Build A Better Garden

Paved areas move you from place to place, determine circulation patterns, and define frequently used living areas. Fences and hedges function as walls, defining boundaries and sectioning off "rooms" for various functions. Pergolas and the canopies of large trees can create ceilings that make these rooms feel distinct and intimate. Sheds and other outbuildings provide storage the way closets do. All these architectural elements organize a space, telling us where to go, what to look at, and how to use it.

Here, beyond the plant room's trellise, a small flagstone terrace nestled against the house is the garden's first "room"; small alpine plants ease the transition from the paving to the lawn below.