The Sanssouci Park began as a garden designed to cultivate figs for Frederick the Great in 1744. However, the area’s natural beauty and amazing views soon prompted him to create a summer residence in the same location, which became the Sanssouci Palace and Park that visitors to Potsdam can enjoy today. The Sanssouci Palace was built over the course of two years and completed in 1747; its name is derived from a French phrase, sans souci, which means “without concerns.”

The Gardens

Sanssouci Palace’s gardens are built on an area previously covered by extensive woods; however, these trees were felled and the hillside left bare when the city of Potsdam was expanded. Frederick the Great ordered the hillside planted with terraced vineyards; the resulting gardens consist of three wide terraces designed to maximize sunlight. These terraces were originally planted with vines from a variety of locations, including Portugal, France and Italy; the walls were designed with niches in which figs were grown. Each terrace was further separated into strips that housed yew trees. A garden was also constructed below the hillside, which features the Great Fountain built in 1748.

The Park

After the vineyard and palace itself were completed, Frederick the Great began landscaping the remaining grounds, creating what would eventually become Sanssouci Park. A 2.5-km path guides visitors through the park, which sustains thousands of fruit trees among statuary, obelisks, temples, follies, and small housing meant to serve as additional reception space for the palace. Although Frederick the Great wanted to introduce fountains to the park, the use of hydraulics was not very advanced at the time—the original garden’s Great Fountain was not yet working by the time of his death, but working fountains were finally achieved in Sanssouci in approximately 1842.

You can learn more about this amazing location by visiting its page on the official Potsdam Marketing und Service GmbH website.

If you are seeking pavers for your driveway as an alternative for asphalt or concrete, you can find a wide range of pavers designed specifically for driveways to offer a more distinctive look and long-lasting surface. Pavers can also be a great choice for outdoor patios and pool decks, where you will want to have a smooth and easy-to-maintain surface that is easy on bare feet. With Santa Rita Landscaping, you can find a selection of Belgard pavers, which offer superior longevity and design for a great looking outdoor space in your Tucson home. Here’s a look at some tips for choosing the right Belgard pavers for your household.

Functionality

When drainage is a big concern, permeable pavers can be a great solution that will work well for driveway adjacent spaces and high-traffic areas. TurfStone Permeable pavers will provide a durable surface that can let the grass grow through or keep the desert landscape exposed.

Aesthetics

Naturally, the final look of your pavers will be an important consideration as you choose the material you want. If you are seeking the timeless look of natural stone, MegaLafitt will offer the closest aesthetic to flagstone with increased durability and design consistency. When you are in search of a softer texture for a pool deck and other areas with more foot traffic, you might look too layered patterns with Non-Tumbled Catalina Valencia.

Space

Not all yards will have neat, straight-line boundaries, so you might actually seek out a paver with irregular shapes for a mosaic effect. MegaArbel pavers can achieve this look with a flagstone-like design featuring interlocking edges for a stable surface. Alternatively, you might want crisp lines for a distinct area of the backyard, such as the patio, and this is where the more traditional look of cobblestone pavers or Seville-Catalina pavers will be ideal.

To begin planning your residential or commercial landscape with Santa Rita Landscaping, call us at (520) 623-0421. We specialize in elegant desert-friendly designs with sustainable materials.

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, often called “the Met,” is the United States’ largest museum of art. In addition to the museum’s large central location, the Met also maintains a smaller secondary location in Upper Manhattan. The Cloisters, which houses the museum’s collection of artifacts and art from Medieval Europe, is also a New York City landmark, as well as the site of a European herb garden based on historic landscape design.

The Significance of the Gardens

The gardens located at the Cloisters serve a unique purpose—not only are they a beautiful example of landscaping, they are also a historical exhibit in their own right. These gardens, as well as the other landscaping located on the Cloisters grounds, were planted according to the horticultural information found in several of the museum’s own Medieval manuscripts and artifacts. Thus, the herb gardens at the Cloisters serve not only to provide a visual complement to the building itself, which contains sections from five separate European abbeys as well as new construction in the same style, but also as an opportunity for visitors to experience a walk through an herb garden that would have been found throughout Medieval Europe as well.

The Plants in the Gardens

The herb gardens at the Cloisters are carefully cultivated to contain more than 250 plants that would have been found in European herb gardens at the time. Some of the plants that can be spotted in the gardens include Angelica archangelica, espaliered pear trees, forget-me-nots, coltsfoot, and rosemary. Throughout the year, the Met hosts garden events and exhibits that include talks and workshops on how these plants were used throughout history, as well as accurate Christmastide decorations made from fresh plants, often using those that grow in the gardens themselves.

You can find out more about the gardens at the Cloisters by visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s official website.

Tucson homeowners are fortunate to have outdoor spaces that can be enjoyed all year long, so an outdoor kitchen may be a great addition to your yard if you find yourself frequently headed outside to entertain. As you plan your outdoor kitchen, consider these tips for incorporating the feature into your landscape design. While you will want the outdoor kitchen to stand alone as its own space, it should flow with the theme of your backyard design to create a cohesive space that adds value to your home.

Pave and cover the space

An outdoor kitchen can be fairly simple or elaborate, depending on how much you want to invest in the project. Even for more minimalist spaces, however, it is best to pave and cover the area so that it is comfortable and accessible all year round. Plus, a covered space with an awning or pergola will open up the possibility for hanging lights to add more ambience as parties go into the later hours of the evening.

Include outdoor furniture

Much like the kitchen inside of your house, your outdoor kitchen may serve as a place to gather while you entertain. As such, you’ll want to plan to incorporate plenty of seating space in the area so that guests can relax. Whether you choose built-in seating or outdoor furniture, you should account for these features as you plot out the space.

Create an external focal point

Ideally, your outdoor kitchen should have a view of a focal point within your landscape, such as the pool or outdoor fireplace. This will encourage leisurely relaxation as you kick back waiting for your steaks to cook on the grill.

Are you considering adding an outdoor kitchen to your existing landscape? If so Santa Rita Landscaping can help you create a beautiful design that offers the functionality you will want out of the space. You can contact us for a residential landscape design consultation by calling (520) 623-0421.

The Ascott Estate, located in Ascott, Buckinghamshire, England, is a 4,400-acre estate containing farmlands, grasslands, and woodlands, as well as more than 40 manmade structures. On the property lies the Ascott House and Gardens, which act as a museum and public landscaped garden that visitors can enjoy from March through September.

The Gardens’ Origin

The gardens located at the Ascott House date back to the turn of the 20th century. Based on the advice of the esteemed horticulturist Sir Harry James Veitch, the estate’s owner, Leopold de Rothschild, had the gardens constructed in 1902 as a wedding gift for his wife. As a testament to this purpose, the gardens contain a topiary sundial that features the words, “Light and shade by turn, but love always.”

The Gardens’ Features

The Ascott House Gardens contain several features, including pavilions, fountains, and a rock garden and grotto. Sculptor Thomas Waldo Story created several of the gardens’ bronze statues, including its largest, a depiction of the goddess Venus riding her chariot made of seashell. Story also created a fountain depicting the god Cupid, as well as the fountain featured in the Dutch flower garden. Throughout the gardens are neatly-clipped hedges, beautiful topiary displays, and a variety of flowering shrubbery, particularly along the footpaths. Near the front entrance lies a lily pool, originally designed for skating, as part of a garden patterned after Monet’s home and garden in Giverny.

The Gardens’ Plant Life

Planted inside the Ascott House Gardens are a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Some of the gardens’ most striking plants are its large oak and cedar trees, as well as several well-established horse chestnut trees. The flower gardens are adorned with large beds of tulips and daffodils, which are a popular draw when the Ascott Estate opens to the public early each spring.

The Ascott Estate’s main website has more information on the Ascott House and Gardens.