Client Objectives for Landscape:

The client wanted a solution for their backyard that had less grass as their rambunctious dog was tearing up the lawn along with the plantings and killing the grass with urination. Additionally, they requested a design that would connect the access points in the side and rear office to the back deck, provide privacy screening and include a variety of pollinator plants.

Main Features:  

A series of irregular flagstone steppingstones was used to connect the patio, deck, office, and side yard spaces. Corten steel edging delineates the planting and walking spaces.

Pollinator Plants are located all over the property, front back and sides. Lawn was minimized to only the back yard to give their energetic dog some play space, and the rest was converted to landscape area to maximize wildlife value and plant space.

In the front there are hellebores, some of the earliest bloomers in our climate zone providing a vital nectar source for early season pollinators when little else is available. During the summer months, panicle hydrangea are showing off their large showy blooms for mid-season pollinators.

In the backyard, a shaded pathway along one side of the house allows for heuchera, tiarella, and hosta to thrive, all with seasonal blooms the bees just adore. In the sunnier parts of the backyard, Coneflower, St. John’s Wort, native Penstemon, and Liatris are a pollinator magnet and attract beneficials everywhere, from our native solitary bees, to butterflies large and small, and even Ruby Throated Hummingbirds.

An additional bonus of a variety of colorful low-growing flowering groundcovers, including Carex, Sedums, and Creeping Thyme in between step stones, allows for valuable additional bloom area while not impeding foot traffic and creating colorful movement throughout the outdoor living space.

The privacy screen, planted with emerald green arborvitae, is located along the back fence and offers some privacy to the client from the house behind them.

Special or Unusual Features:

10-inch Corten steel edging was installed to separate the beds from the walkways and to create a subtle barrier to keep the energetic dog from trampling the plantings. The Corten steel edging was paired with Corten steel planters to unify and complement the colors of the hardwood decking materials on the house and to create definition of the separate spaces while maintaining visual openness.

Major Challenges:

Selecting materials that were relatively natural and dog proof while creatively integrating them with the multitude of existing colors on the house to create an aesthetically attractive design to maximize the beauty and function of the space.