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symphony pulling just the right heart strings. A designed slab
of nature thrown down in the middle of a city like Olmstead’s
Central Park in Manhattan can quickly infuse peace into the
most harried New Yorker.
We’re lucky in the Northeast Valley since so much attention
is paid to our landscapes. From plant-lined streets to the
great views of our mountains — thanks to the outlawing of billboards
— we’ve got it pretty good.
And at home, great landscape architecture makes a home
more livable and increases its value. So how do you turn an underwhelming
yard into your own piece of paradise? Ask the pros.
“The nice part of designing for residential is the level of detail
that residential projects allow for,” says Mr. Greey, Co-founder
and Principal with Greey|Pickett landscape architects. “It
should speak the language of your home’s architecture.”
With diverse projects dating back to 1984, Mr. Greey’s eye for
design has earned his firm numerous awards, but more important
is the acclaim of commercial and residential clients
around the world. He stresses that the secret to his success
comes from listening to each client.
“Never start with a prescribed solution. We’re creating a solution
based on the client’s direction. Some say, ‘do something
beautiful,’ and leave it up to me, while others want to be
highly involved, choosing every plant.”
Mr. Greey sums up the goal of a landscape architect as creating
an environment that the client will enjoy, embrace, and not
grow tired of over time. Sometimes, long periods of time. He
sagely points out that even though the seasons and individual
plants will change, good landscapes are designed to last for
decades. Your landscape architect needs to think and plan
generationally, while complementing the style of the property.
“A good designer can jump from style to style. Some people
like to specialize, and their projects tend to look the same over
and over. Our projects are reflective of the architecture, the
client, and the site,” Mr. Greey says.
But how to choose a landscape architect? The main considerations
are to review their portfolio of like projects, just as you
would a building architect. Your landscape architect should
then develop a plant and design palette for the exterior of the
property to maintain a consistent style and theme throughout
the landscape. Water features will take cues from the design