Our clients were looking to create a long-term relationship with a landscaping company to help maintain their expansive property. They have an accomplished gardener in the family who decided she needed a little help keeping up with maintenance, updates and repairs. They had a gorgeous landscape design, so when we were brought in to help enhance it, we knew it was important for us to understand their style and honor the existing natural beauty.
Front Landscape Design
We made small adjustments and updates in the front yard. Our clients enjoy interesting plants, so we installed a Weeping White Pine near their garage to add height and character. We also gave them more year-round color by adding a Grey Owl Juniper, an evergreen that offers a different color palette. We moved some of the existing Hosta on the property around and added Azalea for spring color. We kept the plant palette centered around low maintenance varieties per our clients’ request. Finally, after having to remove some trees, our clients asked us to seed areas of the lawn so they would have fewer landscape beds to mulch and care for.
French-Inspired Landscape Design
The existing backyard is just gorgeous, with multiple tiers, a natural creek and woods, and a raised boardwalk path to a tennis court. One of the homeowners likes a clean, symmetrical look which suggested to us a French-inspired design. The existing space has a walled, sunk-in bed with a Magnolia tree, Roses, Summer Sweet and Rhododendron. We trimmed up the Magnolia, repurposed the Summer Sweet to another spot, and moved the Roses to each side of the magnolia. Then we added Spiral Junipers to offer interesting lines, and Lavender for color, a refined look and a nice smell. Along the back of the wall, we planted two crab apple trees trained to be espalier, a style of tree trimming that creates a flat linear look rather than the normal spherical growth pattern.
Supporting a Terraced Backyard
The backyard has a lovely terraced design which leads to a creek and recreation area at the back of the property. Our clients were looking to cut back the woods, as well as weeds from the path through the woods, and to repair the timber wall near the creek. To complete the projects, we had to move all of our materials by hand; 100 bags of concrete for a new footer, plus rip rap and concrete block. The creek was running dry before we started. Then, the night before we began our work, it rained so hard that we had to put on our waders and get into the water! The wall is a fortress now, fixed and sturdy.
Designing a Large Backyard
The huge backyard had multiple spaces for landscaping, some of which were looking great but other spots needed help. Our first approach was to update and repurpose, then add some new elements. One area had a history of drainage issues and our clients had not found anything that would grow there. We suggested creating a fern garden with three different varieties: Japanese Painted fern, Autumn Blaze fern and Ostrich fern. Ferns love moisture and will fill in the space nicely. Our choices purposely included varying heights, colors and textures. For example, the Autumn Blaze has gorgeous fall color and the Japanese Painted has silver/purplish hue that stays through the growing season. The new design took an area that was considered an eyesore and made it into focal point all spring, summer and fall.
Adjacent to the fern garden was the spot where the water from problematic roof runoff pooled during heavy rainstorms. Since the homeowner is unable to rectify the overload of water from the gutter, we created a rock garden in the space to make it beautiful and more functional. We used an ebony blend gravel and sandstone boulders that had also been peppered throughout the rest of the landscape. The long-term plan is to add an Inuksuk, a piece of art from the peoples of the Arctic region of North America. It is similar to a cairn but shaped like a person, with each one being uniquely designed by the artist.
Our clients have a Pine tree that was planted when their house was built – it is the biggest and coolest version of this Pine we have ever seen! They are planning to build an outdoor living space in the future, so while we did not add any major new plantings to the area, we helped them develop a temporary plan that will keep the space beautiful for the short term, but easy to update later. One benefit of creating a relationship with a landscape design firm is this long-term approach of using your resources wisely and designing holistically.
Other Landscape Design Updates:
Since our clients love to garden and have wonderful taste, we focused on enhancing their existing plantings. We added a Japanese maple and Hosta to the existing Coral Bells, Astilbe and Daylilies that were doing well. Also, Weeping White Spruce was centered on the windows of the walk-out basement. This species gets 15-20ft tall over a long period of time but stays only 2-3 feet wide, which helps break up wall space without blocking the sunlight.
While this landscape project was already expansive, we look forward to what is to come in the future. We thoroughly enjoy creating long-term relationships with our clients, allowing them to grow their yards on their timelines. We’ll keep you posted on the next phase. Questions about this project or your landscaping needs? Send us an email or give us a call at 317- 997-4803.
