Western Red Cedar Fence

I started this project back in the fall of 2010... the project is still under way as I have not had much time this Spring to complete. I have been so busy with design work for my clients.... but it is getting there... slowly....

My neighbour made me promise I would build a nice fence.... I don't think she was expecting it to be as nice as this one...

As you study the detail you may notice that there are not very many nails showing in terms of what holds the fence together...some carefully thought out trim details and board placement has allowed for that.

A fence like this is not something put up in a day... there is a lot of cutting and sanding involved. Every second fence board was ripped into a half piece on the table saw, sanded and then stained...in fact, every piece of lumber put on this fence was pre-stained before assembly and is now awaiting a second coat of stain to seal it up nicely.

I have just applied the second coat to the screens the other day and I planted some Honeysuckle vines to trail up and fill in along the trellis screens. The screen details in the fence give an architectural element that allows great interest to the eye as you walk down the pathways to the backyard or the side door entry.

My next project phase is to build a covered structure in the backyard...that is currently in the planned stage and materials pricing stage... Once the structures are built, the patio and pathways will be completed.

Mock Orange Flowering Shrub - Philadelphus coronarius

Well it's been a while since I posted about a plant or shrub to use in the landscape... Here is a shrub that I use consistently in my designs where space and growing conditions will allow...


This is a shrub that will tolerate Full Sun or Part Shade...but does better in full sun as it will develop more blooms. The fragrance of the blooms is amazing! They have a citrus-like scent to them and when the wind blows just right, it will carry the perfume all around.



Mockorange grows in climate zones 4 to 8 and there are many variations that are native to a number of places around the globe. Good shrub for butterfly gardens as well... height and spread: anywhere from 8 feet tall to 8 feet wide up to 12 feet x 12 feet depending on which variety you find.

Make sure you read the plant tag when you purchase this shrub from the nursery to find out it's mature size and spread...then choose a spot that will fit. Also, consult with the people working at the nursery to ensure the variety of Mock Orange you pick is fragrant or not fragrant...again, depending on the specific variety, some are more fragrant then others. Once established The Mock orange shrub can tolerate somewhat dry conditions...

Busy Spring...

Well, once again the blog posts have slowed to a crawl...my apologies to my regular readers... It has been very busy for me these past two months and has taken me this long to finally sit and breathe on a Sunday morning while looking at a blog topic to post.

So today we take a look at one of my most recent projects. One that I designed last year for a customer in Richmond Hill...

Here you can see the natural stone coping process that boarders a pool. The pool is a steel-wall construction and will later be measured up to have a vinyl liner inserted in it. The coping placed on the pool is a carefully crafted process in which each stone is custom-cut and fitted to turn the corners of the pool walls.

In this photo we have a close-up look at what I call the stone deck. I like level changes in the landscape... it gives that 3-D aspect to what is otherwise a flat backyard. Most of the time, with newer homes, you get backyards that have been graded relatively flat by the home builder. They have a slight slope going towards the rear of the yard for water drainage and that is it... nothing exciting happening in the topography of the yard. So wherever possible, I try to create level changes for a dramatic effect of separating spaces.

The upper patio will be ample space for a large dining table and BBQ area. The lower patio spaces will be where all the pool fun happens and you have a wide open view of the pool area from the raised patio.


In this last photo we see a pergola privacy screen that I have designed to house a hot tub. The wood structure is about 14 feet long by 5 feet wide. It is not meant to act as a shade structure or a rooftop over the hot tub... but more of a focal point or wood feature to dress up the hot tub corner. The other purpose of it is to block the views of the neighbor's house windows as folks sit in and enjoy their time in the hot tub.

In the screen detail there is a small diamond shape framed into the lattice... that was a last-minute addition I made when i noticed an extra piece of pool coping laying around the site...I had it cut into a 1 x 1 foot square and I framed the stone into the screen as a nice tie in to the natural stone pool coping used for this project.

I was speaking with the home owner yesterday and we talked about staining the structure and growing vines over top of it. I also mentioned that in some cases, years down the road... Hot tubs can become the white elephant in the backyard as a family can become less and less interested in using it... so in case of this ever happening... I have designed the space to function without the tub... they can easily sell the tub and put the money towards a gorgeous patio lounge set centered around the pergola...

My motto... When you are spending money on a landscape...always design with function and purpose for years to come so you don't have to spend again! I will update you with more photos when this project is complete in the next few weeks...