Sense of Place...

The front entrance is what can make or break a landscape... this is a re-occurring theme in my blog posts because I think it is one of the most important aspects of the landscape.


One of the important things we were taught in my years studying Landscape Architecture was that we were to give the visitor of a landscape the idea of a sense of arrival... or give the visitor a sense of place!

Being a young first year University student back then...you just blindly wrote down words uttered by your prof in hopes that one day you'd understand what they were talking about... of course, in my mind, the term needed further study which paved the way to an understanding that creating a landscape with a sense of place, would take a few years of practice to master the idea....


Wikipedia defines the term in a round about way as a place that has a special relationship to both the area and context it is located in as well as a special, unique or authentic feel to the person visiting the space.

Have I mastered this unique experience in my designs? Many clients have told me they love the landscapes I created for them... Each one unique to the home and to the user of the space... each place has it's own feel and energy to it and provides hours of enjoyment while a person uses the space. I guess by that definition and their comments, I have discovered how to put a "Sense of place" into the landscape...

But by my own definition, I am constantly learning and improving with the next design...striving to bring a unique flavour that is unmatched by my older work... so to say I have mastered it... I think the day I decide to retire from my work would be the day I consider that idea...

New Toronto Pool Bylaw

This past year I have had a few questions posed to me about a new Bylaw in effect for the City of Toronto in regards to pools. The questions are about pools being fenced in from all 4 sides of the yard by an enclosure between the house wall and the pool itself. Basically, in my previous article I outlined my adventure on trying to find what the bylaws are for the City of Toronto. Not a very fun adventure!

So, for this article I decided to display a couple of diagrams to help illustrate the new bylaw....


Under the old bylaws, the above diagram displays what was acceptable (bylaw compliant) as a typical pool layout for the City of Toronto and is still acceptable for most areas outside of Toronto. The diagram shows the pool location in relation to the property line and must meet certain setbacks (the minimum distance allowed for a pool to be built from the property line). In Toronto the setback is 4 feet from the property line and in other areas of the GTA the pool must be 5 feet from the property line.

There must also be a fence enclosure set in all around your backyard with self-closing/self-locking gates. The fence itself must be built at a regulated height... which for a Toronto single residential property is 1.2 meters or 4 feet high. Any door leading from the home to the enclosed pool area in the yard must have child safety locks installed as well (no longer acceptable in Toronto). Garage doors leading into the enclosed pool area must also comply with child safety locks and a self-closing device.

The new City of Toronto pool bylaw explained...


Basically, the above diagram displays what all the hype is about... as it was previously acceptable for you to have a pool enclosed on 3 sides of your yard by a fence and self closing gates with the home acting as your fourth side to the enclosure... you now have to incorporate an enclosure (fence with self-closing gate) that stands between the pool area and the back wall of your home...connected to the other fence enclosures to form a complete square. The only way to get around this bylaw is to simply not have a door that opens or allows you access from your house into your backyard within the enclosed pool area.

For that matter... windows that open into the enclosed area must also have locks that prevent the window from being opened more than 10 cm or 4 inches.

So...where does that leave you? If bricking in sliding glass doors that lead into your yard is not an option... then you must come up with a way to provide a 1.2 meter high...or 4 foot high barrier between your home and your pool! My diagram displays a simple layout to provide a solution to the bylaw. But what if you don't want the yard divided like that?

There are in some ways, ideas that can address the bylaw and still keep your entertaining space open. Playing with deck levels and elevation changes in your yard could help you to disguise a fence with a gate. But there are the unfortunate circumstances for some backyard layouts where you are simply stuck with the great wall of China going through your backyard!!!

City of Toronto pool By-laws

A great mystery is about to be revealed! So if you live within the City of Toronto boundaries and are considering putting a pool in your yard...where would you find the bylaws that regulate pool construction online?

As a landscape designer, I asked this question myself...and did an extensive Google search for such bylaws that would regulate the construction of a pool in the City of Toronto...and came up with absolutely nothing!

Now I know that the City of Toronto website posts all or most of their bylaws online in PDF format. This is done so that we can quickly look them up and pretend to be a lawyer in understanding the legal terms and language used to write these bylaws...so that we can know if we are breaking a bylaw rule...or conforming to it.

In order to figure out where the pool bylaws are hidden you have to look in the City of Toronto Fence enclosure bylaws under the Toronto Municipal Code ... yes folks...almost everything you wanted to know about putting a pool in your backyard is there under section 447-3...Swimming Pool Enclosures... and can only be found by searching with the keywords "Toronto Fence bylaws"!...and not the logical keywords... "Toronto Pool bylaws". The only thing I could not seem to find online is the pool setbacks from the property line. I guess that question is better answered by a quick phone call into the bylaw office...instead of hopelessly trying to find it online.

Anyway, the original purpose of this article was set out to talk about a new "Toronto Pool bylaw" in which you are now required to install 4 sided pool fence enclosures instead of the traditional 3 sided enclosures that incorporated the use of your house wall as the 4 th side to enclose your pool....but this will be discussed in the next article...

follow up....so I am still bugged by the fact I cannot find pool bylaws online...I decided to investigate this further by calling into the City (Access Toronto 416-338-0338) and spoke with a service rep for a few minutes. He was very helpful in terms of trying to figure things out...but he was stumped because he could not find any information on his data base. So I got redirected to another number...had to give my home address in order to talk to a zoning examiner for my area...

...but then I was told I no longer lived in the Former North York area...it is now the West District(???) ...somehow my property got shifted out of North York and slotted into Etobicoke... Anyway, I said I am making a general inquiry for Pool Bylaws in Toronto! I was then told...it is different for different districts of Toronto (???????) and I would have to call another number for my area. So I told the lady...basically I have to pretend I am putting a pool in at my home in order to find out information on pool bylaws? She said...I should not be doing that!!!

By this point I was having a good morning laugh... I told her... this is part of my job, I need to know this information because I like to be informed when potential clients call me up and ask me questions... she said...I understand that sir, but you need to give a specific address for where the pool is being built. So I said...okay, I want to put one in at my location! ...I figured I would get somewhere that way.... she gave me a new number to call for the "West District" and I got someone's voice mail box that was already full and I could not leave a message.

I just called another number for the Etobicoke/"York" district...got an automated response which then directed me to another voice mail...I could either leave a message or go in person to make inquiries! I'm still laughing here...

So........... all in all....pool setbacks remain just as elusive on the City of Toronto phone network as they do online. So I guess my best suggestion would be to find out what district you live in for the City of Toronto....and pay them a visit in person!


Let me know what you find out!

Small urban backyard turned into Garden Room

The following article is a continuation of the "Gated Security" article. This small backyard is located in the Greater Toronto area. On average a 30 by 20 foot in size backyard will present some difficult options when planning a garden space. To add to that difficulty is a 12 x 8 foot deck that comes off the second floor kitchen which can sometimes create the feel of a dark and gloomy space underneath it.

Last year I was presented with a challenge to come up with an idea for a usable space that would address the poor drainage issues in this backyard. Below was the first stage of the project... a small platform deck. It is well below 20 inches from the ground level and is not attached to anything in terms of a structure, so no permit was needed. The deck allowed the homeowners to at least entertain guests in their yard for the remainder of the 2008 summer season.

Earlier this summer, the project came under way to the next phase of the design. All of the grass was eliminated and replaced with 3/4"-clear gravel to allow for excellent drainage of the yard. The soil here was heavily compacted by construction equipment during the subdivision construction and was never fine-graded to allow rain water to leave the yard properly. The effects of that did not allow for the soil to absorb water and so a drain pipe was put in place under the stone patio to help take water away.

The end result was a living room space....

Followed by a future dining room and BBQ area... the natural stone patio you see in these photos is a natural stone material known as Banas stone. It is brought in from India and sells for about $6.50 to $8.00 a square foot. This particular color of the natural stone is "Imperial Black"

All the plant material and decking came from a local Home improvement store. Although the plantings look thin and small, they will mature in the years to come and fill in to create a very lush looking space. The entire space was designed and created by a vision that kept things simple. Keeping a low budget in mind and the fact that free "family and friends" labor was provided... the yard was able to come to a complete state for around $5000 (Not including the furniture). Armed with a simple landscape design plan and the proper "do-it-yourself" knowledge, a 20 by 30 space can become a very pleasant garden room which acts as an extension of your house.

Gated security

A few years ago, a very good friend of mine had his fence built on contract. The Contractor was installing the fence for the whole neighbourhood and wanted to charge $300.00 for a gate. That cost is about the going rate for gates, but when I saw the span he wanted to build it for, I knew it was not going to be the right type of gate construction.

So, I advised my friend not to have the gate built and save his money. A few weeks ago I was tasked to complete the gate for him. While my day job is designing and consulting for my many clients... I do have a background in construction and woodworking. So I fired up the old tools and got busy....

The original contractor plan was a gate that was well over 4 feet wide. The issue was the width of that gate was not needed and would almost certainly fail in a few years. Any type of gate constructed over 42 inches wide would require metal brackets for the corners and a beefed up structural design. I knew for the price quoted he would not get that... so we shortened the area by putting in an extra post and I built a beefed up gate anyway...

Double fence board construction...sandwiched a 2 x 4 frame that included metal braces to give the gate extra strength. 10 inch hinges were used to hang this heavy door up. Yes, the construction is solid enough to lose the term standard outdoor gate...and call it an outdoor ...door!

The gate does not bounce or twist as you open it... it swings nicely on the hinges and locks up securely from the inside of the yard which provides added security to the yard as it cannot be opened from the outside. That was a request made to me by the homeowner!

Define: Stone Mason

There are lots of pitfalls and hidden risks when hiring someone that has a business card which portrays the image of a professional Stone Mason or Landscape Contractor. A Stone Mason is a professional that knows stone material and is an artist at working with Natural Stone.

Just yesterday I was on my way to an appointment with a client and I had to stop my car, back it up and take this picture! Wow! Yikes! I'm willing to guess that this home is probably valued at about $700 000 to $900 000 in Toronto's current real estate market.

Yet the masonry work done on these front steps is scary! I hope it was a family member that sets tiles for a living who built the steps and did not ask for any money. I think it would be highway robbery to pay a contractor calling themselves a stone mason and you end up with a job like this.

When you interview a potential stone mason to do the masonry work around your home, it is an investment! Always make sure you ask to see past projects to avoid mistakes like the picture above!

A proper masonry job should look like the picture below. Solid 2 inch or thicker tread edges that are professionally finished with a rock-faced edge. Straight and level lines are also a plus to keep the steps looking neat.


This picture displays a work in progress as the Stone Mason is building the new set of steps into the walkway. This particular job is something I designed for one of my clients and I highly recommended the stone mason for this work because of the quality he puts into his craft. Even the unfinished work done by a professional mason looks better then the finished work seen in the photos at the beginning and middle of the article.

The Hidden Aspects of Landscape Architecture

One of the most important things to learn when dealing with a landscape design is to learn to check what the mature heights and sizes of your chosen plant material is.

More often then not, I run into cases such as the above photo. The plants seen there are what I would consider to have been planted in the wrong spot. Yes they may be small and cute looking when you see them on sale at the nursery... but remember this important lesson! Always check the I.D. tag for the plant's specifications.

How big will it get? How tall and wide will it grow? Does it need full sun or part shade? The spot you are thinking to plant it in... does it have the space needed for the mature size of this plant? Will you constantly be pruning it back so it does not block pathways and hide crucial things like a view to your front door?

Natural stone used in the landscape

The picture below is an example of stone installation that lacks imagination and scale. I drive by this on a daily basis and wanted to take a picture of it to show you another example of how not to use natural stone.


The idea that inspired this was simple... what is the quickest way to make a raised planting bed with the least amount of skill.... maximum profit on the contractor's part and the least amount of cost on the client's part. There are several raised beds on this particular property and I have to painfully say that this one is the more attractive of them!

What makes things worse is the use of the two or three different stone types placed by the sidewalk edge (The most visible side!) You have weathered limestone used all around the raised bed and then you have un-weathered limestone sitting in the front where everyone can see it.

I think that for the amount of stone used in this display and the others on the property, they could have played with the levels of the planting areas, creating high and low beds and actually featuring the rocks for focal points in and amongst some inspired plant material choices.

For just a few dollars more investment in plants and some careful design consideration in stone placement... the grounds could have look very stunning.

Gates

Just about every design I create for my clients involves the very essential "gate"! It designates back yard from front yard and sometimes it keeps some potential wanderers from trespassing.

If the client is a dog owner, it keeps their pets in and other neighbourhood pets out. Also, if there is a pool, it fulfills the bylaw requirements of a closed off area surrounding the pool.


What I have come to notice in recent years is that many people are looking for something much more than just a simple gate... something that will set them apart from their neighbour's gate.












What ever the purpose of the gate, the style is important as it states a point of entry to either your front yard or back yard and sometimes even your driveway (as in the picture at the below).








So if you are completing a fence project this year, or looking to replace an old and failing gate, remember that this will be your chance to add a personal flare to your yard. Make a statement by creating a unique gate.

A properly installed flagstone path

Towards the end of last summer I was asked to redesign a front yard for a century old home in the Mount Pleasant Rd and Lawrence Ave. area in Toronto.


The clients were having basement issues with some failed drain tiles and water penetration through the walls. The plan was to dig the foundations up and waterproof them properly. The end result was that the old landscape would be destroyed and that was when I was called in.

One of the first things I noticed about the old front yard landscape design was that the access to the front door was a path leading from the street to the door and not to the driveway. Now understanding the era in which this home was built, pedestrian traffic was the main mode of transportation back then, so a path to the driveway was not a major thought.

I recommended that since they were tearing everything up, we could build a walkway leading from the front door to the driveway and better service visiting guests that would park in the driveway. They asked what materials should be used and I suggested to stick with the existing materials in the Credit Valley Flagstone pathway leading to the road. The front façade of the home also had Credit Valley stonework and so using that stone would keep the flow from house to garden very nicely.

The above photo shows the construction work of the pathway I designed. When installing a proper flagstone path, there should be a good solid base of concrete set in so that you have a good foundation for the flagstone to be mortared on to. This particular construction has a 4 inch grid of wire mesh and will have between 4 to 5 inches of concrete poured around it. The mesh gets suspended by hand about midway between the top and bottom of the concrete surface as the concrete is being poured.

Once the concrete cures, the flagstone can then be shaped and set in place to create a beautiful and attractive walkway. This type of construction could last another century or more as I am certain the pathway will outlast my lifetime. The end result is a pathway that would welcome anyone that parks in their driveway.

The value of a landscape design

One of my latest creations below...I had a bit of fun with this one as it was an older home (1960's) in the Greater Toronto Area. The clients have done some work on the interior of the house and are now looking to tackle the outside.


For the landscape project, they were looking for a deck to entertain on and to add a welcoming front entrance which would add to the beauty of their home.

When wondering about your landscaping and what to do... the best thing you can have done is a full yard landscape plan created for your entire property by a professional designer. These clients will now be able to take my plan to several deck companies or landscape contractors and get various price estimates on what it will cost to implement the plan.

A full property plan gives you the greater picture of your yard in detail... having started at this stage, you can now divide the plan up into sections or phases. Then you can take your time to pick and choose materials you wish to have in the landscape. Once you've completed your shopping list you can set a budget on each phase and plan to build things accordingly.

A quick glance at this particular plan and I would estimate a budget of $50,000 to $70,000 to construct the entire project. The cost range will depend on what materials are chosen (i.e natural stone versus interlock or cedar deck versus pressure treated)

If you divide the project into 3 or 4 phases and set it over 5 years or so, in time you will have an amazing looking landscape on a limited budget guided by one single plan.

Stone use in the landscape

There are many ways to use natural stone in the landscape, below is a photo of how not to use natural stone...


Now I can appreciate the type of homeowner that will attempt to do their own landscape work and if they have a creative eye, they can achieve a well balanced look to the front yard landscape. But when I look at this front yard garden, it displays a valid point I try to make with many clients... make sure your contractor is not trying to sell landscape materials you don't need!!!

I know this home was landscaped by a landscape contractor and he is probably someone that knows his construction practice very well... but I give a failing grade for material choice and presentation. Wrong look and wrong use of material here. The stones are way too big and awkward to use in this application.


The attempt of using shims with smaller stones to level the larger ones just makes the wall feature look like junk. Over time, frost will start moving those stones and eventually soil will leak out through the large holes which will invite weeds to migrate into the gaps. In the first photo at the top of this article, on the far left, you will see another common mistake... use of a completely different type of stone (orange/pink coloured granite field stone) in a small garden area like this.

Rockery used in a landscape presentation should always be the same material! Otherwise it looks like a mish-mash of objects without flow.

When you use rustic looking stone like weathered limestone rock, it is best used in a natural looking fashion. Stand back and ask how Nature would do it?

Subtle hints of this type of rockery slightly buried into the earth and inter-mixed with planting would have enhanced the look of the front of this house. The idea is to achieve a look that compliments the front door in a well balanced manner that builds up your view towards the door to say; "This is where you enter!"

Instead, what you notice when you see this house is a pile of rocks on the front lawn...

Tree Protection in the GTA (Greater Toronto area) ???

As mentioned a few times in my blog articles... the issues of tree protection in the City of Toronto are very present. Through my work as a designer in the Greater Toronto Area, I often come across issues of trees on private property that have been 'planted in the wrong place'.

Knowing how strict Toronto's Urban Forestry is in regards to tree protection, I began to look into tree protection bylaws in the surrounding areas...

The Town of Richmond Hill

As of March 19th, 2007... The Town of Richmond Hill enacted a tree protection bylaw... trees greater than 20 cm in caliper diameter are protected!

20 cm!?!?! I thought to myself... In Toronto they regulate at 30 cm! Hmmmm.... Is Richmond Hill trying to one up their big neighbour to the south?? Whatever the case... it looks good on them! Makes my job a bit more difficult ... but I am happy to comply with regulations that save trees!

The City of Vaughan

... no protection set in place as of yet but a recent event in Klienburg has resulted in a stir of activity to push a tree protection by law into place... right now, what is protected in terms of trees in the Vaughan area is woodlots.

In the past, the population explosion of Urban development in the "Town" of Vaughan made it jump to city status almost overnight. (A town changes to City status once the population exceeds 50 000 people) One would conclude there are more residential properties in Vaughan then there are old growth woodlots... All I can say regarding that is...Get to it Vaughan!!!

The Town of Newmarket

... No mention of tree protection ... What happened? I think there is something pending but nothing I can find just yet...

The Township of King

... or more popularly known as King City ... no mention of tree protection ... although they are a smaller group in the GTA, they still have some headwaters of the Humber River Basin to think about! Maybe coordinate with the Seneca College Campus in King and get some conservation programs in place? How about linking up with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and setting a bylaw in place with them?

The City of Mississauga and the Town of Aurora

I grouped these two areas because of similar bylaws...

In Mississauga... No tree greater than 15 cm!!! Shall be cut without a permit ... the best size yet, but there is a snag here...

In Aurora... a 20 cm bylaw ... from what I can tell on their website, protects trees greater then 20 cm in caliper diameter... Toronto??? Still 30 cm!

But wait!!! There is a snag here to the bylaw in both of these areas!!!

The By-law states that property owners require a permit to remove 5 or more trees that are within regulated diameters or larger from their private property in a calendar year.

That means, you can remove 4 trees of any size within January to December of each year. ????????? But cut a 5th tree in that time period and you need a permit?????

Who the heck made that bylaw up??? Maybe someone in the city council had 4 trees on their property that they wanted gone and wanted to fly under the radar the day the bylaw was drafted up???

Based on my interpretation of this bylaw, you can cut 4 trees on your property each year and if you have a lot of trees on your property, divide the total number by 4 to get how many years it will take you to have a completely cleared lot without ever contacting anyone for permission! That seems like a joke to me....

The City of Brampton

I found this by-law in place since 2006 I believe... Brampton Tree Preservation By-Law I believe it states that you need a permit to remove most trees over 40 cm DBH. Not that impressive but at least there is some sort of preservation for the larger trees. Also noted is that one can remove a tree at any size if it is considered invasive according to the City of Brampton. There are many exemptions to needing a permit so it is best to read through the by-law and see where your situation fits in.


The Town of Oakville

From what I can tell on their website, enacted back in 2004 was a bylaw to preserve trees greater than 30 cm in diameter... same as Toronto's standards... I think Toronto should change their bylaw to 20 cm in diameter!

Durham Region

At the moment Durham Region has a bylaw enacted to protect woodlots ... With the Urban sprawl going on in this region, hopefully the local communities act and set bylaw protections in place for private properties as well...

Pickering ...has a limited bylaw for conservation lands

Ajax ... when I looked it up I got an error page with the following text at the top "The system cannot find the file specified"... good luck with that one.... Hopefully it is in error due to updates on changing tree protection bylaws???

Whitby ... similar to Pickering, has protection in place for designated conservation lands and woodlots but not much for private property unless your property falls under the protected land areas.

Oshawa ... all I could find was a protection bylaw for City owned trees and it was enacted in 1983!! Time for an update???


Anyway, I hope to update this post for any changes to the bylaws in some of these communities. I may have missed some bylaws that are in place, if I did, they are hard to find on their websites!!! (Note to the webmasters)

Anyone with further information regarding tree bylaws in these areas... feel free to contact me and I will look into them so I can update this article...

Tree Damage

Can you spot it?


To a trained eye, a person that knows trees would spot it in an instant! The above photo is taken from a front yard I had designed about 4 years ago. The property looks well maintained by professionals from far away...


But upon closer inspection I noticed some tragic details that were never tended to! The orange arrows say it all!

The tree stakes were left in 4 years after they were planted!!!

When I first drew out the landscape plan and imagined these trees in my mind's eye, I never would have imagined this... Was it my fault for not informing the home owners? Or was it the contractor's fault for not informing them that something they did once they were planted, needed to come out after the second year of growth!

What you can't see is the wires still looped around the trunk... the tree has now grown into the wires and is causing it to girdle itself. The mass of branches that have developed along the base of the trunk is a survival tactic!

The roots are thriving! Yet the nutrients have no place to go! The tree knows if it is not corrected soon, the top portion above the wires will soon die off and it is ready to start new from the base... any one of those small branches growing from below the wire will take the lead as a "leader branch".

This stands to reason that I should probably visit my landscapes more often... but when you do so many, how can one possibly keep an eye on them all?



I give the landscape maintenance crew an 'A' for effort to make the grounds look good...


but a failing grade is given for not recognizing the need to remove the tree-stakes!!!

The Cherry Trees in High Park....

It's getting close to that time of year again...

It's usually in the next few weeks of May or so that the Japanese Cherry Trees explode into bloom along the slopes of the Grenadier Pond area. If memory serves me right, they come into full bloom just as the Forsythia shrubs are starting their show of yellow flowers.




Be sure to keep your eye on the trees in the next few weeks... When you see the Crab Apple trees and other Cherry trees starting to bloom, make your plans to get into High Park. A word of caution, weekends can be hard to find parking and the park has a 20 km/h speed limit! You might find a radar trap set up in the park on occasion!

(Prunus serrulata - Japanese Cherry (Sakura))

If you plan to visit on a weekend, take the Bloor Subway line to High Park Station and walk south (15 to 20 mins) till you get to the restaurant...then head towards the hillside gardens...down the hill and you will see what looks like pink clouds of cotton candy.

They only stay in peak bloom for about a week... I had the fortune of working there a few years ago. It was like a dream to walk around the gardens and grounds and to look down a hill at a view of blooming trees lined up along the path that follows the pond area.

There were a number of trees dedicated back in the 1959... by Japan to the City of Toronto. A few years back when I was working there in 2001 or 2002, there was another ceremony in which new Japanese Cherry trees were planted.

It's a beautiful site when in bloom...

Tree Protection Zones

Tree Hording? Tree Protection Zones? City By-laws? Arborist reports?

(Picture: A big old healthy White Spruce in Northern Ontario. Estimated 40 feet in diameter and to be 80 to 100 years old)

In relation to my "Gone are the days" post a few weeks ago, I write this post as a brief follow up on the topic. In the Urban Landscapes, City forestry is doing their best to protect the older and mature trees that are over 30 cm in caliper size.

Tree Hording is a protective barrier that is built with plywood and 2 x 4 frames... set up to prevent construction materials, equipment, excavation activity and any other vehicles from entering a tree protection zone.

Tree protection zones are designated areas of protection for the root system of a tree. What determines how big that protection area will be? The caliper (diameter) of the tree trunk size. For instance, a 35 cm caliper tree will have a 2.4 meter radius set up around it as a protection zone.

Why protect the tree so far out? Roots are delicate! The tree acclimatizes the soil around it and adjusts the conditions in its favour for optimal growing. Imagine a 2 ton bundle of house bricks being stored on top of its roots? Or a 4 ton machine parked or driving over the root zone? Essentially the soil structure gets compacted and air spaces below the surface around the roots will be crushed.

The roots can be damaged and cause the tree to go into stress as it can no longer take up nutrients like it has always done.

(Picture: This roadway was widened and paved... causing the giant sugar maple on the right of the road to fall under stress and it eventually had to be cut down.)

So... by-laws are now in place to preserve the giants of our urban landscapes. In some places those by-laws are a slap on the wrist and in others they are a deep and hurtful pinch to the wallet.

Arborist reports are made to advise the general state or conditions of trees on a site slated for construction. The report covers how big a tree protection zone needs to be and what if any special needs or protective measures that particular tree may need to continue a long and healthy life. The report may also explain reasons for removal of a specific tree deemed hazardous or unsafe... or just simply in the way of construction progress. City forestry has the ultimate say on removal issues.

Get to know your city's by-laws regarding tree protection before you start digging or chopping!

Pergolas

The origin of the pergola structure can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians. During the Italian Renaissance period, the use of the pergola was very popular in many of the gardens designed for the rich and the noble classes of Europe.

It's widespread use in today's landscape has not trailed too far off from what it was originally designed to do and that was a structure to grow grapevines from. The pergola structure is defined as a set of columns or posts that support a roof of open framed joists, beams or trelliswork. The modern function of the design is to create a shaded space below for either a walkway or a seating area.

Architecturally, what a structure like this adds to the landscape is a set of vertical and horizontal lines that leads the eyes around the garden. If placed near your home, it can draw your eyes from the built form of the house structure to the Pergola's shape as it draws the lines of the home out into the garden area. It can essentially create an outdoor garden room, which becomes another extension of your home.

The structure itself is full of these lines and as the sun angles change throughout the day, the shadows below the structure take on different shapes. The dark lines of shadows or sun lighting contrast within the structure to almost seemingly transform the look and feel of that pergola's space as the sun changes positions in the sky.

A pergola can stand alone or be accompanied by plant material in the form of climbing vines that may either produce fruits or just colourful flowers. The plant material serves as a way to soften the structure, to give it a sense of belonging to the garden by tying it into the landscape. The built form of structure becomes cladded with a loose flowing design of vine stems and leaves. Accented by brightly coloured flowers, it can really serve as a great focal point for any garden.

Add to that the intricate carpentry work built into the architecture of the overall design and you can create a truly elegant feature for your garden.

What else can a structure like this be used for? The Latin term 'Pergula' means extended eave, so taking this definition into consideration...

Lawrence Winterburn of GardenStructure.com decided to clad the wall with a pergola style eave that shades the windows and doors of this home. It allowed for the client to train Wisteria vines along the structure and create a dual functioning feature that adds to the beauty of the home. The above photograph was taken 10 years after the structure was added to the home. Garden Structure's quality of workmanship and education for the client on materials is what keeps it looking great.

(All photos in this article are courtesy of GardenStructure.com)