Terry L. Ettinger Horticulture Consulting Services
Meeting The Needs Of Today With A Vision For The Future
Landscape Project Gallery
Foundation Renovation
The original landscape plantings leading to the front door of this former “Parade of Homes” property had become overgrown less than ten years after their installation
(photos at right and below, at right). In addition, all of the plantings were surrounded by egg-sized river cobbles laid over landscape fabric, resulting in a harsh, unappealing appearance to the home’s new owners (not to mention their young children enjoyed picking up the stones and throwing them out into the lawn, at the house and at each other!)
To address these concerns, all of the plant materials, cobbles and landscape fabric were removed to provide a clean slate for new plantings.
Many of the original plants including burning bush, spirea, purpleleaf sandcherry and yews were transplanted to other parts of the five acre property where they’re now growing unimpeded to their mature size.
In their place, several thousand spring and summer-blooming perennials, ornamental grasses and low-maintenance shrubs were installed. While large in number, their mature size is more appropriate for the space available and therefore require relatively little maintenance on an annual basis - other than to be cut back in late winter (photos below, at right).
Also,
a double-milled hardwood bark mulch was used as a mulch
in place of the river cobbles, resulting in a more
natural appearance. The mulch also allows the perennials
to spread unimpeded to the point that there's now very
little open ground during the growing season.
In fact, the new
plantings have done so well, they’ve been divided several times in order to establish new landscape beds in other parts of the property.