Living in the Midst of Nature
Just two blocks from Hull Street, you will discover an oasis at Kristin O’Connor’s home. The entire house has been designed around Kristen‘s unique perspective on living in partnership with Nature. Her home is perched on an elevation facing the lake. Soaring windows capture lakefront views of the sky and water. Her expansive patio perches over a meadow garden abuzz with birds, butterflies, and bees. Working together to create her Landscape Design plan was a unique opportunity to partner with Nature, and a dear friend.
We worked together to thoughtfully incorporate natural stone and planting beds to look like they had always been there. Stacked stone retaining walls, freeform stone patios, natural stone steps, and stepping stone pathways are featured around her property to navigate the steep grade changes.
The Stacked Stone Wall built by James River Nursery, is in progress.
Photo credit: Wendell Welder
Meadow Garden, Year One, newly graded and ready for possibility.
Stone Steps installed by James River Nurseries
Photo credit, Wendell Welder
Meadow Garden, in Year Two after Grasses have grown in and Wildflower Seed Mix added, Spring view.
Photo Credit, Kristin O’Connor
A highlight of Kristin O’Connor’s outdoor living design is the Modern Meadow Garden. Her raised patio overlooks the Meadow with a view toward the lake at the foot of the naturalized garden. The shoreline is part of an easement and intentionally managed to keep the healthiest native trees and understory plants in place. The upper slope plant palette is full of textural grasses and colorful blooms that soften in the glow of the golden hour for four-season interest. Natural Stone Steps lead you up from the waterfront to the outdoor living area.
Meadow Garden, Year Two
Photo Credit, Kristin O’Connor
Her Plant Palette includes Native Grasses such as Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal’ Blue Switch Grass, Panicum virgatum ‘Ruby Ribbons’ Switch Grass, Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ Swtich Grass, and Muhlenbergia capillaris ‘Pink Cloud’ Muhly Grass. Perennial and annual native wildflower seeds were added to provide colorful blooms and food sources for local pollinators and birds. Her favorites include Black-Eyed Susans, Blazing Star, Coreopsis, Purple Coneflower, Cosmos, Sweet William, and Blue Flax.
Creating a cozy, private feeling was uppermost in her mind after her home was built with open views from the patio and front of her home. We added Evergreen Screening Plantings around her home to add privacy and provide Winter interest. Featured plants are Nellie Stevens Holly Shrubs and Japanese Cryptomeria Trees. Ilex ‘Nellie Stevens’ is a large, evergreen, pyramidal holly shrub with red berries in the Fall. The berries attract songbirds and provide nesting sites. Cryptomeria japonica ‘Radicans’ is a tall, evergreen tree with blue-green foliage, is deer resistant, and very elegant when planted in mass. Kristin wanted the periphery of her home to have consistent shape and texture in her planting choices. We planted evergreen boxwood shrubs with a rounded shape and lower profile that would showcase her home and patio area. Buxus microphylla ‘Wintergreen’ is an evergreen shrub with a rounded habit and is deer resistant. This selection is a sculptural plant that elegantly frames her home.
Privacy Planting is in progress. Nellie Stevens Holly Shrubs.
Photo Credit: Wendell Welder
Meadow Garden, Year One newly planted by James River Nurseries
Photo Credit: Perkinson Homes
Ornamental Trees and Shrubs add seasonal interest to the Meadow Garden, the Driveway Entry Garden, and the side path to the Meadow Garden. From Roses to Hydrangeas to Grasses… something is blooming from Spring to Fall. Some featured plantings in Kristin O’Connor’s four-season Garden Design are as follows. ‘Spring Glory’ Forsythia Shrubs announces Spring is on the way and is a favorite of Kristin’s. An evergreen D.D Blanchard Magnolia Tree blooms white with fragrant blooms in late Spring. ‘Little Lime’ Hydrangeas emerge lime green, turn white in the Summer, and age to pink in the Fall. ‘Alice’ Oakleaf Hydrangeas bloom a bit earlier, and their foliage ages to russet in the Fall. ‘Natchez’ Crape Myrtle Trees planted along the driveway bloom white in the Summer and have striking exfoliating bark in the Winter. Pink blooming Muhly Grasses sparkle in the Fall, and mature trees on the property turn shades of yellow to orange.
Kristin O’Connor’s outdoor living space and landscape design is an intentional extension of her ethos of beauty and function. Her desire to partner with her land and create a haven for birds and pollinators is reflected in all of the plant selections. Her CAD landscape design features plantings that create a beautiful and resilient habitat around her home with seasonal interest. If you are interested in creating an Immersive Design experience for your home, please contact Wendell Welder Landscape Design for your custom landscape design.
The Modern Richmond home tour on September 25th, 2024 is sold out. I didn’t want anyone to miss out on their own Modern Meadow. Stay tuned to my newsletter for a free Modern Meadow Landscape Design Plan.
