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Pro Spotlight: How to Create a Timeless Landscape That Lasts
Achieve a classic look for the long term using these tips from a Northville landscape designer
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Who: Andy Whitmire of Executive Landscape
Where: Northville, Michigan
In his own words: “The secret to a great landscape is a great overall design. That’s what gives you clean lines and a finished, manicured look, because then everything has its place and space.”
Imagine a front yard where every rose blooms brightly in its own space. Where neat hedges stand up straight along the edges of your home. Where colors are controlled and leaves don’t poke out where they’re not welcome. In other words, a classic, polished landscape where the greenery is well-tended and all is in order. “You want everything to look designed, not as if you put in a few random plants here and there,” says Andy Whitmire, owner of Executive Landscape in Northville. “If you take care of this kind of garden, it can last forever.”
Where: Northville, Michigan
In his own words: “The secret to a great landscape is a great overall design. That’s what gives you clean lines and a finished, manicured look, because then everything has its place and space.”
Imagine a front yard where every rose blooms brightly in its own space. Where neat hedges stand up straight along the edges of your home. Where colors are controlled and leaves don’t poke out where they’re not welcome. In other words, a classic, polished landscape where the greenery is well-tended and all is in order. “You want everything to look designed, not as if you put in a few random plants here and there,” says Andy Whitmire, owner of Executive Landscape in Northville. “If you take care of this kind of garden, it can last forever.”
A natural canvas. Whitmire’s first college summer, spent working at a landscape company, derailed his law school plans. “I did a total 180 and fell in love with working outside with plants,” he says. “I just thought it was the coolest thing to use plants and flowers in an artistic way, like paint on a canvas, to outline the lines and shapes of a design.” He started Executive Landscape in 1994 during the spring of his sophomore year and has never looked back.
Admiration for architecture. Though Whitmire focuses on shaping the outside environment, he also appreciates the forms and aesthetics of homes themselves. “I really love architectural lines,” he says. “I try to work the lines of the home into the landscape, usually with hedges, sometimes with annual flowers or big splashes of color that show off a particular shape.”
Ready to give your landscape enduring appeal? Whitmire shares his tips below.
Ready to give your landscape enduring appeal? Whitmire shares his tips below.
1. Create Clean Lines
Simple, straight rows help maintain an elegant order. Hedges hide the bases of plants while also making other lines look straight. “You want to look across your house as one long line. You want an easy feeling of flow and consistency,” Whitmire says.
For the Northville home seen here, Whitmire started with wide steps leading up to the front door to establish a grand entryway. A perfectly trimmed pachysandra ground cover nudges a stately retaining wall. Carefully placed boxwood hedges act as drawn lines around red roses. A row of white Annabelle hydrangeas pops against a dark yew hedge.
See more of this project
Simple, straight rows help maintain an elegant order. Hedges hide the bases of plants while also making other lines look straight. “You want to look across your house as one long line. You want an easy feeling of flow and consistency,” Whitmire says.
For the Northville home seen here, Whitmire started with wide steps leading up to the front door to establish a grand entryway. A perfectly trimmed pachysandra ground cover nudges a stately retaining wall. Carefully placed boxwood hedges act as drawn lines around red roses. A row of white Annabelle hydrangeas pops against a dark yew hedge.
See more of this project
2. Put Everything in Its Place
Create spaces that hold just one variety of plant each, Whitmire says. “Separating plants keeps them looking uniform and stops them from getting jumbled and overgrown or needing to be replaced.”
In another Northville home, a bed of pachysandra borders vivid puffs of red chrysanthemums. Boxwood hedges frame bright white Annabelle hydrangea. “Every space is tailor-made for one type of plant,” Whitmire says.
See more of this project
Create spaces that hold just one variety of plant each, Whitmire says. “Separating plants keeps them looking uniform and stops them from getting jumbled and overgrown or needing to be replaced.”
In another Northville home, a bed of pachysandra borders vivid puffs of red chrysanthemums. Boxwood hedges frame bright white Annabelle hydrangea. “Every space is tailor-made for one type of plant,” Whitmire says.
See more of this project
3. Open Up Your Outdoor Floor Plan
Instead of many smaller spaces or different levels, Whitmire recommends one large outdoor space with flexible uses. “People enjoy open spaces indoors, so why not take them outside?” he says.
The owners of the Plymouth home seen here wanted to entertain, so Whitmire designed a long, rectangular outdoor room without boundaries. Full-width stairs instead of a narrow entry make it feel more spacious, as do edgings of gracious stone pavers. Delicate flowering dogwood trees provide privacy without the opacity of a wall. Grasses waving against the house soften the space and add a natural feel.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Andy Whitmire and examples of his team’s work, visit Executive Landscape’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Instead of many smaller spaces or different levels, Whitmire recommends one large outdoor space with flexible uses. “People enjoy open spaces indoors, so why not take them outside?” he says.
The owners of the Plymouth home seen here wanted to entertain, so Whitmire designed a long, rectangular outdoor room without boundaries. Full-width stairs instead of a narrow entry make it feel more spacious, as do edgings of gracious stone pavers. Delicate flowering dogwood trees provide privacy without the opacity of a wall. Grasses waving against the house soften the space and add a natural feel.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Andy Whitmire and examples of his team’s work, visit Executive Landscape’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
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