Beach Side Garden Design Quick Tips from Eric Groft

It was a pleasure to attend a lecture by accomplished garden designer Eric D. Groft, ASLA of Oehme, van Sweden and Associates, Inc.  Groft’s gardens are full of fun surprises such as secret gardens off master bedrooms.  Agelessness and timelessness are always his goals.  Here are a few of Groft's quick tips:

Snow fencing blends seamlessly into beach side landscapes.

Pools can be beautiful but practicality and code sometimes put dampers on pool aesthetics. Snow fencing, which is often used in sand dunes, makes for an inexpensive and unobtrusive pool fence, for a house near the ocean.  Groft also likes to place pools away from the house so they become a destination.

Honed Blue Stone Granite.

Honed blue stone granite is a favorite pool deck material since it does not get very hot under foot.


Brick paths and brick walls make for a cohesive combination.

Groft is particular about choosing materials that are queried as close to the residence as possible for the most authenticity.  He often ties in wall materials with ground materials for a cohesive appearance.  This draws the eye to the beauty of the plants rather than distracting the eye with different materials. 

Flagstone is pretty in a wall or on grass to make a path.

Same material used as brick or gravel.

Check out Groft's beautiful designs at http://ovsla.com/.