Architect: Edmund Hollander, president of Hollander Design in New York, Sag Harbor and Chicago
Project: Garden redesign around modified old farmhouse with mature established plantings. Use of grays, blues, purples, pinks to maximize soft light of maritime landscape with an attention to deer-resistant plantings
Location: The Hamptons, eastern Long Island, NY
The Parcel: Four acres
Trees: Kousa dogwood; copper beach Shrubs and
Bushes: Endless summer hydrangeas; privet hedges; blushing knockout rose
Flowers: Lavender, geranium Rozanne, flowering catnip
Pathways and Walls: Used brick; New York state gray green bluestone; traditional grass; Pennsylvania field stone
ED HOLLANDER’S TENETS OF LANDSCAPING
- Overall, projects involve three factors: the natural ecology of the site; the architecture of any on-site buildings; and the human element of how it’s being used.
- “This was a beautiful old house that was being restored and there was a lot there to work with. There’s great respect for the history of the great trees that are there and I weave in new places around them.”
- Hollander works collaboratively with the architects and clients envisioning their lifestyle and finding out what’s already there that they love.
- “When you have great trees, there ought to be a Hippocratic Oath of “Do no harm,’” says Hollander.
- Preparation is key. In this project plants were selected and arranged to harmonize with the stone walls, terrace and grounds.
- “We work very hard at things that want to grow in a location. There may be 5,000 varieties of roses and maybe 10 that grow well… we want something that’s happy enough to grow on its own.”
- Also, looking at the subsoil, and mitigating it to make it as healthy as possible, results in dramatically less chemical intervention.
- “We want stuff leaping out of the ground in joy and happiness.”
- This landscaping plans took 18 months in design and construction, but, like all Hollander endeavors, it is always ongoing.
- “This is not going to be the same five years from now. Gardens are always evolving and they’re never going to finish.”
Photograph Courtesy of Charles Mayer.
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