Bluestone Patio

Arlington, MA

The installation of this small patio in Arlington, MA was a bit more complex than it may seem at first.  The client wanted a small seating area outside of the existing french doors into their sitting room.  Originally just one bluestone step led to the lawn which was actually graded toward the house.  In order to make the space usable we built a 6’x10′ bluestone patio that extends the living area outside.  In order to create a patio of that size we dug into the slope near the house and built a small fieldstone wall along the back side. The use of fieldstone not only limits the number of materials for cohesion but ties into the fieldstone foundation of the step and the existing fieldstone walls that border the property.  Along the front of the patio we regraded the lawn another eight feet to create a subtle slope.

The small seating area that we created is just enough space for the homeowners to sit out and enjoy their gardens.

This is what the space looked like before we started.

 

PUDDINGSTONE GARDEN

Newton, MA

The gardens of this brick victorian home in Newton, MA were influenced by the puddingstone ledge that the house is built into.  Puddingstone is a type of conglomerate stone that is only found here in this region of New England and in Scotland, it has a look similar to corse concrete with rounded pebbles suspended in matrix of finer stone, creating a distinct character.  Because of this and the new home owner’s appreciation for the natural aesthetic we designed gardens using naturalistic plants that would work with and accentuate the natural ledge that formed the general topography of the site.

MID-CENTURY MODERN

Newton, MA

The Mid-Century Modern project began with a master plan of the entire site.  The clients had purchased the property three years ago and had been renovating both inside and out.  After working away on their own in the yard during that time they decided they needed a vision for the entire space that could be phased in over the coming years.  The design for the landscape uses simple clean lines in the main gardens around the house to compliment the clean lines of the architecture while the edge of the property has a stylish yet naturalistic feeling to blend with the adjoining properties, making the entire space seem larger.

Phase 1 of the project was the regrading, terracing and planting of the large slope in the center of the yard and  a cleanup along the back property line that included reorganization of existing perennials into larger groupings and the addition of a Smokebush, Japanese Cedar and four Viburnum.  We decided to do these areas as they have a huge visual impact from the house, being visible from the living room, dining room, kitchen and the clients home office.

This is what it looked like before.

RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPE

South Boston, MA

This project was to redesign the landscape for a small residential property in South Boston, MA.  We were contracted by the children of the homeowner to create a low maintenance and budget friendly design for their mother so that she could enjoy the outdoor space without having to spend much time maintaining it.  We removed all of the sod on site and constructed a large permeable patio surrounded by garden beds in the back yard.  Along the front of the house we removed the Privet hedge that was being shaded out by the Zalcova street tree and pruned the Peegee Hydrangea tree.

One of the clients key concerns was to uncover her Virgin Mary sculpture that had been hidden by overgrown shrubs.

FRONT GARDEN

Watertown, MA

For this garden in Watertown, MA we have worked with the home owners for a couple of years giving advice and coming in to plant, transplant and help reorganize their gardens.