Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture created a lily pond with three fountains in Mount Vernon.
RIVERFRONT RETREAT
McHale Landscape Design was tapped to overhaul an existing landscape and pool on the Severn River in Annapolis. The team installed travertine coping and a vanishing-edge water feature clad in glass tile. “The pool provides a stunning visual and delicate audio effect,” notes McHale’s Sandra Moffatt. “But the sound of a waterfall needs to be taken into consideration. If it’s over 70 decibels, it can make conversation difficult.”
Landscape Design & Contracting: McHale Landscape Design.
FLOATING GARDEN
On a Mount Vernon property, landscape architect Joseph Richardson created a lily pond with three fountains. Aquatic plants, he notes, require ample sunlight. “Foliage should cover only 60 to 65 percent of the surface to shade the water and maintain a suitable environment.”
Architecture: Rill Architects. Landscape Architecture: Joseph Richardson, PLA, ASLA, Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture. Landscape Contractor: Black Pearl Management.
DC OASIS
An eight-by-16-foot water feature—half spa and half plunge pool—makes the most of its urban footprint in Cleveland Park. The project designed by Blake Dunlevy features a stone wall with a spillway. The wall conceals pool equipment and also displays artwork. “We focus attention on placing pieces within the landscape that complement the surroundings,” Dunlevy notes.
Landscape Design & Contracting: D. Blake Dunlevy, D. A. Dunlevy.
MAKE A SPLASH
Kane Landscapes outfitted a sloped Leesburg poolscape with a waterfall, slide and tiered stone seating. Principal Josh Kane says large boulders are key to creating a natural-looking waterfall. “Also,” he advises, “to make falls look more natural, be sure that water bubbles up rather than shooting out of one area.”
Landscape Architecture: Alan Blalack, RLA; Landscape Contractor: Kane Landscapes, Inc.
AU NATUREL
“Our client in Lothian, Maryland, wanted an oasis with a pool, slide and waterfall,” says Jeff Crandell of Scapes. The designer surrounded the freeform pool in lilac flagstone coping and ivory travertine decking. Balancing natural stone and plantings softens a hardscape, he contends. “When plants are mixed with materials in different colors, textures and sizes, it creates a natural-looking escape.”
Landscape Design & Construction: Scapes, Inc.
SPA ZONE
Pristine Acres conceived a luxurious, 10-by-10-foot spa on a compact Aldie, Virginia, property. Embellished with sandblasted marble and specialty tile, it’s sheltered by an overhead structure and concealed by a fir wall. “Privacy and protection from the elements were at the top of the list,” says landscape architect Kevin Kurdziolek. “The structure above provides a refuge from summer sun and light rain.”
Landscape Architecture & Contracting: Pristine Acres.
PRIVATE SCREENING
An Annapolis refuge boasts an ipe veranda with a fireplace, pavilions and a pool rimmed in bluestone. “Privacy was a major concern,” says Michael Prokopchak of Walnut Hill, the landscape contractor. “To resolve this, cryptomeria, Nellie Stevens hollies and arborvitae were strategically placed along the property line.”
Landscape Architecture: OVS. Landscape Contractor: Walnut Hill Landscape Company. Photo: George E. Brown.
FALLING WATER
Designing a raised spa beside a pool in Great Falls, says Surrounds landscape architect Chad Talton, “visually delineated the pool and rear garden and created additional viewpoints to enjoy.” A sheer-descent waterfall provides ambient sound and a spot where kids can frolic in the falling water.
Landscape Architecture & Construction: Chad Talton, PLA, Surrounds Inc.
SET IN STONE
Tasked with integrating an existing pool into an updated Chevy Chase, Maryland, backyard, Wheat’s Landscape took cues from the home’s modern architecture. To break up large expanses of hardscape, the team surrounded the pool with paving stones set in turf. “Using similar materials in a different way helps define various areas but link them together in harmony,” points out Wheat’s Mark Finlayson.
Landscape Design & Contracting: Mark Finlayson, Wheat’s Landscape.
LAP OF LUXURY
Part of an elaborate Bethesda project by Fine Earth, this spa boasts Western Maryland stone walls, a bench for relaxing and marble facing on its vanishing edge. When selecting materials, president Joel Hafner warns that certain types of stone, including Indiana limestone, can grow soft and peel due to winter freezes and thaws.
Landscape Design & Construction: Fine Earth Landscape, Inc.
AFTER DARK
A striking poolscape by Lewis Aquatech in Aldie, Virginia, boasts a comprehensive outdoor lighting plan. “Lighting can be one of the most important aspects of a landscape,” says principal Don Gwiz. “During evening hours, soft landscape lighting is nothing short of magical. It provides a warm and inviting ambiance that calls us outdoors, creates a mood and adds inter- est and intrigue to any setting.”
Landscape Design & Contracting: Don Gwiz, Lewis Aquatech.