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Pro Spotlight: 3 Tips for a Beautiful and Sustainable Landscape
A Puget Sound-area garden designer shares tips on how to add eco-friendly features to your garden
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Who: Mark Gile of In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes
Where: Bothell, Washington
In his own words: “A sustainable landscape is a beautiful landscape that is low-maintenance and naturally performs well.”
Sustainability is part of every residential garden renovation for designer and contractor Mark Gile. The co-owner of In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes in Bothell focuses on creating gardens that are healthy for people, pets and the landscape while also being beautiful and functional. “I love working with soils and plants, creating sustainable outdoor living spaces and working with people to realize their dreams for their landscape,” Gile says.
Where: Bothell, Washington
In his own words: “A sustainable landscape is a beautiful landscape that is low-maintenance and naturally performs well.”
Sustainability is part of every residential garden renovation for designer and contractor Mark Gile. The co-owner of In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes in Bothell focuses on creating gardens that are healthy for people, pets and the landscape while also being beautiful and functional. “I love working with soils and plants, creating sustainable outdoor living spaces and working with people to realize their dreams for their landscape,” Gile says.
A passion for the environment. Gile and partner Ladd Smith started their company in 1994, making them pioneers in eco-friendly landscape design in the Puget Sound area. “We wanted to create landscapes that help people connect with nature and care for the earth,” Gile says.
Teaching moments. Gile says part of his work is educating his clients about eco-friendly practices while still giving them a garden design that works for them. That education starts with good soil prep. “A healthy living soil is a feature in all of our landscapes,” he says. Gile also guides homeowners in choosing plants that are well adapted to local conditions, choosing plants to attract wildlife and finding the right balance between function and aesthetics.
Looking for ways to make your landscape more environmentally friendly? Gile has some tips below.
Looking for ways to make your landscape more environmentally friendly? Gile has some tips below.
1. Provide for Wildlife
Choose plants that will attract wildlife while simultaneously cutting down on maintenance. “Many of our clients say that they would like to spend more time watching butterflies and less time working in the landscape,” Gile says. Look to native plants, varieties that resist diseases and pests, and plants that attract bees, butterflies and birds.
This Seattle homeowner asked Gile to transform the front yard of her West Seattle craftsman home into an eco-friendly garden with an Asian-inspired look. Gile kept the existing fence, which still fit the look. He then replaced the lawn with a natural stone patio and pathway and surrounded it with plants designed to attract wildlife and provide habitats for birds and insects. “The plants also provide year-round diversity in the landscape,” Gile says.
See more of this project
Choose plants that will attract wildlife while simultaneously cutting down on maintenance. “Many of our clients say that they would like to spend more time watching butterflies and less time working in the landscape,” Gile says. Look to native plants, varieties that resist diseases and pests, and plants that attract bees, butterflies and birds.
This Seattle homeowner asked Gile to transform the front yard of her West Seattle craftsman home into an eco-friendly garden with an Asian-inspired look. Gile kept the existing fence, which still fit the look. He then replaced the lawn with a natural stone patio and pathway and surrounded it with plants designed to attract wildlife and provide habitats for birds and insects. “The plants also provide year-round diversity in the landscape,” Gile says.
See more of this project
2. Capture Rainwater
Add features that help you conserve water, including rainfall. “This homeowner also wanted a rain garden and to be able to channel roof water into the garden,” Gile says.
The stone path seen off the patio winds around the rain garden and dry creek bed that Gile installed. “It collects rainwater and allows it to gradually soak into the ground rather than running off into local waterways,” he says. A stylish rain chain directs roof runoff to the dry creek bed as well. Gile also dry-set the stones in both the path and patio to create a permeable surface and added drought-tolerant plants that help keep water use low.
Add features that help you conserve water, including rainfall. “This homeowner also wanted a rain garden and to be able to channel roof water into the garden,” Gile says.
The stone path seen off the patio winds around the rain garden and dry creek bed that Gile installed. “It collects rainwater and allows it to gradually soak into the ground rather than running off into local waterways,” he says. A stylish rain chain directs roof runoff to the dry creek bed as well. Gile also dry-set the stones in both the path and patio to create a permeable surface and added drought-tolerant plants that help keep water use low.
3. Create Connections
Design a landscape that reflects where you live and what you love. “Our Camano Island clients wanted a landscape where they could enjoy the island’s natural beauty and our natural connection to the earth,” Gile says. They also were looking for plenty of areas to relax and entertain, with space for a chicken coop and a vegetable garden.
Gile used massive granite boulders throughout to provide the landscape’s “bones” and to tie it to the natural landscape. Two fire features and multiple patios are reached by meandering pervious gravel paths that allow for a sense of journey through the garden. There’s also a custom chicken coop and a large vegetable garden. “They create a natural connection to the earth each time the family sits down to eat,” Gile says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Mark Gile and examples of his work, visit In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Design a landscape that reflects where you live and what you love. “Our Camano Island clients wanted a landscape where they could enjoy the island’s natural beauty and our natural connection to the earth,” Gile says. They also were looking for plenty of areas to relax and entertain, with space for a chicken coop and a vegetable garden.
Gile used massive granite boulders throughout to provide the landscape’s “bones” and to tie it to the natural landscape. Two fire features and multiple patios are reached by meandering pervious gravel paths that allow for a sense of journey through the garden. There’s also a custom chicken coop and a large vegetable garden. “They create a natural connection to the earth each time the family sits down to eat,” Gile says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Mark Gile and examples of his work, visit In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
In Harmony is a sustainable landscape company serving the Puget Sound region. We provide design, installation and... Read More
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We loved working with In Harmony on all aspects of our project! Everyone was friendly, reliable, talented, and responsive. We were amazed at how well our designer interpreted our needs and how success...More