Double Spiral / Erika’s Garden

Dr. Layne decided to install this garden after the passing of his wife Erika.  She had worked with him to develop the planting plans.  In fulfillment of his promise to create her garden, he decided to install this special landscape in her memory.  Since her passing, Erika, in the form of a blue and black butterfly, has visited during many of his sculptural installations.  While Layne was installing the paver for the patio area, Erika, in this form, visited and spent the whole day with him.

The goal of this small-scale landscape plan was to address problems of stormwater building up and flowing into the crawl space from the uphill common areas located at the rear of the town home while creating aesthetically pleasing and useful spaces for gardening and entertaining.  Although small in area, the stormwater management system of Double Spiral + Erika’s Garden conforms to a 25 yr storm event and consists of four elements that help to improve rainwater infiltration and runoff conditions.

1. The low, dry-stack concrete block wall provided for the leveling of the uphill landscape, slowing down rainwater from stormwater surge events.

2. The stone line-pattern area adjacent to the wall provides easy water infiltration from overland flow uphill and the 2% graded paved area wash.

3. Dry-layed concrete pavers graded away from townhome foundation provide another way that rainwater can enter the sub-grade.

4. Two elongated drywells of washed stone running underneath the paved and the decorative stone areas help to collect and hold water until infiltration can occur. Two perforated pipes were installed and connected to a pipe running underneath townhome to daylight to manage overflow during a 100+yr stormwater event.

With the purpose of connecting the naturalized area with the hardscape areas and the front yard to the rear yard, three circular forms were created using short bamboo culms that created lines around the radiating stone patterns.  Each of the three spiral forms (two in rear and one in front) house large plate water vessels that collect and hold rainwater for the use by the family cat as well as native fauna.  The spiral form closest to the adjacent deck provides a place for a large blue candle, lighted on special occasions in memory of family and friends no long able to visit this garden.

Employing sustainable design principles requiring little water and maintenance, the planting plan consisted of native plants with a few traditional Piedmont cultivars for added color and camouflage from nearby pool.  In order to protect the tree roots and underground utilities located within the construction site, all excavation and grading on site was completed using small hand tools.

Besides creating the landscape design master plan, completing design and construction drawings, doing stormwater system engineering calculations, and getting approval from the homeowner’s association, Layne acted as the landscape contractor.  Besides hand grading and digging the underground drywells, he installed the drainpipe system, stacked the block walls, cut and installed the concrete pavers and bamboo culms, arranged the stone spiral forms, and completed some Fall plantings.