Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Seven Winds Landscaping Projects from 2016

From Rain Gardens to Outdoor Fireplaces, 2016 projects ranged from beautifying small corners of the garden, to constructing whole new outdoor living spaces.  Here are some visuals of our Year 2016 with some dramatic before and after photos too!


A key element to enjoying your patio year round is an inviting hearth.  This fireplace is brick with bluestone accents.  The space is defined and embraced by curving brick walls.  The patio itself is Pennsylvania Bluestone- a classic withstanding the test of time!

 Moon gardens must shimmer in the moonlight.  The choice of quartzite flagstone with its mica particles was natural in designing this Moon garden.  Plants with silvery foliage light up in the moonlight and give year round texture and color to the landscape.  The summer is filled with white blossoms of roses, hydrangeas, day lilies, echinacea, astilbe and coral bells.

Functional, beautiful, and a gift to bees and butterflies, a rain garden can be incorporated into any landscape.  Generally filled with native plants, a rain garden absorbs water runoff and provides a wonderful ecological benefit.  The second photo in this series is a rain garden in its second year of growth.

(Before)
(After)
Old ivy laden chain link gives way to classic brick and iron.  Elegant and secure this alley way wall is the visual back drop to a reimagined city garden.

 (Before)
 (After)
New lattice fences flank garden beds lining a new Bluestone walkway.  In city gardens, space is a valuable commodity and design can make a small garden feel expansive.  After springtime planting this will  be a tapestry of color and texture surround simplified lines and a contemporary yet classic style.
 (Before)
 (After)
Here the goal was to create a more serene space.  The garden was spilling over with flowers creating an unmanageable space.  The challenge was to keep the color but redefine the space.  Plants moved to new perennial borders leaving space for a bench and step ping stone pathway that acts as both a visual accent and functional seat. 
 (Before)
 (After)
A front garden of grass and weeds is transformed to a view of texture, color and year round interest.  A Sango-Kaku Japanese maple tree takes center place surrounded by perennials.  A lovely birdbath that had been hidden by the weeds becomes a second major accent in the composition.
 (Before)
(After)
This tired slate patio was crumbling on top but had a solid concrete pad below.  Removing the slate and its mortar bed, and replacing with new brick pavers mortared on to the existing concrete pad allowed this patio to take on a whole new look.