Bennett Stone Landscape Design Portfolio

Hi!

I have always had a deep connection to the outdoors. Every day, I am inspired by what this earth provides and grateful to be a part of it.

I enjoy playing music and staying connected to nature through hiking, rock climbing, and exploring the wilderness.

I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to share these sentiments in the field of landscape architecture.

Inside

Herschend Residence

5th Street Community Garden

Village Green

UGA International Office

Design-Build

Herschend Residence

The contemporary quickness at which modern day life moves usually has us operating on all cylinders, and we are often overextending ourselves. Between priorities, obligations, correspondence, time just seems to slip through the cracks.

The Herschend residence is a glimpse at a possible balance between the fast paced modern day lifestyle and the simple agrarian past.

Herschend Residence

Buckhead, Georgia

The Herschend residence is a southern farm home at heart. The home’s classic, simple architectural style is reminiscent of the Antebellum period, and the surrounding landscape follows suit. The design blends formality and tradition, bridging past and present.

Upon arriving through the motor court, guests are greeted by a welcoming and fragrant array of flowering shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and groundcovers.

The backyard captures a snapshot of a time when humanity was demanded to be present in the natural world. A potager vegetable garden lies just below the outdoor dining deck, where, in the cool months, kale, asparagus, and lettuce supply iron-rich greens and biomass for soil. In warmer months, apples, pears, and pineapple guavas can be picked just a stone’s throw from the pool.

The sound of bubbling water features calms the mind and helps to cultivate a relaxing soundscape while gardening or enjoying the serenity of the space.

Garage

Formal Potager Garden

Wood Arbor

Sauna and Covered Spa

Pool Deck & Firepit Island

“Living” Pool

Deck & Outdoor Dining

Bluestone Walkway

4 Corners Garden

Bluestone walkway to Road

Parking Court

Driveway

Buckhead, Georgia

The Living Pool

The Natural Pool design by BioTop offers a chemical-free approach to backyard swimming by integrating a swimming zone with a regeneration zone. Through the use of underwater and surface plants, contaminants are naturally filtered, while zooplankton fortifies the water’s micro-ecosystem.

- The pool combines a swimming zone and a regeneration zone, utilizing plants to cleanse the water and maintain water quality.

- Zooplankton are introduced to bolster and maintain the micro-ecosystem of the pool.

- A Sauna structure, housing a 4-person hot tub, is adjacent to the pool deck, providing a secluded and relaxing atmosphere.

- Large camellia and viburnums offer shelter and privacy around the pool area.

- An island within the space provides a spot for ultimate relaxation, surrounded by the backyard’s natural beauty.

4 Corners Garden

The magnificent central court features a large suspended stone globe, inspired by the Georgia State Botanic Garden in Athens. Mimicking the globe is a “4 corners” design that features beautiful plants from the traditional 4 corners of the world:

Purple Coneflower from North America

Salvia from South America

Sage from Europe/Mediterranean Thai Basil from East Asia.

Pink muhly grass greets guests with a soft touch, while the stern yet respectful yuccas guard the front porch steps. In the spring and summer, joe pye-weed, hydrangeas, and chaste trees mimic warmth with color. In the cooler months, camellias, gardenias, and yews remain steadfastly green.

Buckhead, Georgia

Grading Plan Herschend Residence

5th Street Community Garden

Madison, Georgia

The inception of the 5th Street Community concept originated from impassioned community members, envisioning a venue for children to engage in hands-on learning about gardening, botany, and environmental stewardship.

Collaboration with seasoned gardeners within the 5th Street neighborhood was integral, ensuring their input and preferences were central to the design process.

We worked hard to meet the needs of the community, which included a pavilion that serves as a versatile educational space and facilitates live music events. Additionally, a dedicated “farmers market” platform was integrated to provide a space to sell and distribute locally grown produce.

The construction of the design began in the summer of 2022 and was officially opened in the summer of 2023.

Not to Scale

Pollinator Garden

Raingarden Swale

In-Ground Planting Beds

Rasied Rented/Donor Beds

“Cold Frame” Propagation

Herb Garden

“Farmers Local” Platform

Village Green

Parks are the beating heart of any community, offering invaluable benefits that extend far beyond their green landscapes. Serving as gathering places for people of all ages and backgrounds, parks foster a sense of belonging and connection among residents. They provide vital spaces for recreation, exercise, and relaxation, promoting both physical and mental well-being.

The Village Green is a community park that forms a central activity space between residential and retail zones, and offers concerts, food trucks, open lawn space, art, and community.

Village Green Nolensville,

Planting Beds

Tree Wells Raised Planters Scored Concrete Pavers

Trellis

Open Lawn Food Truck Court Shade Sail Benches

UGA International Office

The native flora of the Southeastern United States is very unique and is highly important to my planting design inspiration. Much of my horticultural education referenced the lush UGA Campus, which forms many micro-climate ecosystems

For the entrance to the UGA International office, I created a space that is not only pleasant for humans to exist in but also provides a habitat and food for wildlife on campus, while emphasizing native plants and naturalistic design.

Madison, Georgia

Plant Selection

This design blends naturalistic elements of the forest into what is an urban commercial landscape. The plant selection is hardy to the local zone 8a/8b, and each provides a function to the local ecosystem. Joe-Pye Weed is a native perennial that is placed centrally to attract bees and other pollinators inward through the other plantings.

The fragrant Yellow Anise can be found near the building entrance welcoming visitors with a sweet licorice scent. Along the walkway, Switchgrass and Bluestem provide a satisfying sensory experience while providing a habitat for insects that serve as a food source for birds.

Liriodendron Tulipifera

Flowering Dogwood

Cornus florida

“Appalacian Joy”

Dwarf Yucca

Yucca harrimaniae

Phlox

Phlox sublata

“Candy Stripe”

Maple Leaf Viburnum Viburnum acerfolium

Sweet Joe-Pye Weed Eutrochium purpereum

Juniper Juniperus horzontalis

Switchgrass Panicum virgatum

“Shenandoah”

Not to Scale

Bluestem

Andropogon gerardii “Blackhawks”

Yellow Anise Illicium parviflorum

Design-Build Experience

Design-build is a streamlined approach to construction that integrates the design and construction phases under one entity. Design-build teams work collaboratively from project inception to completion, fostering efficient communication, reduced conflicts, and accelerated project delivery.

I had the opportunity to work with a design-build team in my home town of Stone Mountain. A family friend, Lyle Collins, founder and owner of Southern Trillium, mentored me over 2 summers in the world of high-end design build.

From installing irrigation, foundation plantings, or pavers, to farbicating custom fencing and water features, I joined the frontlines with Lyle, who at the time, was running the show all by himself.

Design Build Experience

Work with Southern Trillium

Fountain and Paver Install

Foundation Planting Plan, Irrigation, and Drainage Install

I assisted the installation of the paver pad and fountain. Included in this process was ecavation of sod and soil, laying and compaction of base course, meticulous laying and cutting of pavers, and final installation of the fountain pictured above.

From left to right

- Foundation planting after install

- Drainage install

- Irrigation junction

- Planting Plan

Duluth, Georgia

Smoke Rise, Georgia