A little of everything...

Recently I was asked to do a design that had a touch of everything in it...


The property owner had made requests for:

• a pool with a water feature
  
• enough patio space to allow for a chiminea and sun lounge chairs
  
• deck space for dinning and BBQ area
• a covered hot tub space
• the cabana house with a small bar area incorporated in it
• privacy
• grass or lawn space to allow for kids to play and possibly have an ice rink in winter
• storage areas
• and last but not least....gardens!!!

When presented with these requests...it can sometimes seem like a tall order for smaller yards but the idea of a landscape design is to make things fit and organize the space so it fits well! The particular drawing shown above displays a slightly larger than normal typical sub-division lot which allowed for me to fit everything in that the customer had on their wish list! I was able to do it in a way that kept things in balance in terms of where things were located.

The end result.... a cool looking backyard that will provide hours of entertainment that would extend into the winter months with the addition of the skating rink, the chiminea spot and the hot tub!!!

What inspires- Winter 2010...part 9

Ok, so a few weeks ago I was dreaming about lupines in the summer... now it is the New Year of 2010! So...Happy New Year!

I spent a few days in the woods taking in the quiet surrounds and the snow covered landscape. On New Year's morning, I woke up to this lovely sight...

This is apparently a Barred Owl! Stands about 40 to 50 cm tall and wing spans stretch out to about 110 to 120 cm in length. It is a marvel for me to understand how such a large bird can land on a 3/8th inch diameter re-bar and perch there for a few minutes. When I first took his picture I was not sure what type of owl it was. When I got home I was able to identify him and as I read on, I discovered he has probably been living in the area for a number of years and he is the equivalent to having a neighborhood cat living in the yard!

Anyway, the next picture is showing what Nature does best...an arrangement of hills in the distance and placement of trees....followed by a nice winding road.

Believe it or not, these roads are much easier to drive on than a snow covered road in the city mixed with road salt! The sand mixes in with the snow and combines with cold air to make the tires actually grip to the snow... and it is pollution free!

This last picture is an American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)

A baby Beech...or sapling coming up from a maturing forest in the background. These trees develop a smooth bark with a very long and straight trunk. They have an interesting form and in winter they hold their leaves as you see in the picture. The larger trees can add a nice look to a bare winter backdrop of trees.

What Inspires - part 8

Well the first day of winter is finally upon us and we are starting to feel it in the North East. December 21st is the Winter Solstice which signifies the official start of winter.

I was just talking with my Uncle in Florida last night and he told me it is cold there! In fact, he has stockpiled firewood in preparation for cold weather this winter. One tends to wonder about the effects of Global Warming when you need a wood burning stove in Florida to keep you warm!

Anyway, as we head into the Holiday season, I am wrapping up some old projects and starting on some new ones...I can't help but think about the Summer Solstice! It is six months away from now and it was six months ago!!! My one consolation that comes with the marking of this date is that the days will start getting longer by 2 minutes each day until June 21st...

The above photo was taken back in the summer of 2009 around the time of the Summer Solstice... this is the same place I wrote about in a previous article from 2 years ago. It will always continue to amaze me at how Nature can recover a landscape after it has been disturbed by man. It amazes me even more that it can do it in such a beautiful and graceful manner...