Form Follows [Family] Function

Husband and wife Landscape Architects create their own backyard vision

By Don Leighton, President of Gates, Leighton & Associates, Inc.

Not many plans were generated prior to construction, but numerous sketches were done such as this early one for the overlook structure.

Twenty years of raising our four children has been the driving force of how our landscape design has evolved. We moved to Jennys Lane in Barrington, R.I. 1985. Our two oldest children, both boys, were three and nine months old, and we were moving from the city to a community where the house lots were big enough to let young children play soccer and Frisbee, run with our dog, and generally have a happy time in their own backyard.

Jennys Lane, a quiet historic street, was the perfect place to create our vision. The lot was wooded and had just over 1 1/3 acres on which we could carve out our new landscape.

As we soon discovered carving out was definitely the mode of operation for the next three years; nearly three-quarters of the property was a remnant of an old apple orchard that had been overtaken by thick stands of bamboo and vines that seemed to swallow up whole trees and leave them for dead. Countless maple trees had sprung up and added to this wooded haven, making it difficult to determine if there were any trees worth saving. My wife and I were doing most of the work ourselves so progress was slow. This, we later realized, was quite beneficial as it gave us time to think through our vision of this new play yard as well as our approach which was to create a landscape by just carefully removing dead or spindly trees.

A quick concept plan shows an overview of the property and the simplicity of the bedlines.

The few evergreens that had somehow survived the killer vines were transplanted from the center of the yard to the property lines. Outdoor rooms and privacy screens were created in one motion of a backhoe. A grove of good-sized Black Locusts was discovered among the jungle-like canopy. We decided that we would keep these craggily, twisted trees because as a group they added great character and offered the perfect spot for a hammock, picnic table and firepit. I know (in retrospect) that if we had hired a tree company to do the clearing, both the locust and the evergreens would have been removed without a second thought.

Although this early landscape looked like a construction yard for a timber operation it was a great place for our young boys to play. Several tree forts were built with a cable swing connecting them. Walking paths and log bridges squiggled in and around newly created spaces. There was always a sense of adventure since one could still walk a short distance and not see any of the surrounding homes, including our own.

Looking back at the Leighton residence in Barrington, R.I., the upper entry lawn invites people in from the driveway. It also serves as the primary access for large machinery (Just when it seems like the landscape has been completed, along comes another reason to bring in a backhoe.)

By the fourth year of our project, our boys had reached an age where it was apparent that a large lawn area was needed for playing soccer, Frisbee and flying Styrofoam planes (Dad?EUR??,,????'???s favorite). More trees were removed from the center of the yard. These were mostly maples. The loss didn?EUR??,,????'???t bother me because their large leaves created too dense a shade to grow decent grass. At this point we also began to battle with the bamboo stands. After grading off their occupied space I could now constantly mow their ever-emerging sprouts. Two years of mowing finally drove the bamboo into submission. The newly expanded lawn area offered enough play space that even a large family gathering could now be accommodated.

By this time, we also had two girls. The growth of the family demanded a new kitchen addition to the house. Our landscape was about to experience one of its most dramatic changes because of the available fill that resulted from digging the foundation of the kitchen. As a Landscape Architect, I never like to see any material leave a site if there?EUR??,,????'???s a creative use for it. In our case, the extra fill now enabled us to create some needed grade changes to the otherwise flat property.

An overlook structure extends the usefulness of the upper terrace. The long roof overhang also makes it a great place to sit in the rain without getting wet.

An upper lawn and terrace now overlooked the large lawn area, creating an effect much like viewing a sunken living room within a dwelling. The grade transition also offered a great place to finally establish a perennial garden. Here the foliage is actually tipped up to better display the depth of the garden. Finally after living at Jennys Lane for nearly five years we were ready to add plant material. The carving out was nearly complete, or so we thought.

After the dust settled from the kitchen addition, which had been accompanied by new brick terraces and outdoor living spaces, my wife and I thought we had accomplished the brunt of our landscape goals. Little did I know or understand the powerful influence of our four young children in continuing to reshape the property. We knew that our challenge was to keep our children occupied and happy in the yard, which would then afford us the opportunity to do what we both loved: gardening! It was time to consider a pool.

Some of our family thought we were crazy when we bought this house in 1985. It needed a little sprucing up (my oldest son standing by the old kitchen was 3 at the time).

My wife and I realized the landscape seemed to be in a constant state of change so that an above ground pool might be more appropriate than an in-ground which would obviously be more permanent. However, we did not like the look of an above ground pool. The challenge became one of artfully grading a 24 foot diameter pool down into a donut of earth, then constructing a surrounding deck. The pool and the first section of deck were completed the first year of this endeavor, surrounded by new landscaping on the donut of earth. It took two more years to complete the circular cedar deck with curved walls, seating and pool house with trellis screening.

Today because of the mature growth of the surrounding plants, the pool appears to be an in-ground structure, but at the expense of what we would have spent on an in-ground pool. Our output of $6,000 (for pool and deck material) also makes it easier to consider replacing the pool in the future, with, perhaps, a small carriage house-style workshop. The pool was put in 13 years ago and has an average annual operating cost of under $300, quite affordable for entertaining four kids during the summer months.

The entrance into the pool. The mature plant growth surrounding the deck allows the above ground pool to appear as if it were an in-ground pool with a more permanent feel to the landscape.

In 1995, my wife discovered the joy of growing her own vegetables and our landscape evolved once more. A small vegetable garden had always been close to the back door with a few tomatoes, peppers and assorted herbs. Usually we tucked these plants in amongst the daylilies and hostas since they didn?EUR??,,????'???t need much space. However, my wife deemed that ample space (about 20 by 30 feet) be provided for the addition of squash, zucchini and cucumber vines, as well as beans, cauliflower and tons more tomatoes.

The transplanted evergreens along the property lines had grown thick enough that the interior screening trees could be removed to make way for the garden as well as a garden shed. Both shed and garden were located away from the house and for the most part out of sight from the main terrace area. The vine crops in particular grow rampantly and a thriving garden can be visually jolting. We decided that a new circular path with a low stone retaining wall along an expanded perennial garden would provide a pleasant walk to and from the vegetable garden about 150 feet away from the house. My wife also loved that this path allowed access to her garden without soaking her slippers with early morning dew.

A stone path follows the circular stone wall that retains the perennial garden. The Shade Master Locust overhead provides the perfect filtered shade for one side of the garden and nearby terrace area.

The next great influence on the landscape came when our kids were suddenly teenagers. With the play lawns and swimming pool established, we continued sculpting the landscape to allow for camp-outs, places for hanging out with groups of friends and a volleyball court. Our firepit area was expanded into a campground and multi-level terraces with sitting walls and overhead shelters were added.

One major consideration, which we tried to adhere to even in the early years, was ease of maintenance. The whole family chips in to mow and trim. My wife tends the vegetables and I maintain the perennials, hosta beds, annuals and tree trimming. In order to persuade the children to participate, the bedlines were laid out in large sweeping curves, creating areas of circular lawn areas.

Small entrance terrace makes the transitions from the driveway (far right) to the upper terrace.

A final design goal of ours has been to keep the open views to the rear yard for a sense of spaciousness and the right mix of sun and shade. To that end, we have spent a lot of time over the last two years either transplanting older plants or cutting and removing trees which are no longer needed for privacy. My wife actually taught me a valuable lesson because she never wants that overgrown look that sometimes happens to older landscapes. Although I cringed as I cut down a 20-foot tall Vanderwolf pine, the end result allowed a greater spectrum of plant material to be viewed from the overlook terrace.

My wife and I both think that our landscape design may finally be complete somewhere around the year 2008. By that time, our older sons may be having children of their own and the evolution of our backyard may have to start all over again when the grandchildren come to visit.