Photography by Emily Followill
Meet the Landscaper
Award-winning landscape architect Carson McElheney hails from Atlanta, Georgia where he founded a company that now employs four additional landscape architects and a field staff of 15 men and women. He and his team design and implement a wide variety of projects across the Southeast, from half-acre residential lawns and gardens to work ongrand estates, quail plantations and sprawling farms.
Carson McElheney Landscape Architecture and Design is best known for honoring a site’s history as well as its architecture and natural features, and their designs have been featured in many publications, including the New York Times.
About the Project
McElheney’s team recently renovated the lawn and gardens at a home in Atlanta’s historic Haynes Manor neighborhood in the heart of Buckhead. “Our projects range in size and scale, but I still really love designing intimate courtyard spaces and small properties,” McElheney said.
The home sits on approximately an acre of land with a canopy of mature trees providing partial sun and shade. Underneath, generous ornamental plantings and hardscapes were redesigned to add beauty, texture and function. “Grass makes up only about 40 percent of the lot, but that extra green space adds a tremendous amount of value,” he pointed out.
About the Grass
“Specifically for this project, the client wanted the clean classic look and the evergreen effect that Fescue gives you,” McElheney explained, “which is what you see throughout Buckhead, and especially in that historic neighborhood dating back to the early teens and 1920s.”
The team installed fescue in the front lawn and in a small courtyard in the back yard, where Zoysia had previously grown. “We converted to Fescue because the light conditions were too shady for Zoysia. It simply wouldn’t perform. It’s really critical to pay careful attention to sun exposure and light patterns.”
Why NG Turf
“All of NG Turf’s grass is definitely top notch. It’s really superior to other grasses we’ve used,” McElheney says. “NG Turf has given us a wide variety of grasses to use on different projects around the Southeast. Whether it’s Fescue or Zoysia or Bermuda, the thickness, the quality of the cut is consistent from the top of the pallet all the way down to the bottom.”
McElheney says his business relies heavily on NG Turf’s exceptional customer service as well. “They are very accommodating of scheduling, which is a critical part of logistics and what we do, trying to meet deadlines and accommodate everyone on the project.”
