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As the snow flies around us, we are reminded how important well designed structures are in the garden. Stone, concrete, wood, and metal—the authentic materials that form the structural bones of the garden—are seen most clearly in winter. In proportions and forms that captivate the eye, we find delight in the artisanal buildings, walls, walks, lighting, and plants that give structure to the spaces around us and bring beauty to the gardens we create.
Enjoy the winter beauty of your garden.
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Photo Credit: Tyler Anderson/National Post, Virginia at the Ontario office
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A Quick Look Back
2015 was a fantastic year for us here at Virginia Burt Designs, and 2016 promises to be wonderful as well. We are so grateful for the opportunity to design meaningful gardens for our clients, and though delightfully busy, we always welcome new projects. Get in touch.
Three highlights of the year at VBD were Virginia’s induction as a Fellow into both the American and Canadian Societies of Landscape Architecture, a great profile of Virginia Burt Designs in the National Post, and receiving Canada’s top award for the design of residential landscapes – the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects’ 2015 National Award of Merit— for Acadia Point in Nova Scotia. Looking ahead, we are pleased to be working on projects for Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, and private residences in Nova Scotia, Cleveland, the Greater Toronto Area, and Muskoka.
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Photo Credit: Richard Mandelkorn, private residence
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Virginia Burt Designs creates gardens in all types of places – from the rocky shores of coastal barrens to the rooftops of buildings. Often constructed where green space is limited, roof gardens provide spaces for outdoor recreation, entertaining, and relaxing – so important to emotional and physical well-being. The design of roof gardens can be complicated for it must take into account the load bearing capacity of the structure, the microclimates of garden placed high in the air, and protection for the roof itself, among other factors. Virginia Burt Designs recently completed two very different roof gardens for clients in the Cleveland area.
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Photo Credit: Virginia Burt, Angie's Garden
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The first, Angie's Garden, part of the Angie Fowler Adolescent and Young Adult Area, is at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. The garden which is located on top of the hospital, provides opportunities for pediatric patients, their siblings and families to play and rest. A vertical green wall patterned on Ohio’s rolling hills forms a beautiful protective enclosure, highlighting whimsical sculpture and moveable play structures for hands-on exploration.
The second project is a private rooftop garden located on a historic landmark condominium building. Designed in a modernist style, the garden blends beautifully with the architecture of the structure and creates opportunities for outdoor relaxation and entertaining. Using the Japanese principle Shakkei, or borrowed landscape, the design incorporates views of mature trees beyond the roof garden (photo above). Layers of plants at various heights and textures reflect the pastoral landscape of Ohio’s valleys and rivers, and one imagines the land gently rolling beyond the limits of the roof.
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Photo Credit: Virginia Burt, private residence
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