This small memorial park is dedicated to Peter Dominick Jr., a former prominent Denver architect. The inlaid labyrinth was inspired by one inside the 13^th century Chartres Cathedral in France.  It provides a spiritual, meditative walk within an enclosed, serene setting of trees and falling water.  

Judging in this category is based on overall appeal, design, materials and quality.

According to Nancy Eastman, principal of Art of the Land, “The deteriorated railroad tie retaining walls were removed, and a fewer number of wider terraces were configured with short, separated stairways to the top of the hillside.  The wider terraces allowed larger plants to be used on the hillside garden. The sitting height wall along the new deck provides some additional informal seating.”

The backyard was further enhanced with a new composite deck, airy pergola, and flagstone patios with a hot tub wall alcove.

Hillside Terrace

“Hillside Terrace”,  in the Applewood neighborhood of the west part of Metropolitan Denver, received the award in Wall Construction from the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.

Judging in this category is based on overall appeal, design, materials and quality.

According to Nancy Eastman, principal of Art of the Land, “The deteriorated railroad tie retaining walls were removed, and a fewer number of wider terraces were configured with short, separated stairways to the top of the hillside.  The wider terraces allowed larger plants to be used on the hillside garden. The sitting height wall along the new deck provides some additional informal seating.”

Adding Informal Seating for Entertainment

The award will be given at a ceremony February 8, 2012 at the Seawell Ballroom in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The ALCC promotes the Excellence in Landscape Award as a way to showcase to the public the value of industry professionalism. For over 40 years, the organization has been comprised of professionals who understand the unique climate of Colorado and promote responsible use of water and other natural resources.

Land Art by Nancy Eastman

The first featured item shown was work by Nancy Eastman, Founder and Principal of Art of the Land. This basket is one of a series that eventually goes back into the environment but provides both aesthetics for the garden and habitat for wildlife in the process. Eastman showcases similar work at the website here.

Marcogliese said, “Art simply works alongside the plants to enhance enjoyment of our outdoor environments.”

Sarah Marcogliese is affiliated with the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, participants in both the Water Wise Garden and the 9NEWS Kitchen Garden. You can see more information about that organization here.

Two of the works by Eastman are shown here. She describes the background of her work:

“I sense a disturbing loss of cultural knowledge and an indigenous loss of the meaning of the surrounding landscape. As an artist, I try to confront that loss, determining what I can do about it and how we can go on and keep moving through that loss. That results in a more intimate relationship with my diminishing and changing environments. This acute awareness reflects myself, my art and my landscapes.”

“Iowa” is, indeed, the Iowa Landscape, using paper made by harvesting from the land. In Asian and Western paper making applications.

“Cowboy Ranch” speaks to the disappearing small ranches and cowboy ranches, as well as the difficulty of making a living.

The exhibit and the Opening are, of course, free and open to the public. You are all cordially invited!

Bird's Eye View of Blooming Belcaro Green Roof

One recent Art of the Land project is this contemporary installation in Denver’s Belcaro neighborhood, at a home featured in the May, 2011 issue of “Colorado Homes & Lifestyles”. The flat areas of the home’s roof are covered in greenery that’s planted over a waterproof membrane helping cool the home in the summer and prevent water runoff. Art of the Land Founder and Principal Nancy Eastman collaborated with landscape designer Vicki Alexander and associate Andy Creath to bring the project to life.

“Green Roofs are a new type of nature,” says Eastman. “There’s a movement among some architects to make buildings less important and landscape more important. Green Roofs support that. They represent an integrated approach to living architecture.”

Key to the Green Roof is a combination of materials, protective membrane, planting medium and plant selection. Of course, there are both environmental and engineering considerations. Professionals working in the field are the first and most reliable resource to aid in design and installation of a Green Roof. Then, as the Roof matures, the obvious and measureable benefits become apparent.

Green Roofs help to reduce energy costs. Green Roofs can help to insulate in the winter and reduce the heat load of the roof in the summer. Green Roofs can help with storm water runoff through retention and detention of rainfall, and the detention of runoff from roofs.

Green Roofs provide sound insulation. The growth media, plants and layers of trapped air in a green roof system serve as excellent sound insulators. And, Green Roofs can extend roof life by blocking ultraviolet radiation, providing insulation and preventing puncture.

Importantly, many owners of Green Roof buildings and homes enjoy both the added value and the aesthetics provided by the spaces, both to view and to use.

Contact Art of the Land for a professional consultation about your Green Roof ideas. You can also read more at this site for a non-profit industry association, www.greenroofs.org. Or, read and learn more at this on-line publication, www.greenroofs.com. We look forward to hearing from you…and going up on your roof!

June 9 Dedication of Dominick Park, photo: David Zalubowski

Located on Cathedral Square North across from St. John’s Cathedral at 14th and Washington, this new Capitol Hill urban park honors recently deceased architect Peter Dominick, Jr., a longtime urban pioneer and innovator with significant work throughout the world. Dominick and his family are longtime members of St. John’s, and the land belonged to the church.

The park is designed in a contemporary European style, with honeylocusts and English paving stones flanked by columnar oaks, flowering shrubs and shaded bronze benches. A key focal point is the re-creation of the 13th century labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France, a place for contemplation. A reflecting pool highlights the space, and a memorial sculpture will be added later.

Replicating Chartres

Dominick founded 4240 Architecture in 1973, and led some of the earliest re-development of the Downtown Denver warehouse area now known as LoDo. His work includes several Disney hotels, the Town Center at Stapleton in Denver, and Denver’s Riverfront Park development, reclaiming the former railyards of the Central Platte River Valley.

Nancy Eastman (left) with Philae Dominick, photo: David Zalubowski

“Peter loved giving new life to old things. That’s what this park has done,” reflected his widow Philae. “Peter would think this was pretty cool. It is probably one of the most spectacular urban renewal parks there is!”

Eastman, the family and friends attended the dedication led by the Very Reverend Peter Eaton, the cathedral’s rector and dean. “We have dreamed for over 30 years of turning this space into a welcoming place for people of all faiths,” he said. “Now, with everyone’s hard work, we have.”

(The Dedication of Dominick Park was originally reported by Joanne Davidson in the Denver Post, June 24, 2011)

 For further information, and for assistance in your own historic landscape planning, contact Art of the Land.

 Of course, through history, landscape design styles have evolved both to please the eye, and, earlier, to feed the family. From parks to cottage gardens, styles moved from Old World to New, and, eventually further West to Colorado. Here, there really was no single “style” of garden. A mix of styles and uses ran parallel to the mix of people migrating here and dealing with our particular climate.

Eventually, parks, cemeteries and, even, parkways were created with landscape design considerations. Larger homes were constructed, and the wealthy started to express their personal tastes and preferences through their gardens. In urban areas, these gardens were primarily providing relaxing areas for friends and family.

Following World War II, however, the pace of design and style change proceeded more rapidly, spreading to more and more houses of all sizes, growth into new areas, and the use of natural resources such as rock and water. Just knowing a little about landscape design history can help you determine a historically appropriate design for your home.

Determining the Appropriate Historical Style

 Many resources exist to assist you, and the internet has made finding many of them much simpler. Look for old photos, books, documents and landscape plans. Your regional Botanic Gardens is always a good source for historical material. And, the local garden centers and nurseries that have been around for a while usually know their history.

Historic Garden, Loveland, Colorado

If your home is in or near an established Historic District, there may already be some rules or guidelines for appropriate landscape treatment. Here, in Loveland, there has been a Historic Preservation Ordinance since 2002. The Loveland Register of Historic Places lists 65 structures, and the city has three Historic Districts. Check with the Preservation Commission for resources.

Check out the neighbors! Tour your area to find structures of similar age and architectural style, and see what ideas their landscapes provide for your situation. Older parks, cemeteries, old parkways and gardens are good places to get ideas.

Consider more historic features like fences and walls in period style, pergolas, grape arbors and other structures. And, consider including the older, larger trees that may date from your home’s original construction.

Historically Appropriate Plants

 As we suggested, earlier gardens and landscapes emphasized food production with fruit, berries and vegetables playing major roles. Jellies, jams, pies, preserves and wine came from the garden. Popular were cherry, apple and plum trees, raspberries, currants, gooseberries and grapes. Vegetables were grown in typically rectangular beds, smaller versions of the family farm, typically potatoes, cabbage, onions and squash.

Kitchen gardens evolved later and in design, as well. Some are actual central features of an ornamental, all-season landscape, structured and based on repetitive geometric patterns. Many have year-round visual appeal and incorporate perennials or woody plantings. Often, they contain herbs like rosemary, basil and chives, and, even, medicinal herbs.

Lawns began as mowed or grazed pastures, evolving to non-productive luxury spaces. Windbreaks were used to protect orchards and crops.

Pleasure plants included shade trees, deciduous shrubs and lots of perrenials. Native here are Colorado Blue Spruce and Rocky Mountain Juniper. Other shrubs are Serviceberry and Chokecherry. Perennials like Bearded Iris, Bleeding Hearts, Peonies and Lilies do well, also.

Old plants are easily researched at the Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado State University Extension Service. The Denver Rose Society is another good resource for front range gardeners, as are specialized plant and seed catalogs dealing in pioneer and heirloom plants. And, of course, research the “queen” of the cottage garden, Gertrude Jekyll who published books and hundreds of articles in the late 19^th and early 20^th century.

Historic Landscape Style

 You’ll want to design appropriately for the mood, or architectural style of your residence. Is it European – English, French, Italian? Do you want a formal or informal look? Is your location practical, and are you trying to frame a particular view? What is your desired overall color or texture outcome? And, consider the place – rural or urban.

The Cottage Garden style, originating in England has been popular for a long time. It features “full” spaces, large beds fo bright, colorful flowers for cutting and elements of art and statuary.

A Final Consideration and Conclusion

 A lot of new approaches to gardening and landscape design have come along. And, depending on your property, it may actually be better to take a more modern approach. Styles change. Water use goals change. And, as always, your landscape does affect your property value and your property’s perception in the community. Choose carefully as some plants have been overused and may not be as popular now. Some older plants that were frequently used are now considered undesirable and may even be prohibited in some areas. Examples are Siberian Elms and the Russian Olive.

New and improved plants and varieties have been bred to reduce problems with disease, water use, and, even insect pests.

Many, many sources of information are available through your own research and local historic organizations. And, keep in mind, there are many valid approaches… and it’s always best to start with a comprehensive design drawing. Your design will become a part of history itself!