The Home Front: Creating your own outdoor sanctuary

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Landscape designer Ryan Donohoe founded Donohoe Living Landscapes in Vancouver in 2007, specializing in high-end residential landscapes across British Columbia. Donohoe studied horticulture in Vancouver and ran a landscaping construction business for many years before studying landscape design at London’s Inchbald School of Design in 2011.

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Postmedia sat down with Donohoe to hear his approach to turning people’s back and front yards into personal sanctuaries.

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Treat your landscape as an extension of your home

In B.C., our climate is far from perfect, but it’s still worth putting as much value into the land surrounding your home as you do inside your house, says Donohoe. He says it is not only for real estate purposes – curb appeal – but because it can change how your family lives.

“It can be an active space to serve a busy young family, a laid-back space for gardening and relaxing, or even a passive space for just admiring beautiful greenery on a regular basis,” he says.

An increasing focus on wellbeing

Donohoe says they’re increasingly getting requests for elements that relate to wellness and healthy living: “The pandemic experience seems to have changed people’s ideas of what their property could be. In the absence of travel or socializing, homeowners looked to their own landscapes as an extension of their home more than just something for curb appeal or for the dog to run on,” he says.

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In addition to elevated pools, spas and outdoor kitchens, they’re getting more requests for outdoor baths and showers, cold plunges, decks specific for yoga and meditation, and kitchen gardens, says Donohoe. These elements can be costly, but there are ways to create healthy living spaces on a lower budget.

Plants and materials that stand the test of time

At Donohoe Living Landscapes, they always aim to work with pure element products, like wood, stone, steel, concrete and gravel products, says Donohoe.

“A lot of synthetic products will not stand the test of time, and usually, they look quite artificial. If you want your landscape to stand up for one or two decades, then stick with basic design principles — keep it simple and build with materials that you know are never going to fall out of trend,” he says.

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When it comes to planting, you want to have a deep understanding of the style of plants that will fulfil your design intent, says Donohoe.

“If you’re designing a xeriscape garden in the Okanagan, you’re going to avoid a palette of flowering perennials that you would find in your typical English garden. For projects local to Vancouver, the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island, native plant species are great because not only do they thrive in our environment, they simplify the landscape, they accentuate and complement the architecture, and can easily bleed the new landscape into the peripheral spaces such as forests and meadows.”

How to get started on designing your own oasis at home?

Any good landscape design starts with a site analysis, says Donohoe. You’re looking for areas with poor drainage, hardscape or deteriorating retaining walls, or invasive weeds that might be taking over.

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You also want to find out what condition your plants, trees, shrubs and perennials are in. What pruning or removal might need to be done, and what your soil condition is.

You then want to analyze how your family currently moves about in your outdoor living areas and ask yourself: are there areas with potential that we never use? Or are there areas we constantly use that aren’t working well?

Planning is everything

Whether working with a landscape designer or doing it yourself, planning is everything, says Donohoe. There are a lot of complexities in getting your landscape design right, from water management, foot traffic, meeting municipal planning codes, construction costs, understanding your sun/shade and achieving privacy from your neighbours and the street. The planting part is really the icing on the cake, says Donohoe.

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“A sound plan will save you a lot of money because you’ll understand the full scope of the project from the beginning.”

Landscaping and design should be a meditation, says Donohoe. Have fun with it, and let the magic unfold.

If you’re in a hurry or don’t want to do the work yourself, be sure to hire a professional landscape contractor with the experience to read your designs and construct your landscape properly.

“Be sure to look at their website and portfolio, their social media accounts, and check testimonials or get references. Ensure the contract outlines the specific details of the project, including parties involved, scope, budget and timelines at a minimum,” says Donohoe.

Donohoe says the more time you spend in your outdoor living area, the better you’ll understand your vision. Try something different than what your neighbours are doing and follow your heart. “If you’re passionate about it and want to take the driver’s seat, take some small gardening courses at your local botanical garden or college and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of gardening.”