PIEDMONT GARDENS Magee Design to address what he felt was an unmet need in the industry for beautifully designed landscapes that also provide ecological services and support the environment. Today, from his office in Middleburg, Magee designs beautiful, sustainable landscapes for a wide range of clients, including horse farms, estates, community associations, single-family homes, townhouses, and schools. Some clients are looking to solve a problem, says Magee, for example installing rain gardens to manage stormwater runoff. Others just want a beautifully designed garden. He’s quick to point out that a sustainable landscape doesn’t have to be “wild” and isn’t necessarily all native plants. In fact, one of his favorite projects is a 70-acre horse farm in western Loudoun County whose owners wanted a formal English garden look. “The owners wanted to maintain the beauty of a Virginia country estate while being more ecologically friendly,” says Magee. He used a mix of “well-behaved,” non-native plants alongside natives to create a simple, elegant look. "We emphasize native plants first, but we’re not exclusive to them, and you don’t have to be,” Magee explains, “but it’s important to make the distinction that if a non-native plant escapes cultivation or has those tendencies, it’s not a plant we should be using in the landscape.”
Birds & The Bees The
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This rich and diverse landscape not only supports a wide range of butterflies and birds, butalso requires very little care in the way of watering, pesticides, and fertilizers. The array of flowers is also a delight to the homeowner’s eye. Blue flag iris (Iris versicolor), like the ones in the foreground here are among the most beautiful irises. When combined with amsonia and Stoke’s asters, they create a lovely mid-spring bouquet in the garden.
| MARCH/APRIL 2017