Josh Kane: 4 Fun Ways To Enliven A Ho-Hum Pool

1. Install a water slide.  A custom water slide transforms a pool into a true destination. Beyond providing fun for kids and guests, it helps create a resort-like experience.
2. Splurge on a spa. A built-in whirlpool spa extends enjoyment of a pool area as the weather cools. Whether owners are soothing tired muscles or gathering with friends on a chilly evening, a spa combines luxury, wellness and beauty.
3. Consider a water feature.  Beyond the visual impact, cascading water fills a landscape with peaceful sounds. Integrated with natural stone, lush plantings and custom lighting, a waterfall can become the signature feature of a backyard.
4. Build a tanning ledge. This shallow area provides a perfect place to lounge in the water with family and friends, read a book or supervise young children at play.

Kane Landscapes, Inc., designed a Leesburg pool complete with a slide, tanning ledge and water feature. Photo: Morgan Howarth

Joshua Dean: The Building Blocks of a Perfect Garden

What touchstones are key when designing a formal garden?
Start by identifying the views or features you wish to emphasize, then use symmetry and repetition to help create balance, add structure and guide the eye. Recurring patterns in paving, plant material and layout create rhythm throughout a space.

Any ideas for creating something less structured?
Symmetry isn’t the only approach you can take. Japanese gardens, for example, often use asymmetrical arrangements of individual specimens and groupings to achieve a sense of visual equilibrium.

What guides the selection of plants?
A successful plant combination should feel proportionate to the space and the way people will experience it. We envisioned two people walking through the garden below, which informed everything from plant height to the scale and placement of individual plants.

A McLean garden by Wheat’s Landscape features boxwood and hydrangea. Photo: George E. Brown

D. Blake Dunlevy: Nailing Old World Style

1. Curate authentic ingredients. This time-honored look comes from using natural materials. In the project shown, the crushed-stone patio surface reminds guests of European gardens where the paths crunch underfoot.
2. Consider traditional species. Go for classic plantings such as hydrangea, azalea, boxwood or crape myrtle.
3. Take an artisanal approach. We followed heritage construction methods, building the stone wall by hand. In addition to dry-stacked stone walls, consider hand-laid gravel beds or cobblestone paving.

A winsome Alexandria garden by D. A. Dunlevy.