This Lake Anna landscaping project has turned into a favorite of mine. The clients were referred to me by a friend of mine who takes care of their northern Virginia property, and they’ve been terrific to work for. They purchased a property that was in a fantastic location, but was ugly and dated. They have great taste though, and the improvements they’ve made to the property are night and day. We were called after someone else had installed the stonework.

There’s always a little hesitation when you’re called in to do the planting design after someone else has done the hardscaping. Hardscape guys don’t always know what plants need, nor do they care.

I could see that one planting area was going to be a problem right away. Water pooled on the surface and took forever to drain. We did some exploratory digging behind the retaining walls and found that there was no drain tile.

We installed drain tile behind the walls, put box drains in the beds, and piped everything out. We also waterproofed the backs of the walls because if we do something, we do it right. Suddenly we had a viable plant bed!

Doing landscape design in Lake Anna can be tough, because plants have to look great when the clients are there, but survive (and thrive) when they’re not. Plus there’s the ever present four-legged menace: DEER.

Luckily, boxwood always look great!

It’s been a few years, and you can see that this Lake Anna landscaping has filled in beautifully. The flagstone paths are softened by the variegated liriope and the lambs ears. A mix of perennials and annuals provide color throughout the seasons, while evergreen and flowering shrubs add structure.

We also created the landscape lighting design for this Lake Anna property. A setting like this is where landscape lighting, done well, can turn a beautiful property into an exceptional one.  You can see more of our planting installations here!