On March 15th, Home&Design celebrated its Spring 2023 issue with a festive event at USA Cabinet Store in Fairfax. Guests mingled and enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres while exploring the showroom’s stylish kitchen installations.
After a home renovation, EBLA was asked to reimagine the sloped front of the property with a better approach; to solve drainage challenges; and to create a unified feel between the remodeled home and a new, separate garage on the property.
“We redefined access via a formal walkway from the street and a secondary, informal walkway to the front of the house,” says principal and founder Ed Ball. “We also regraded the front yard for drainage and redesigned the plantings.” A pergola attached to the house serves as a visual connection between the house and garage; layered plant materials, vines and a flagstone walkway were also added. A firepit and outdoor kitchen occupy one side of the property. Walkways also lead to the backyard.
Highlights
EBLA
703-433-1863 — landscapearchitectnorthernvirginia.com
Homeowners in Falls Church had just completed a new traditional home with a rustic workshop on the property. They hired JHLA to devise a landscape plan that would connect the two disparate structures.
Principal Jennifer Horn created a croquet court that flows between the buildings, with Colonial steppers creating access across elevations. Her planting and hardscape choices reflect the style of each, with heirloom species, bluestone and formal edging around the house while natives interspersed with boulders and irregular flagstones adorn the workshop area. Says Horn, “Plant selection is key. It can enhance architecture in subtle yet profound ways. Our planting plan connects two spaces while creating a bespoke mix of species.”
Highlights
Jennifer Horn Landscape Architecture
202-573-7581 — jh-la.com
Collaborating with clients on a design inspiration they were looking to bring to life, Sisson Landscapes created a beautiful and functional space for this DC home. Our designers took into account the requirements and desires for this small yet essential space as it serves as the access from the parking in the rear of the home. As the principal vista from the back of the home the design also needed to be eye catching. To contrast the angular red brick of the house and walls, Sisson created a serpentine gray cobblestone path amid Jacquemontii birch trees, providing opportunity for shade perennials with chartreuse foliage. The bespoke gate connects the garden space to the outside. The landscape illumination provides evening interest using path lights and up lighting, giving depth, dimension, and visibility.
Highlights
Sisson Landscapes
703-759-2012 — sissonlandscapes.com
Fine Earth Landscape emphasizes personalized customer service and long-term client relationships—exemplified by this award-winning landscape, which the company has maintained for more than two decades. Over the years, the team has planted every plant on the property, which is manicured weekly throughout the growing season. Care includes beds, weeding, pruning and turf. All the shrubs, including the many boxwoods, are hand-pruned without shears in a horticulturally correct manner. Thousands of annuals are planted every season. Special attention has been paid to the exquisite cutting garden—one of the owners’ favorite features of their landscape.
Highlights
Fine Earth Landscape
301-972-8810 — fineearth.com
Grow Landscapes was tapped to install a landscape conceived by Campion Hruby Landscape Architects. The extensive project encompassed a swimming pool with a water feature, a pavilion with a wood-burning fireplace, retaining walls, patios and abundant plantings.
The Grow team began by removing and storing existing custom fencing and gates, so as to ensure access to the sloped backyard. They implemented Campion Hruby’s drainage system, then created a thermal, full-color flagstone pool deck that surrounds the pool. Low retaining walls around the pool are veneered with brick to match the house.
Highlights
A semi-in-ground pool integrates the natural slope of the property to create a multi-level living area
A monolithic water feature is set into hand-chiseled building stone laid with dry mortar joints
The pavilion is distinguished by exposed rafters and beams, a standing-seam aluminum roof and a fireplace that matches the water wall
Lush plantings keep the extensive stonework from over-powering the space and blends with the surrounding woods
Grow Landscapes
703-771-1003 — growlandscapes.com
JCLD transformed the small, run-of-the-mill side yard of an in-town residence into a flourishing garden and entertainment space. “The client felt exposed because the homes are close together and several stories tall with views into her fenced area,” explains principal Jennifer Connoley, who designed a raised planter and a strategically placed trellis that extends above the six-foot fence to address the privacy issue. She and her team replaced a ramshackle porch with a new stone one and installed brick steps, a dining patio, a raised bed, a brick fire pit patio, drainage infrastructure, a custom water feature, lighting and new landscaping. From wide wrap-around steps and traditional stone-and-brick masonry to the simple wooden trellis, the material palette conveys a sense of timeless elegance.
Highlights
The owners of a 1910 residence on the Tred Avon River tapped Jennifer Connoley Landscape Design to revamp their half-acre Oxford, Maryland, property. The project demolished outdated existing structures, including a chicken coop and outhouse to make way for a long list of improvements: a stone patio, an outdoor kitchen, a pergola, a kitchen garden, a stormwater retention area, a front walk, parking areas, paths and redesigned fencing. The home sports a modern farmhouse feel, so the owners specified an understated aesthetic with a focus on form, function and water views. JCLD blended non-invasive and native plantings to create color, texture and all-season appeal with an emphasis on tolerance of both wet and dry conditions.
Highlights
Jennifer Connoley Landscape Design
410-200-1563 —jcld-landscapedesign.com
The owners of a small corner lot in McLean envisioned their backyard as an oasis from the bustle of the neighborhood. They tapped Pristine Acres to fulfill a wish list that included a pool, a covered structure, an outdoor kitchen and an open expanse of lawn. They specified a clean-lined aesthetic to complement their home’s modern architecture.
Pristine Acres devised an attached pavilion with a built-in kitchen and space for gathering. It overlooks the pool, which is anchored at the far end by a sheer-descent water feature. Retaining walls made of ipe and porcelain tile enclose the yard; they’re softened by terraced gardens of perennials and shrubbery. Sand-blasted marble paves the pool deck and an ipe ceiling animates the pavilion.
HighLights
Pristine Acres
877-333-5651 — pristineacres.com
Wheat’s was tasked with designing a lush garden and hardscape to surround a centerpiece pool. After masterminding the addition of a stormwater management and drainage system, landscape designer Mark Finlayson, CPH, and his team took cues from the home’s modern architecture, devising a stream-lined backyard oasis centered around the 15-by-30-foot pool. Thermal bluestone stepping-stones are separated by Mondo grass joints and polished pebbles to convey a clean, contemporary look that complements the house.
The landscape palette features holly and Green Giant arborvitae for privacy, softened by ornamental Japanese maples, fastigiate hornbeams and crape myrtle. Flowering shrubs and perennials such as oakleaf hydrangea, hypericum, Virginia sweetspire, Amsonia, and grasses enhance visual interest via texture and color contrast.
Highlights
Wheat’s Lawn and Custom Landscape
703-641-4790 — wheats.com
1. While masterminding a modern addition to an historic 17th-century, log-and-stone dwelling, its owner, an architect, tapped Colao & Peter to overhaul the landscape. “We created a private entrance gate with a circular driveway; renovated the swimming pool; devised a Japanese garden; and added masonry walls, steps and walkways, as well as plantings throughout the property,” recounts partner and landscape architect JR Peter. He and his design team employed stone in the landscape plan that complements both the addition and the original structure, creating a visual bridge between old and new.
Highlights
Colao & Peter began as stone -and-masonry company Colao Stone. Partner Joe Colao comes from a long line of stone masons, while partner JR Peter is a landscape architect who creates complex projects featuring pools, spas, decks, carpentry, masonry, hardscape and landscape. In business for over two decades, Colao & Peter maintains a client-first, no-ego approach, from consultation to completion.
2. When creating a landscape to complement a lodge-style abode in Winchester, Virginia, Colao & Peter conjured the right look with a natural-look stone veneer and boulder accents. The finished project includes a pool, spa, pool deck, fire pit and hardscape.
3. Hired to renovate a dull, outdated pool in Oakton, Virginia, Colao & Peter replaced cracked concrete decking with imported limestone bordered by bluestone. Lighting and firebowls atop masonry walls add interest.
Colao & Peter
703-553-0123 — colaopeter.com
Clients hired Michael Prokopchak of Walnut Hill to transform an aging property in Annapolis. The project entailed renovating a pool; creating a deck; reorienting and replacing the driveway to improve parking and incorporate lush plantings to complement the architecture of the home.
“The design was conceived to have the least impact on the local waterway,” says Prokopchak. “Native plantings offset the increase in lot coverage, while hardscape is designed to meet impervious requirements. Having a firm grasp of the local permit requirements ensured that we could stay one step ahead.” Plantings provide year-round color and texture. Pennsylvania bluestone crisply defines the front stairs, walkways, pool coping and wall caps.
Highlights
Walnut Hill Landscape Company
410-349-3105 — walnuthilllandscape.com
Homeowners with an estate situated on extensive acreage tasked Kane Landscapes with reimagining the approach to the house on a grand, yet intimate, scale. The list of requirements for the project included guest parking; a focal water feature for visual and sound interest; and a strong connection between the drive, the adjacent five-car garage and the front door.
The design team created a new driveway approach and parking areas, including an extension that accommodates the garage and is screened by holly and crape myrtle. A fountain encircled by shrubbery aligns with the front door; walkways are clad in the same stone that trims the house. Plantings such as boxwood, hydrangea, laurel and cat mint are pruned to compliment the home’s formal architecture. Evergreens along the property lines conceal the neighboring houses.
Highlights
Kane Landscapes, Inc.
703-803-3146 — kanelandscapes.com
A project implementing a local landscape architect’s plan snowballed for McHale Landscape Design when the owners requested additional fresh ideas for their 12-acre waterfront property. The ultimate scope of work included masonry, irrigation, drainage and extensive landscaping in which abundant mature plant material found on the property was transplanted and integrated with new shrubs and trees. A 40-foot-tall willow oak was transferred from McHale’s nursery via an 18-wheeler and found a new home near the home’s front entry.
Spectacular water views highlight the completed landscape, which boasts visual interest conveyed year-round via colorful flowers and foliage. The landscape also acts as a wildlife habitat, providing food sources and nesting materials.
Highlights
McHale Landscape Design, Inc.
301-599-8300 — mchalelandscape.com
 | Wooded WonderAn expert team conjures a welcoming forest reverie in Great Falls |
 | Shore RefugeMcHale Landscape Design transforms a prime property on the South River |
 | Garden RevivalPros update a Baltimore gem with lush plantings and elaborate hardscape |
 | Party CentralSurrounds overhauls a Great Falls property with inviting outdoor spaces |
On January 18th, Home & Design marked the publication of its January/February 2023 issue with a festive event at ADU—Your Appliance Source in Gaithersburg. Guests mingled and enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres while exploring the showroom’s stylish, cutting-edge installations.
