AHMA: A Masterpiece of English Romance and Southern Tradition
The AHMA project was born from a desire to create a landscape that married the romance of an English manor with the rugged beauty of North Carolina and the formality of Southern tradition. The clients envisioned a property that felt both established and timeless, serving as a regal retreat in the Appalachian mountains. To achieve this "mountain elegance," the design team at Land Plus and Garden Atlantic balanced structured plant massing with softer, native elements, ensuring the estate felt perfectly at home in its Canton setting.
The landscape’s architectural backbone is defined by massive boxwoods—some reaching six feet in height and width—which provide year-round structure and Southern formality. These are contrasted by abundant rhododendrons and hydrangeas that introduce seasonal color and a softer, mountain-driven character. To add a sense of grandeur and verticality, Slender Silhouette trees were strategically placed across the front and rear yards, while over 20,000 square feet of sod and a clean carpet of dwarf mondo grass unify the expansive estate.
Completing the project required overcoming the logistical hurdles of its mountain location and several days of heavy rain during the final installation phase. With a fixed deadline tied to a major on-site event, the team at Garden Atlantic worked extended hours to maintain meticulous standards of craftsmanship despite the weather. The successful collaboration between the builder, architect, and contractor resulted in a cohesive, world-class landscape that was later featured in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine, cementing its status as a masterpiece of regional design.
Photos below sourced from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine.
Judges' comments about this project
- LOVE the large stones on the walkway!
- The scale is perfect, and not overplanted.
- Fall color will be fantastic.
- Judges wanted to know where the large specimen boxwoods were sourced from.
We transform Atlanta’s finest properties into enduring sanctuaries — through uncompromising craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and a commitment to beauty that stands the test of time.
Cole launched Garden Atlantic after more than a decade working on some of Atlanta’s most distinguished private properties learning, firsthand, what it takes to earn the trust of homeowners who have every reason to be exacting. Those years shaped a philosophy built on three things: listening deeply before designing, building with materials that improve with age, and never treating a client’s investment as a transaction.
Today, Garden Atlantic serves Atlanta’s finest neighborhoods — Buckhead, Brookhaven, Druid Hills, Sandy Springs, and beyond — bringing together a team of in-house designers and master craftsmen who share one standard: work that endures, and clients who become lifelong advocates.
