Author: csDevTeam

If you’re like many people, chances are you’ve considered how you can extend your living space into the outdoors. When you have an outdoor living space, you’ll be making the most of your property in addition to enjoying more sunshine and fresh air. There are many options when it comes to outdoor living spaces, and they can be incorporated seamlessly into your landscape design in Tucson. An outdoor fireplace makes a great addition to any backyard. Keep reading to learn why you should consider having an outdoor fireplace.

Cooking

Nothing can compare to the taste of food cooked outdoors over an open flame. When you have an outdoor fireplace, you can toast up marshmallows or skewer a few hot dogs to have a camping experience right in your own backyard. Your kids and guests will love being able to do their own cooking outside.

Design

An outdoor fireplace can serve as an anchor for your landscape design. It can be the focal point in a circular design, or may be located on the perimeter as an element of visual interest that accentuates the rest of your landscape. Either way, your outdoor fireplace can be the central place where your friends and guests gather during parties, or where you can relax and kick back with your family.

Warmth

For some homeowners, the time of enjoying their outdoor living space ends when the temperatures become cool at night. When you have an outdoor fireplace, however, you can keep spending time outside even after the temperatures start to cool. Set up a seating area around your fireplace with a few blankets, and you’ll be cozy outside throughout the year. The fire will also provide light so that you don’t have to rely as much on electricity, which can lower your energy bills.

Call (520) 623-0421 today to speak with a landscaping expert at Santa Rita Landscaping, Inc. of Tucson. We are proud to offer experienced landscaping services such as landscape maintenance, hardscaping, and outdoor fireplaces. With us, you can take advantage of your outdoor living space to make the most of your home.

The Villa Taranto Gardens in Italy were opened to the public in 1952, and are open from April through October of every year. These gardens are widely considered to be some of the most important ones in the world because they contain so many different varieties of botanical species. Originally conceived of by Scotsman Captain Neil McEarcharn, the gardens are constructed in an English style with plenty of Italian accents throughout.

Origins

Captain Neil McEarcharn bought an Italian estate in 1931, and set about transforming the landscape into a breathtaking series of gardens. His idea was to construct English-style gardens to remind him of home, and it took nine years to do so. Many of the plants found in Villa Taranto are not native to Italy, so it took a great deal of care to help them acclimatize and thrive in this different setting. McEacharn named the gardens Villa Taranto in honor of his ancestor, Marshal McDonald, who was named the Duke of Taranto by Napoleon.

Features

Though the gardens are landscaped in the English style, you’ll also find Italian features such as statues, fountains, ponds, and more. There are over seven kilometers of pathways to take visitors through 16 hectares of trees, flowers, and plants from all over the world. Eucalyptus, azaleas, rhododendrons, maples, hydrangeas, and many tropical plants can be seen throughout the grounds of Villa Taranto. Special events throughout the open season highlight different species in bloom, such as during the tulip week of late April through May.

This article is part of Santa Rita Landscaping’s ongoing blog series, The Most Spectacular Gardens in the World.

Image from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbJ9IfpYzE

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is the largest urban sculpture garden in the country. Located near the Walker Art Center, the garden has 40 permanent art installations as well as a number of other pieces that change throughout the year. Covering 11 acres in beautiful Minneapolis, the garden is close to both Loring Park and the Basilica of Saint Mary. It opened to the public in 1988, and was expanded in 1992 by an addition three and a half acres.

History

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden was designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, who also designed the Walker Art Center. The expansion in 1992 was due to the garden’s great success, making it the largest of its kind in the country. The land where the garden sits has been used for a public garden since 1913, though the names and its uses have changed over the years. Thanks to a grant from the McKnight Foundation, the project for the Sculpture Garden was able to take shape.

What You’ll Find

The centerpiece of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is Spoonbridge and Cherry, made by husband and wife artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. This sculpture is a Minneapolis icon, and serves as a focal point for the garden. The Alene Grossman Memorial Arbor spans the Northern border of the garden, and features colorful flowers and vines covering the 300-foot arbor. Due to a major construction project, the garden will be closing in early spring of 2016 for renovations and updates. Many of the sculptures have been put into storage, waiting for the project to be completed to reemerge.

This article is part of Santa Rita Landscaping’s ongoing blog series, The Most Spectacular Gardens in the World. 

Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/minneapolisorg/2537359756

The Mottisfont Abbey, located in Hampshire, England, was established by William Briwere in the year 1201 as an Augustinian priory. Although the abbey fell into disrepair and was dissolved during the late Middle Ages, Mottisfont later became part of a wealthy estate and saw the addition of a new mansion in the 18th century. In 1957, Mottisfont Abbey was gifted to the National Trust conservation organization of England, and today the estate and its landscaped gardens remain a popular visitor attraction.  

The Garden’s Creator

Although the Mottisfont Abbey itself dates back to the early 13th century, its rose garden is a recent addition. The rose garden enjoyed by visitors today was created in the 1970s by Graham Stuart Thomas, one of Britain’s most famous horticulturalists and garden designers of the 20th century. Thomas was best known for his work with roses, particularly older species on the verge of extinction. His career with the National Trust began with the Hidcote Manor in the 1940s, but he considered Mottisfont Abbey to be his masterpiece.

The Abbey Rose Garden

The Mottisfont Abbey rose garden is a walled garden within the larger structure of the Abbey’s garden and grounds. It is most famous for its large collection of more than 500 varieties if roses, and is accessible via a traditionally-designed garden gate that provides an entryway through the garden’s red brick walls. Inside the garden, visitors can find a central pond and fountain surrounded by Irish yews, along with several boxes of roses and clematis lining the garden perimeter. Although the roses take center stage, there are several additional species present to complement the look of these blooms, offering a continuous background of color throughout the growing season.

This article is part of Santa Rita Landscaping’s ongoing blog series, The Most Spectacular Gardens in the World. You can find out more about Mottisfont Abbey’s old-fashioned rose gardens on the National Trust website.

Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/72690981462435015/