Mini & Modern

Mini & Modern

A Louisiana Designer Uses Minimal Tools To Transform A Backyard Garden

Megan Montgomery

Project Details:

Project value: $6,000 | Build time: Less than a week | Size of project: 480 sq ft

The most defining feature of an outdoor project is arguably space. Each project is uniquely sized and shaped differently, and designs aim to make the most out of the space given. Megan Montgomery runs a landscape design firm in Lafayette, Louisiana. She has worked on projects worth $3,000 and ones worth $30,000, balancing her clients ideas with what the space needs. One significantly challenging project stands out though. Megan redesigned a patio that was only about 10 or 11 feet wide by roughly 60 feet long.

“I want to really understand what is already there, that has to speak to me first. I want to use that to tell a cohesive story. I’m not trying

Before

to go in any direction other than what fits with what they have already. What is the energy and what are they trying to get out of this? It’s them having to experience it, not me.”

Megan based her design around a concrete pad coming off the back door. The pad was cemented into the home’s foundation, so Megan symmetrically scattered similarly sized concrete pads around the area. She also used astroturf and Texas black basalt limestone.

“I thought, how am I going to incorporate everything and make it balanced? How do I lay it out and get everything to fit,” Megan elaborates. “I needed all my principles in line, then the materials were really an afterthought.”

The limestone comes from the Texas Hill Country to create the Austin feel. The homeowners themselves hauled the rock to Lafayette. They also helped Megan find and fill potted planters to bring some vegetation into the space. The mix of turf and pots were perfect for the homeowner who wanted a low maintenance garden. The entire project only took about 4 days and cost less than $6,000. Megan loves homeowners who seek to understand the character and design of the garden. She does offer maintenance services, but has many clients who choose to manage their new gardens on their own. Megan gives thorough instructions to those interested, always encouraging clients to engage with their garden. “It’s almost a broken record with everybody right now, that they just can’t connect with their yard. I started connecting people back to their property. It makes an impact and it helps make memories.”

The memories helped launch Megan into the landscaping field. She connects to nature and people who engage with it, and Megan says that engaging with the outdoors brings her biggest inspirations.

Partners & Suppliers

Texas black basalt limestone

Provided by the client

Astroturf and poured and framed concrete

Horticare

www.horticarelandscape.com

Furniture and troughs

Wayfair

www.wayfair.com

Plants

Live Oak Nursery (New Iberia, LA)

www.liveoakgardens.com

1x1 concrete pavers

The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com