USA Garden Tour: A Landscape Designer's Meadow-Style Site
The nature-inspired landscape surrounds a mountain cabin with a meadow, a steep hillside, bogs and a natural stream
Becky Harris
27 March 2021
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
American landscape designer Jay Sifford from Charlotte in North Carolina, USA, had always dreamed of a house in the North Carolina mountains, and found his dream property in a valley there about two years ago. The aspect he was most excited about was designing and installing the gardens.
“I’m in Zone 8 in Charlotte, and I was excited to grow some of my favorite Zone 6 plants that I can’t grow at home. I call this my alter-ego garden,” he says. He’s referring to American hardiness zones, which are guides to which plants will thrive and survive in different areas of the country. While he installed new plants, Sifford was careful to preserve the wonderful native plants on the property. The landscape includes a meadow out the front and a steep slope that leads down to two bogs and a stream with rapids out the back.
“I’m in Zone 8 in Charlotte, and I was excited to grow some of my favorite Zone 6 plants that I can’t grow at home. I call this my alter-ego garden,” he says. He’s referring to American hardiness zones, which are guides to which plants will thrive and survive in different areas of the country. While he installed new plants, Sifford was careful to preserve the wonderful native plants on the property. The landscape includes a meadow out the front and a steep slope that leads down to two bogs and a stream with rapids out the back.
Photos by Jim Owen and Jay Sifford
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: Landscape designer Jay Sifford, who designed the landscape and installed the plants
Location: North Carolina, USA
Size: 1.4 acres
Architect: Jim Owen of DIGSdesign
During his search for a property, Sifford had two vital criteria on his wish list. “Number one: it had to have lots of rhododendrons, and number two: it had to have a stream with rapids,” he says. This steeply sloped lot was just the place. Traveling through the nearby Appalachian Mountains, he came upon a pub in West Jefferson and stopped to have lunch. “The people were so friendly, and I thought, ‘This is me. This is my home,’” he says.
“This was the first property I saw. The [real estate agent] didn’t think I’d like it because it had two bogs. Unless you’re a crazy garden designer like me, you probably don’t want bogs,” he says. “I fell in love with the rhododendrons and the stream. I open up my windows at night, and the sound of the rapids puts me to sleep.” He’s named his property Rhodwood.
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: Landscape designer Jay Sifford, who designed the landscape and installed the plants
Location: North Carolina, USA
Size: 1.4 acres
Architect: Jim Owen of DIGSdesign
During his search for a property, Sifford had two vital criteria on his wish list. “Number one: it had to have lots of rhododendrons, and number two: it had to have a stream with rapids,” he says. This steeply sloped lot was just the place. Traveling through the nearby Appalachian Mountains, he came upon a pub in West Jefferson and stopped to have lunch. “The people were so friendly, and I thought, ‘This is me. This is my home,’” he says.
“This was the first property I saw. The [real estate agent] didn’t think I’d like it because it had two bogs. Unless you’re a crazy garden designer like me, you probably don’t want bogs,” he says. “I fell in love with the rhododendrons and the stream. I open up my windows at night, and the sound of the rapids puts me to sleep.” He’s named his property Rhodwood.
Sifford got busy working on the gardens immediately, while also working on the plans for the house with an architect he knew in Charlotte, Jim Owens of DIGSdesign. “I knew I wanted something contemporary but not mid-century modern. And I’m tired of seeing concrete cubes,” he says. “I wanted something with more of a story to it.”
While researching local vernacular styles, he found that even though he hadn’t spied one recently, dogtrot houses – typically two log cabins joined by a breezeway under a single roof – had a history in the Appalachian region. The name comes from the idea that when a dog was ‘too hot to trot’ it could find a cool, shady spot in the breezeway. Today, many modernists are drawn to the straightforward and honest structure of these homes as well as the passive cooling provided by the breezeway.
The breezeway also serves as a connection between the front and back landscapes, which can be quite different. “By mountain standards, the front part of my lot is considered flat,” says Sifford. The house sits at the edge of this relatively flat area and straddles a steep slope. He decided the front yard would be his meadow garden.
While researching local vernacular styles, he found that even though he hadn’t spied one recently, dogtrot houses – typically two log cabins joined by a breezeway under a single roof – had a history in the Appalachian region. The name comes from the idea that when a dog was ‘too hot to trot’ it could find a cool, shady spot in the breezeway. Today, many modernists are drawn to the straightforward and honest structure of these homes as well as the passive cooling provided by the breezeway.
The breezeway also serves as a connection between the front and back landscapes, which can be quite different. “By mountain standards, the front part of my lot is considered flat,” says Sifford. The house sits at the edge of this relatively flat area and straddles a steep slope. He decided the front yard would be his meadow garden.
Sifford’s standard poodles, Sonoma and Amador, enjoy the dogtrot. “There is always a breeze blowing through here,” he says. The two large barn doors close off the dogtrot on windier days. There’s also a fireplace and wood storage inside the breezeway.
Owens clad the exterior in vertical cedar siding with a black stain. The roof is standing-seam metal. “You see a lot of black barns in Appalachia. They help the tobacco cure better,” says Sifford of the colour choice. “And I love the backdrop black provides for all of the colours in the garden.”
Redesigning your outdoor area? Find a landscape architect or designer near you for the ultimate result
Owens clad the exterior in vertical cedar siding with a black stain. The roof is standing-seam metal. “You see a lot of black barns in Appalachia. They help the tobacco cure better,” says Sifford of the colour choice. “And I love the backdrop black provides for all of the colours in the garden.”
Redesigning your outdoor area? Find a landscape architect or designer near you for the ultimate result
This is the view from the dogtrot up toward the road during autumn. Sifford is keeping his project page on Houzz updated with new photos as the meadow garden continues to fill and change with the seasons, so this story shows the garden during different times of year.
This part of the property had to be cleared for a septic field. Sifford took it as an opportunity to create the meadow garden. Sometimes he jokingly calls it “the septic garden”. Even so, something septic never looked so good. “I looked at this garden as a big canvas for colour and texture,” he says. He was careful to avoid plants with far-reaching roots, to protect the septic system.
This part of the property had to be cleared for a septic field. Sifford took it as an opportunity to create the meadow garden. Sometimes he jokingly calls it “the septic garden”. Even so, something septic never looked so good. “I looked at this garden as a big canvas for colour and texture,” he says. He was careful to avoid plants with far-reaching roots, to protect the septic system.
Black modern Adirondack chairs set in a semi-circle provide a spot for enjoying the garden in full sun. Sifford loves to enjoy a coffee in the morning and a wine in the evening here. And the project has made it easy to connect with neighbours. While the area is a mix of farms, ranch houses, cabins and manufactured homes, the black dogtrot house stands out. “People on the road stop to talk to me and take pictures,” he says. “They even knock on my door and ask me questions sometimes.”
The designer choreographed plants in an array of colours that change with the seasons. The meadow garden has junipers and pines that provide hues of green year-round. Perennials add lots of purples, pinks and yellows in spring and summer. There’s a wide range of foliage that goes from light green to burgundy to brown through spring, summer and autumn.
A mix of grasses adds softness and movement until the snow falls. Plants including redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea) and coral bark Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’) provide winter interest and stand out against the black walls and the white snow covering the ground.
A mix of grasses adds softness and movement until the snow falls. Plants including redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea) and coral bark Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’) provide winter interest and stand out against the black walls and the white snow covering the ground.
Tickseed (Coreopsis sp.) and allium blanket the garden with colour during late spring and early summer.
This photo shows the structure the plants provide in the front yard.
The black siding provides a dramatic backdrop for a variety of textures from evergreens, grasses, Japanese maples and coral bells.
An aluminium portal frames the view of a winding gravel path that leads from the driveway to the breezeway. “The portal lets you know you are entering a special place,” says Sifford. He treated the path like a rock garden design, creating a rhythm in the gravel with contrasting pavers and boulders he brought from Charlotte.
Browse more stunning gardens to inspire your own
Browse more stunning gardens to inspire your own
The area in front of the breezeway is marked by a colourful glass sculpture by Seattle artist Jesse Kelly. “The sculpture is a cool artsy focal point, on axis with the dogtrot,” he says. Blue spruces repeat the colour of the glass in the garden.
The actual dogtrot area of the home serves as a breezeway and the entrance. It creates a strong connection between the meadow garden and the wooded ravine out the back. The space is a cooling-off spot during the summer and a protected spot for warming up in winter, thanks to a fireplace on the right. There’s a clear view across the deck to the tree canopy behind the house. Gridded black deck railings nod to vernacular hog-wire fencing and keep the views to the canopy open.
The siting of the house immerses Sifford in his beloved rhododendrons even when he’s inside. Some of these are over seven metres high.
To navigate the slope that the house straddles, Sifford installed steps that wind down to the bogs and the stream.
Along the stairway, Sifford filled in empty areas between the native plants with ferns, sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’) and foamflower (Tiarella sp.). “They provide a cascading effect on the slope,” he says. A new bridge crosses one of the two bogs.
“I wanted something more Giverny green for the bridge, but it came out teal. I’d never used it before but decided I liked it,” he says.
“I wanted something more Giverny green for the bridge, but it came out teal. I’d never used it before but decided I liked it,” he says.
Sifford marked the end of the journey down the stairs and across the bog with a sculpture by Indonesian artist Timboel. “I feel like he is looking at all the cool plants and is ready to dive into a sea of green,” he says. “I feel like this walk is a philosophical and spiritual experience.”
Sculpture: ‘Outstretched Arms’ by Timboel, Phillips Collection
Sculpture: ‘Outstretched Arms’ by Timboel, Phillips Collection
Throughout the process, Sifford was careful to protect the native plants, such as these beautiful dimpled trout lilies (Erythronium umbilicatum).
Just beyond the sculpture is a casual seating area where Sifford and his guests can enjoy the sound of the stream behind it. He found the green Adirondack chairs on Houzz’s USA-based marketplace.
“Coming here stimulates my creativity,” he says. “I find I both lose myself and find myself here. I’m always a better person for it. The plants and land have taught me so much.”
“Coming here stimulates my creativity,” he says. “I find I both lose myself and find myself here. I’m always a better person for it. The plants and land have taught me so much.”
This photo shows off the spectacular backdrop of the mountains in autumn last year.
Your turn
Where in this garden would you like to relax? Tell us in the Comments below. And while you’re at it, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Keen to recreate a meadow-style garden at home? Read 5 Ways to Transform Your Garden Into a Wildlife-Friendly Oasis
Your turn
Where in this garden would you like to relax? Tell us in the Comments below. And while you’re at it, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Keen to recreate a meadow-style garden at home? Read 5 Ways to Transform Your Garden Into a Wildlife-Friendly Oasis
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Wondering about the skinny pavers that run part way across the paths. I'm sure there is a purpose. Makes an interesting effect.
Hi thinkof129. The stone plinths do several things. First, they pull the lines of the vertical siding off of the house and into the garden, creating a dialogue between the two. Second, they create rhythm in the garden. I believe that when a garden has rhythm through meaningful repetition that the garden's rhythm connects with our unique internal rhythm (heart rate, pulse, breathing patterns, songs in our heads) and, as a result, we feel positive emotions in the space. And thirdly, they break up the long expanse of gravel, adding interest to the pathway.
Hope this helps.
To all you fans of this garden, it's amazing how much it's changed since this story posted. Jay has been really generous about updating the photos of the project through the seasons and years and you can keep tabs on it here:
https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/crafting-a-mountain-garden-called-rhodwood-pj-vj~5305225