In the outer roji, the path is straight and cobbled. Once through the wicker gate, the path changes to scattered stones.

Besides the tea house, there are two important destinations in the garden: a waiting bench and a stone water basin for rinsing one's hands before a tea ceremony. The planting is mostly evergreen with non-flowering deciduous trees and shrubs. There are ferns and grasses that lend the feel of a path through the mountains. They say the way to the tea house should feel as though you leave the dust of the world behind.

Q: What are your favorite features of the project?
A: I built the cobblestone path in the outer roji from stones I gathered from an old wall on my mother's property nearby. I dug a trench 8 inches deep and filled it with 800 pounds of rock dust and sand, then pieced the stones together like a jigsaw puzzle. I then planted creeping thyme to fill in the cracks.

The great tea master of the 16th century, Sen Rikyu, said that the design of the roji should be 60 percent practical and 40 percent aesthetic. He also said that a tea garden could be made more intimate by using materials that have personal resonance. My mother's house has long been gone, but I am reminded of her every time I walk this path.

Q: What were the hardest lessons you learned along the way?
A: If I hadn't been careful, I would have covered every inch of my small property with flowers, trees, and shrubs. But there is something refreshing about pulling back, becoming more simple, and watching the natural rhythm of the landscape unfold. I learned restraint and allowed the understated to be revealed.

Q: What was your biggest splurge?
A: The antique Chinese stone water basin. It was formerly used as a mortar and pestle.

Q: What projects would you tackle if you had an unlimited budget?
A: I love the idea of creating a secret garden, an intimate space of tranquility. I would build tea houses and the gardens that surround them. My favorite interior designer, Axel Vervoordt, has a tea house in a rhododendron grove at his castle in Belgium. Projects like that appeal to me. Creating something unique within the traditional.

Q: Where do you get your design inspiration?
A: I have practiced the Way of Tea for many years. This study includes flower arranging, garden design, architecture, literature, the connoisseurship of the fine and applied arts, and cuisine. But even more than this, the Way of Tea is an attitude and perception of what makes something beautiful. Tea practice informs my life. It influences the way I arrange flowers in my house, choose plates and dishes for the food I cook, and the way I design my gardens. Through the practice of tea I have developed an appreciation for an understated, elegant beauty.

Q: Which garden designers, gardeners, or landscape architects do you admire?
A: My favorite garden designers are Piet Oudolf and Dan Pearson. I love their naturalistic planting styles. Oudolf's High Line in NYC is an amazing place, as is my favorite of his designs, the Lurie Garden in Chicago. I also really admire the cottage garden style and topiary of Arne Maynard. I would love to have a place like his Allt-y-bela. I would still make a hidden tea garden somewhere, just like I've done in Tivoli, but would enjoy all that topiary and landscaping.

Above: In June, Mueller published a book on her gardening journey as a student of the Japanese Way of Tea. A Tea Garden in Tivoli is currently available for $28 (down from $34.95) on Mueller's website, Tea Garden Book.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Best Edible Garden (Tied): Rob Maday Landscape Architecture
• Gossamer Gardens: 12 Ideas for Landscaping with Mexican Feather Grass
• Best Edible Garden (Tied): Judy Bown

From corrugated coop to rustic luxe cabin, on a former pheasant farm. Must be France:

Photography via Isabel López-Quesada.

Above: In Biarritz on the Basque coast of southwestern France, interior designer Isabel López-Quesada left the corrugated metal walls exposed in her summerhouse cabin.

Above: Interior walls are sided with reclaimed corrugated metal panels, recycled from a chicken coop.

Above: The cabin's facade is sided with cedar shingles and eucalyptus wood.

Above: A peaked roof of pine beams covers the porch.

Above: A covered porch does double duty as an open-air outdoor dining room.

Above: French doors connect a bedroom to the covered porch.

Above: Antelope antlers decorate the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. Pine support trusses are new; left unpainted, they look as if they were part of the original framework of the structure.

Above: The bathroom has a double sink.

Above: Open air dining, thanks to an oversized window wall in the dining room.

For more of our favorite cabins and cottages, see:

• 61 Cabins to Lust For.
• Scandinavian Getaway: A 150-Square-Foot Weekend Cabin.
• See 46 more Cabins & Cottages.>

More Stories from Gardenista

• Best Hardscape: Elliott + Elliott Architecture
• Hardscaping 101: Rain Gutters
• Steal This Look: The Perfect Screened Porch

Julie and the Remodelista team spent the week "paying homage to the midcentury modern summerhouse, classic accoutrements included." 

Above: Julie and Margot have identical taste: they both collect the same affordable Handblown Glass Vases from France.

Above: Dalilah investigates a new line of graphic tiles in The New Geometry from an LA Artisan Company.

Above: Julie drops in on a reimagined summerhouse in Sweden.

Above: After a winter away, Justine returns to learn her summer house's wallpaper suffered water damage. See how she removes the stains in DIY: How to Remove Stains from Wallpaper.

Above: We've been featuring the winners all week in the Remodelista Considered Design Awards contest. One of our favorite categories? The Best Amateur-Designed Living/Dining Space.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Table of Contents: Untamed Gardens
• Current Obsessions: Hot Links
• Trending on Remodelista: Guest Quarters

The winner of this year's Gardenista Considered Design Awards Best Hardscape Project is Elliott + Elliott Architecture of Blue Hill, Maine.

The firm's project was chosen as a finalist by guest judge Carolyn Mullet, who said of the project: "A subtle and beautiful use of materials. Expert craftsmanship. A hardscape that fits the site like a glove."

N.B.: This is the fifth of seven posts spotlighting the winners of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards. Go to this year's Considered Design Awards page to see all the entries, finalists, and winners, and have a look at Remodelista's Considered Design Awards, too.

Elliott + Elliott Architecture's Design Statement: "The owners wanted a hot tub and terrace that would intrude minimally upon their natural setting. The solution is a whirlpool recessed into the ground and set flush with the stone pavers. It was carved out of two blocks of stone and assembled on site, merging seamlessly with its surroundings." 

Q: What does your firm specialize in?
A: Residential and institutional architecture.

Q: Who worked on the winning project? 
A: Elliott + Elliott Architecture, Burdick & Associates Landscape Design, and Freshwater Stone and Brickwork.

Q: What were your practical goals for the project?
A: To provide a spa tub within a retired quarry. The existing garden included native plantings such as blueberries and sweet fern set among the lichen and moss-covered granite tailings from prior industrial activity. The main goal was to create the spa and adjacent seating area in such a way that it felt at home in this beautiful and rustic—yet meticulously maintained—environment, and to do it in a way that impacted the existing site as little as possible.

Q: What solutions did you find to your design problems?
A: In order to blend into the surroundings, we created a spa tub from a single block of granite. We wanted it to feel as if it had been hewn from the existing ledge. The existing home is entered from atop an ocean-facing granite bluff, and steps down the slope toward the water. The spa garden emerges from between the kitchen and living spaces of the house, several levels below the entry. As such, delivering materials and equipment to the project required great effort and planning. Nonetheless, the tub itself was crafted in just two sections, creating the impression that it was carved in place. Fabrication was not so simple, of course, requiring even the creation of a custom core drilling machine. In order to move these pieces in by crane, a gravel pad was created above on a nearby ledge. Heavy equipment, landscaping materials, and the tub itself were then lowered into place. In the end, when all was complete and the plantings had taken hold, visitors remarked that it seemed as if the garden and spa must have been there for a long time. This, we think, is the highest of compliments.

Q: What are your favorite features of the project?
A: The use of native materials—planting and stone. 

Q: What were the hardest lessons you learned along the way?
A: Granite is really, really heavy.

Q: What advice do you have for someone undertaking a similar project? 
A: This project presented us with many "firsts." We were new to the ergonomics of designing a spa, and hadn’t used granite in a submerged and water-holding way before. Nor had we dealt with the particular site logistics mentioned above. For us, then, the key to success in this project was spending the time to investigate these challenges, and to assemble a team with the experience and, more importantly, the passion needed to see the project through.

Q: What was your biggest splurge?
A: The decision to custom-make a spa from a single block of granite instead of using a prefabricated unit was the biggest splurge on this project.

Q: Where did you cut corners?
A: We are very fortunate to have clients that recognized the unique character of their site and were willing to do what it took to respect it.

Q: What is your favorite local shop or garden nursery?
A: Freshwater Stone and Brickwork was an essential resource for us on this project. We couldn’t have done it without their expertise and creative thinking.

Q: Where do you get your design inspiration?
A: Much of our work is on the Maine coast and islands, and it is this extraordinary environment—natural, cultural, and architectural—that provides our starting point and inspiration. We believe that each project is formed by a unique set of circumstances, which combine client, site, and budget to produce a unique design. Our aim is to produce buildings that express something essential and authentic about their owner, their place, and their time.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Outbuilding of the Week: A Chic Chicken Coop in France
• Hardscaping 101: Rain Gutters
• Steal This Look: The Perfect Screened Porch

Read on to see what we loved this week: 

• Above: A contemporary garden room with blackened siding is added to an Edwardian house in Melbourne. Photograph by Ben Hosking. 
• A primer on aquaponics, a method of using fish to grow crops. 

• Above: To savor the last berries of summer, we're making blackberry and blueberry ice cream. Photograph by Our Food Stories. 
• Giant stones or outdoor stools? You decide. 

• Above: A look around the Fitzroy Conservatory in Melbourne. Photograph by Eve Wilson. 
• Minneapolis, Minnesota recently vowed to help the decreasing bee population by planting more pollinators and avoiding harsh pesticides. 

Instagram and Pinterest Pick of the Week

• Above: What could be better than a treehouse bed and breakfast (@treehousepoint)? 

• Above: Boston-based hydrogeologist Hannah Elkinton's Blooms and Greenery board is our latest Pinterest discovery.

Want more Gardenista? See our Untamed Gardens issue and don't miss Remodelista's week of The Modern Summerhouse. 

More Stories from Gardenista

• Trending on Remodelista: Modern Summerhouse
• Table of Contents: Untamed Gardens
• Current Obsessions: Hot Links

The winner of this year's Gardenista Considered Design Awards Best Outdoor Living Space is Earth Inc. of Toronto, Ontario. 

The firm's project was chosen as a finalist by guest judge David Stark, who said: "At first glance, this garden feels quite simple, but I appreciate that it's anything but. It is a very convincing fantasy and a really fabulous space for entertaining. Exotic and unexpected!" 

N.B.: This is the sixth of seven posts spotlighting the winners of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards. Go to this year's Considered Design Awards page to see all the entries, finalists, and winners, and have a look at Remodelista's Considered Design Awards, too.

Earth Inc.'s Design Statement: "Exiting the house, you enter a honed concrete dining patio and on toward a sunken fire pit lounge. A wood/I-beam boardwalk takes you across a water basin fed by three copper spigots set into a wood-textured concrete wall. The boardwalk continues through a meadow of mass-planted switch grass."

Q: What does your firm specialize in?
A: We specialize in the design and construction of unique private residential gardens.

Q: Who worked on the winning project?
A: The whole Earth Inc. design team—we always try to collaborate on the design portion of each project.

Q: What were your practical goals for the project?
A: To create a modern and relaxing entertaining space to make the most of the outdoors, to increase the clients' privacy, and to create beautiful views from inside the house.

Q: What solutions did you find to your design problems?
A: We created a raised dining and barbecue patio flush to the finished floor of the house to make it feel like an extension of the kitchen. We then created a sunken fire pit lounging area surrounded by a hedgerow of multi-stem river birch and canopied by four honey locust trees to create dappled shade in summer. Outside the living room window is a mass-planted meadow of Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ (switch grass) creating relaxing views in summer and winter. The water feature drowns out any noise of nearby traffic.

Q: What are your favorite features of the project?
A: The boardwalk made out of an I-beam frame with vertically oriented two-by-four slats. Strolling across it over the water basin and through the meadow of ornamental grasses is a delightful experience. As for the layout, the boardwalk accentuates the view of the existing mature maple tree, making it a focal point of the garden.
 
Q: What advice do you have for someone undertaking a similar project? 
A: Be sure to maintain a good balance between hardscape and softscape. When working with concrete, be absolutely sure of your formwork and double-check everything before pouring concrete.

Q: What was your biggest splurge?
A: The planting; as you can see, there is no lawn in this garden. People often underestimate the amount of the budget that should be devoted to planting—but after all, it's what makes it a garden.
 
Q: Where did you cut corners?
A: We wouldn’t consider it cutting corners as it was the desired look in this garden, but using honed concrete for the patios in lieu of mortared-in-place flagstone was a less expensive option. Also, the use of pea gravel is an inexpensive way to achieve a clean look while not using any paving.
 
Q: If your project was a celebrity, who would it be?
A: Christopher Walken, because it’s fun, classy, and edgy all at the same time.
 
Q: Where do you get your design inspiration?
A: Everywhere! Design blogs, our daily lives. Luckily, Toronto is a vibrant and diverse city with a lot of art and culture to inspire us on a regular basis. We like to take time as a company to visit art galleries and design events and even take trips to visit the RHS Chelsea Flower Show or to walk the Highline in New York.
 
Q: Which garden designers, gardeners, or landscape architects do you admire?
A: Luis Barragán, Oehme van Sweden, Piet Oudolf, Mien Ruys.
 
Q: What is your next project? 
A: We are currently working on a fun little backyard in Toronto designing a custom foldup murphy table to make it into a multifunctional space. Another fun backyard we are building right now has a rustic, European-style pétanque court; we can’t wait to see it finished.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Best Hardscape: Elliott + Elliott Architecture
• Outbuilding of the Week: A Chic Chicken Coop in France
• Hardscaping 101: Rain Gutters