 Landscape designer John McEllen shares tips
about getting a great garden
‘Bringing International Flair to your gardens’ will be topic for Celia Dunn Sotheby's International Realty’s Masterpiece Series lecture luncheon
(SAVANNAH) – Your yard doesn’t have to a patch of grass with some shrubs plopped around your house. It can be something beautiful to look at while you’re in your house and a great place to hang out.
Noted landscape designer John McEllen says that great retreat is within reach. He’s outlined some advice about how to create a great garden, and how to create a beautiful scene to look at while you’re in your home. You’re likely to find yourself wandering outside more often.
From Italy and Spain to South America, McEllen’s travels and collections have influenced his design. He brings water features into play and approaches the outside as a green room.
“For me, it’s been a life’s work,” McEllen said. “I remember working with my grandmother in her garden. When I’ve traveled a lot of my trips have been about seeing gardens. It’s a life’s passion.”
“It doesn’t have to be serious,” McEllen said. “It evolves with you. What you feel needs to be in it.” Design must reflect the taste and lifestyle of the homeowners, tying in to how they will use the garden. What we do in our lives influences our gardens.
McEllen designed and now maintains the landscape of the Ships of the Sea Museum (the William Scarbrough House) and has landscaped many other notable Savannah properties. McEllen has worked as a landscape designer in Savannah for 25 years. He received a B.A. in history from the University of Georgia and did graduate work in historic landscape under Rudy Favaretti at the University of Connecticut.
McEllen will speak about “Bringing International Flair to your Garden” Oct. 22 as part of Celia Dunn Sotheby's International Realty’s The Masterpiece Series. The lecture-luncheon is open to the public. To make a reservation, $25 payment must be received by the Monday prior to the luncheon. Checks should be made out to CDS Lecture Series and sent to Lori Combs, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty, 17 W. Charlton St. Savannah, GA 31401.
His own garden, with a “borrowed landscape” looking over the marsh with a view of Rose Dhu Island, is rarely on view, but he will showcase it with photos for the lecture.
McEllen gives some pointers about landscape design:
Look at it inside out.
You’ll spend more time looking at your garden from inside your house than you spend actually in it. Make sure to consider the view of the garden from the rooms of your home. It’s especially difficult when you’re building a home. It sounds obvious, but make sure you’ll be able to see out your windows – a common mistake is planting a foundation shrub in front of a window, only to have it grow and block the window.
Create a pleasing scene.
Have a beautiful vignette or view from your windows. Don’t think of it as a focal point right in the middle of the window. Instead, create a lovely scene. It can include a tree, statuary, a water feature or plantings. Depending on the layout and architecture of your home, try to have a view from each window. Just remember that outside your home, your garden won’t have that frame of windows separating each area. Make sure the garden blends together in a harmonious whole.
Take a chance.
Plants are so affordable now that you can be adventurous and try something new. McEllen has been seeing lots of temperate tropicals, which like our heat and humidity but can take some cold. These plants from places like Chile and Brazil can add an unexpected touch.
But don’t make your garden look like a garden catalog.
One + one + one + one = a mess. It’s not harmonious and doesn’t let your eye rest anywhere. As much as you might want to just have one of everything, remember to plant groups. You can use the grouping as a nice backdrop for one favorite thing set in front. You’ll still have the harmonious whole, with the exclamation point of color, a piece of statuary, or whatever you choose. McEllen prefers an odd number of items in a group. He likes symmetry, but based more on the way it’s laid out.
Pay attention to your surroundings.
Don’t impose a plan on a landscape without paying attention to the setting you’re in. You don’t have to be locked in to a certain style, just be thoughtful about how you design your garden. In Italy and Spain, there are many very formal gardens that look out on wild nature beyond. It works because the gardens are designed to frame the natural landscape, directing your view to the “borrowed landscape.”
Take your time.
It helps to have a landscape designer. Don’t rush to create your entire garden in one fell swoop. Implement a plan over time. You’ll realize and see different possibilities, uses and issues over time, and you’ll probably get a clearer idea of your tastes.
Rip magazines.
Tear out magazine photos of your favorite landscapes. Check out library books, web sites, botanical gardens. You’ll get great ideas and get a better sense of what you want (if you have a landscape designer, the magazine pages will also help him or her understand your style).
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