Landscape Design & Installation


AUGUST 16 2012 FILED UNDER Landscape Design & Installation	Meet Our Landscape Designers The home improvement process can be a daunting task. When it comes to your yard, a landscape designer can prove to be one of your greatest property investments! A landscape designer works with you to develop a vision that blends your aesthetic taste with your available space and budget. Designers know how to create a yard that performs well in your local climate with minimal upkeep and maintenance costs. We asked our landscape designers to give us some insight into their landscape philosophies, and here’s what they had to say. Click here to see some of their recent projects. Diane Smith Resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia 11 Years of Landscaping Experience What is your idea of a “bad landscape design?” The most common mistake is the wrong plant, wrong place and plant collections. The “right plant in the right place” is one that will thrive where it is planted with minimal care and maintenance. Always consider the mature size of the plant and the type of sun requirements. Also, know if the plant is evergreen or if it will drop its leaves at first frost. Plant collections can appear chaotic and confusing. Use plants in masses by grouping like items, and create unity through repetition. Punctuate an entrance, frame a view and create a focal point to add drama, direction and movement. What is your definition of a low-maintenance, or manageable? How can you create one? Healthcare for your garden! Perform basic maintenance, weed and water as needed. Clean up old leaf debris and apply a fresh layer of mulch every spring. How do you design to benefit the environment? Be kind to our planet. Use fertilizers and pesticides in accordance with their instructions and consider chemicals as a last resort. Always remember pesticides harm the good bugs too. What are your five (5) best design tips? Be patient, it takes a few years for a garden to evolve. Trees, in particular, can take up to three years to become established. Nurture them occasionally and appreciate each year’s beauty. Be prepared to compromise ~ a plant that wants full sun will not thrive in full shade. Sometimes, the plants you want will not work in the place you desire. Use odd numbers except when a framing a view. Determine a style and or theme and stick with it. Think of the plants texture, foliage color and growth habit, and consider blooms a bonus. What are your favorite plants? Picking a favorite plant is like asking a parent which of their children they like best, but here goes: Agapanthus - unique spherical summer blooms, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds Lenten Rose - great perennial for dry shade, blooms in the winter when not much else is blooming Autumn Sage - requires full sun, well drained soil and little maintenance. It blooms May-November, and it’s a magnet for hummingbirds Fatsia - big, bold leaf texture, blooms in the fall, flowers fade to berries and feed the birds Tupelo Tree ‘Wildfire’ - medium native tree, with a tap root system, therefore it will not comprise concrete, foundations and paver work. Beautiful fall foliage Japanese Snowbell - under used in Hampton Roads despite its hardiness. Fragrant blooms in mid to late spring, comes in white and pink. Blooms fade to a pretty green berry that resembles a small olive, great wild live tree Boxwoods - classic and timeless. A few properly placed boxwoods can help organize disorganization Ferns- Autumn Ferns, Holly Fern and Japanese Painted Fern just to name a few. They provide a serene and naturalized texture to most any style of landscaping. Drift Roses - a dwarf variety that is fairly carefree, they bloom their heads off May- November, and is available in a wide range of bloom colors. Camellias - there are some many shapes, sizes and bloom times. Camellias can be blooming in a garden at almost any given time of the year. What plants do you avoid and why? “There's a place for everything and everything in its place" - Benjamin Franklin English Ivy, Vinca Major, Mint and Bamboo. Although these are great plants for containers, I do not plant them directly into the ground, because they are extremely invasive and can be costly to remove. Also, Mimosa & Pear Trees are very invasive and are choking out our native plants everywhere. In addition, the Pear trees are quickly damage in storms, the Bradford Pears in particular. If you could be a plant, which one would you be and why? I have to stick with the Tupelo Tree; it’s a long lived, modest tree with a tap root system making it strong, stable and hardscape friendly. It can thrive in wet soil along a waterway, as well as a dry traffic median. It’s not picky about soil and will provide shade, shelter and food, plus stunning red fall foliage. Tami Eilers Resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia 20+ years of Residential Design, Certified Landscape Specialist from The George Washington University, Master Gardener, Virginia Certified Horticulturist What is your idea of a “bad landscape design?” Bad design is one where the views of the house or from the house are not considered. Also, when the design is not harmonious with the clients desires and the house facade. What is your definition of a low-maintenance, or manageable, landscape? Low maintenance or manageable design is to keep the woods around your home... leave it the way nature made it. Put the home in the woods. Or, use shrubs that need pruning only once a year. How do you design to benefit the environment? Reduce turf and use ground covers and plant trees. What can you as a designer do to help a homeowner accomplish what they may not be able to do for themselves A designer can help a homeowner use the right plant in the right place and help them visualize the whole picture. (i.e.: views both good and bad, focal points, colors to enhance the house, mature heights of plants and trees & wet/dry requirements). What are some of the problems you see most often in yards? Out of scale sculptures, wrong color mulch, leaves or flowers in the front of homes, and overgrown shrubs that can age a home quickly. What are your best design tips? Put the house in a complimentary setting. Define focal points first. Walkways are best curving and wide. Use evergreens in the front yard (at least 80%). Keep the grass green and the mulch brown with well defined bedlines. What are your favorite plants? Gardenias: evergreen and fragrant Camellias: evergreen and flower in cold months Boxwoods: great for adding structure to the garden Cherry Trees: ornamental...great beacon of spring! Limelight Hydrangeas: great late season show stopper (late summer) & take sun to part shade Steeds Hollies: great for accenting the front porch (frame it with one on each side) Knock Out Roses: easy, long blooming, great color variety Feedback Iris: blooms twice and is very rich in color Gold Dust Aucuba: great for emphasizing speckled shade for dark shade areas What plants do you avoid and why? I avoid yellow leaved plants as they tend to look sickly in the landscape. If you could be a plant, which one would you be and why? I would be a Hydrangea because they get to be in shady places and are feminine! Mary Ann Newton Resides in Yorktown, Virginia Bachelor of Science from Christopher Newport University in Horticulture, Landscape Designer for McDonald Garden Center for 10 years, Virginia Certified Horticulturist, Member HRNLA What is your idea of a “bad landscape design?” A bad landscape design is one that does not meet the needs of the client. What is your definition of a low-maintenance, or manageable, landscape? Low maintenance, to me, means a garden with plants that are suited to the area, that are disease resistant, and that require minimal watering and pruning. Providing good information to the client about how to keep weeds out of beds also helps. How do you design to benefit the environment? I like to reduce the turf area (less fertilizing) and make it easy to mow with no weed eating required. I plant trees and shrubs for shade and for wildlife and oxygen. What can you as a designer do to help a homeowner accomplish what they may not be able to do for themselves Each client is different. Some can do everything; some are not interested in doing the work involved in an installation; and many retired clients can no longer do the things they could when young. The design is important; the rest is geared toward the needs of the client. What are some of the problems you see most often in yards? Wrong plant in the wrong place is the most frequent problem I see. Designs should accommodate mature plants. Next would be failure to update aging gardens. Most gardens should be reworked every ten or fifteen years. What are your five (5) best design tips? Keep bedlines smooth with long curves. Soften corners of house with evergreen planting. Shape garden so that eye leads to the front door. Use a plant pallet that allows for color year round. Make sure plan fits the lifestyle and needs of the client. What are your favorite plants? Miscanthus ‘Adagio’ for movement, fall blooms and transition from water to land Knock Out Rose for disease resistance, lots of color and dependability Chindo Viburnum for privacy hedges, beautiful leaves, fast grower and doesn’t blow over Encore Azalea for two seasons of blooms, performance in shade and great color selection Winter Gem Boxwood for leaf color, disease resistance and a fast grower What plants do you avoid and why? Weeping Willow because of their aggressive roots Rhododendron because it is so hard to get started Conus florida because it’s difficult too get established Gardenia radicans because success rate is low Some pennisetums because of their tendency to self seed If you could be a plant, which one would you be and why? I would be a Live Oak, because it grows slowly and surely and beautifully for hundreds of years.
AUGUST 9 2012 FILED UNDER Hardscapes Landscape Design & Installation	Paving the Way Roasting marshmallows in your fire pit, enjoying a glass of wine on your patio, or simply relaxing with friends & family in your garden are all ways that you can enjoy your yard. Nowadays, the back yard has become an extension of the home and the popularity of using concrete pavers in landscapes continues to be on the rise. From patios, to walkways and even fire pits, it’s no wonder concrete pavers have become one of the top choices for all external paving needs. Today’s pavers offer the homeowner numerous benefits. Here are some of the reasons concrete pavers are so popular today: Flexibility In addition to walls, patios and walkways, pavers can be used for edging, entryways, driveways, poolside, in borders, tree rings, planters and more. Whatever your project requires and whatever your taste, pavers provide versatility in material, function, and design. Limitless Design Possibilities  When it comes to design, the sky’s the limit. There is no end to the architectural style, shape, and pattern possibilities of concrete pavers. Their various shapes, textures, sizes and colors allow for variety of patterns. Pavers can replicate the look of stone, brick, tile or cobblestone. They are also available in vast assortment of colors, including chocolate brown, terracotta, sandy gold, rust, dusty grey, white pewter, and more. They can be used horizontally or vertically, straight or curved or combine multiple patterns to create a one-of-a-kind look. Installation Concrete pavers are relatively easy to install and most projects can be completed with a few tools. Tightly fitted, uniform pavers are placed over a sand bed and a compacted aggregate base. Because most are loose-laid (installed without mortar), installation is quick and most projects are ready for use as soon as the project is complete. Durability & Strength Three times stronger than poured concrete, pavers can withstand harsh weather conditions. Pavers move together with the earth below, so damage and cracking is far less frequent as compared to poured concrete. Additionally, stained or broken pavers can be easily replaced. Low Maintenance Pavers are easy to care for. With regular sweeping, occasional rinsing, and intermittent coating or sealing depending on the material, pavers will endure and remain strong for years to come. And, they're less likely to shift and crack in colder climates than a solid slab. Safety Non-slip pavers can be installed poolside, in walkways, patios or any other location in the landscape. Permeable Storm water will filter through rather than running off. This is a real benefit to homeowners living on or near waterways. Investment Hardscape features will not only add interest to your existing landscape but will increase the value of your home and can minimize softscape and turf areas that need to be maintained. Join us at our year-round Virginia Beach location, 1144 Independence Blvd this Saturday August 11th at 10am, for a complimentary hardscape workshop and design seminar. Workshop features the NEW Essex stone along with tips on how you can bring a whole new look of elegance to your outdoor space. Whether it's a new patio, walkway or garden path, the irregular shape and slate-like texture of Essex stone lends the feel of a natural stone inlay. Free admission.

AUGUST
16
2012

FILED UNDER

Landscape Design & Installation

Meet Our Landscape Designers

The home improvement process can be a daunting task. When it comes to your yard, a landscape designer can prove to be one of your greatest property investments! A landscape designer works with you to develop a vision that blends your aesthetic taste with your available space and budget. Designers know how to create a yard that performs well in your local climate with minimal upkeep and maintenance costs. We asked our landscape designers to give us some insight into their landscape philosophies, and here’s what they had to say.

Click here to see some of their recent projects.

Diane Smith
Resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia
11 Years of Landscaping Experience

What is your idea of a “bad landscape design?”
The most common mistake is the wrong plant, wrong place and plant collections. The “right plant in the right place” is one that will thrive where it is planted with minimal care and maintenance. Always consider the mature size of the plant and the type of sun requirements. Also, know if the plant is evergreen or if it will drop its leaves at first frost. Plant collections can appear chaotic and confusing. Use plants in masses by grouping like items, and create unity through repetition. Punctuate an entrance, frame a view and create a focal point to add drama, direction and movement.

What is your definition of a low-maintenance, or manageable? How can you create one?
Healthcare for your garden! Perform basic maintenance, weed and water as needed. Clean up old leaf debris and apply a fresh layer of mulch every spring.

How do you design to benefit the environment?
Be kind to our planet. Use fertilizers and pesticides in accordance with their instructions and consider chemicals as a last resort. Always remember pesticides harm the good bugs too.

What are your five (5) best design tips?

Be patient, it takes a few years for a garden to evolve. Trees, in particular, can take up to three years to become established. Nurture them occasionally and appreciate each year’s beauty.
Be prepared to compromise ~ a plant that wants full sun will not thrive in full shade. Sometimes, the plants you want will not work in the place you desire.
Use odd numbers except when a framing a view.
Determine a style and or theme and stick with it.
Think of the plants texture, foliage color and growth habit, and consider blooms a bonus.

What are your favorite plants?
Picking a favorite plant is like asking a parent which of their children they like best, but here goes:

Agapanthus - unique spherical summer blooms, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds
Lenten Rose - great perennial for dry shade, blooms in the winter when not much else is blooming
Autumn Sage - requires full sun, well drained soil and little maintenance. It blooms May-November, and it’s a magnet for hummingbirds
Fatsia - big, bold leaf texture, blooms in the fall, flowers fade to berries and feed the birds
Tupelo Tree ‘Wildfire’ - medium native tree, with a tap root system, therefore it will not comprise concrete, foundations and paver work. Beautiful fall foliage
Japanese Snowbell - under used in Hampton Roads despite its hardiness. Fragrant blooms in mid to late spring, comes in white and pink. Blooms fade to a pretty green berry that resembles a small olive, great wild live tree
Boxwoods - classic and timeless. A few properly placed boxwoods can help organize disorganization
Ferns- Autumn Ferns, Holly Fern and Japanese Painted Fern just to name a few. They provide a serene and naturalized texture to most any style of landscaping.
Drift Roses - a dwarf variety that is fairly carefree, they bloom their heads off May- November, and is available in a wide range of bloom colors.
Camellias - there are some many shapes, sizes and bloom times. Camellias can be blooming in a garden at almost any given time of the year.

What plants do you avoid and why?
“There's a place for everything and everything in its place" - Benjamin Franklin
English Ivy, Vinca Major, Mint and Bamboo. Although these are great plants for containers, I do not plant them directly into the ground, because they are extremely invasive and can be costly to remove. Also, Mimosa & Pear Trees are very invasive and are choking out our native plants everywhere. In addition, the Pear trees are quickly damage in storms, the Bradford Pears in particular.

If you could be a plant, which one would you be and why?
I have to stick with the Tupelo Tree; it’s a long lived, modest tree with a tap root system making it strong, stable and hardscape friendly. It can thrive in wet soil along a waterway, as well as a dry traffic median. It’s not picky about soil and will provide shade, shelter and food, plus stunning red fall foliage.

Tami Eilers
Resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia
20+ years of Residential Design, Certified Landscape Specialist from The George Washington University, Master Gardener, Virginia Certified Horticulturist

What is your idea of a “bad landscape design?”
Bad design is one where the views of the house or from the house are not considered. Also, when the design is not harmonious with the clients desires and the house facade.

What is your definition of a low-maintenance, or manageable, landscape?
Low maintenance or manageable design is to keep the woods around your home... leave it the way nature made it. Put the home in the woods. Or, use shrubs that need pruning only once a year.

How do you design to benefit the environment?
Reduce turf and use ground covers and plant trees.

What can you as a designer do to help a homeowner accomplish what they may not be able to do for themselves
A designer can help a homeowner use the right plant in the right place and help them visualize the whole picture. (i.e.: views both good and bad, focal points, colors to enhance the house, mature heights of plants and trees & wet/dry requirements).

What are some of the problems you see most often in yards?
Out of scale sculptures, wrong color mulch, leaves or flowers in the front of homes, and overgrown shrubs that can age a home quickly.

What are your best design tips?

Put the house in a complimentary setting.
Define focal points first.
Walkways are best curving and wide.
Use evergreens in the front yard (at least 80%).
Keep the grass green and the mulch brown with well defined bedlines.

What are your favorite plants?

Gardenias: evergreen and fragrant
Camellias: evergreen and flower in cold months
Boxwoods: great for adding structure to the garden
Cherry Trees: ornamental...great beacon of spring!
Limelight Hydrangeas: great late season show stopper (late summer) & take sun to part shade
Steeds Hollies: great for accenting the front porch (frame it with one on each side)
Knock Out Roses: easy, long blooming, great color variety
Feedback Iris: blooms twice and is very rich in color
Gold Dust Aucuba: great for emphasizing speckled shade for dark shade areas

What plants do you avoid and why?
I avoid yellow leaved plants as they tend to look sickly in the landscape.

If you could be a plant, which one would you be and why?
I would be a Hydrangea because they get to be in shady places and are feminine!

Mary Ann Newton
Resides in Yorktown, Virginia
Bachelor of Science from Christopher Newport University in Horticulture, Landscape Designer for McDonald Garden Center for 10 years, Virginia Certified Horticulturist, Member HRNLA

What is your idea of a “bad landscape design?”
A bad landscape design is one that does not meet the needs of the client.

What is your definition of a low-maintenance, or manageable, landscape?
Low maintenance, to me, means a garden with plants that are suited to the area, that are disease resistant, and that require minimal watering and pruning. Providing good information to the client about how to keep weeds out of beds also helps.

How do you design to benefit the environment?
I like to reduce the turf area (less fertilizing) and make it easy to mow with no weed eating required. I plant trees and shrubs for shade and for wildlife and oxygen.

What can you as a designer do to help a homeowner accomplish what they may not be able to do for themselves
Each client is different. Some can do everything; some are not interested in doing the work involved in an installation; and many retired clients can no longer do the things they could when young. The design is important; the rest is geared toward the needs of the client.

What are some of the problems you see most often in yards?
Wrong plant in the wrong place is the most frequent problem I see. Designs should accommodate mature plants. Next would be failure to update aging gardens. Most gardens should be reworked every ten or fifteen years.

What are your five (5) best design tips?

Keep bedlines smooth with long curves.
Soften corners of house with evergreen planting.
Shape garden so that eye leads to the front door.
Use a plant pallet that allows for color year round.
Make sure plan fits the lifestyle and needs of the client.

What are your favorite plants?

Miscanthus ‘Adagio’ for movement, fall blooms and transition from water to land
Knock Out Rose for disease resistance, lots of color and dependability
Chindo Viburnum for privacy hedges, beautiful leaves, fast grower and doesn’t blow over
Encore Azalea for two seasons of blooms, performance in shade and great color selection
Winter Gem Boxwood for leaf color, disease resistance and a fast grower

What plants do you avoid and why?

Weeping Willow because of their aggressive roots
Rhododendron because it is so hard to get started
Conus florida because it’s difficult too get established
Gardenia radicans because success rate is low
Some pennisetums because of their tendency to self seed

If you could be a plant, which one would you be and why?
I would be a Live Oak, because it grows slowly and surely and beautifully for hundreds of years.

AUGUST
9
2012

FILED UNDER

Paving the Way

Roasting marshmallows in your fire pit, enjoying a glass of wine on your patio, or simply relaxing with friends & family in your garden are all ways that you can enjoy your yard. Nowadays, the back yard has become an extension of the home and the popularity of using concrete pavers in landscapes continues to be on the rise. From patios, to walkways and even fire pits, it’s no wonder concrete pavers have become one of the top choices for all external paving needs. Today’s pavers offer the homeowner numerous benefits. Here are some of the reasons concrete pavers are so popular today:

Flexibility
In addition to walls, patios and walkways, pavers can be used for edging, entryways, driveways, poolside, in borders, tree rings, planters and more. Whatever your project requires and whatever your taste, pavers provide versatility in material, function, and design.

Limitless Design Possibilities 
When it comes to design, the sky’s the limit. There is no end to the architectural style, shape, and pattern possibilities of concrete pavers. Their various shapes, textures, sizes and colors allow for variety of patterns. Pavers can replicate the look of stone, brick, tile or cobblestone. They are also available in vast assortment of colors, including chocolate brown, terracotta, sandy gold, rust, dusty grey, white pewter, and more. They can be used horizontally or vertically, straight or curved or combine multiple patterns to create a one-of-a-kind look.

Installation
Concrete pavers are relatively easy to install and most projects can be completed with a few tools. Tightly fitted, uniform pavers are placed over a sand bed and a compacted aggregate base. Because most are loose-laid (installed without mortar), installation is quick and most projects are ready for use as soon as the project is complete.

Durability & Strength
Three times stronger than poured concrete, pavers can withstand harsh weather conditions. Pavers move together with the earth below, so damage and cracking is far less frequent as compared to poured concrete. Additionally, stained or broken pavers can be easily replaced.

Low Maintenance
Pavers are easy to care for. With regular sweeping, occasional rinsing, and intermittent coating or sealing depending on the material, pavers will endure and remain strong for years to come. And, they're less likely to shift and crack in colder climates than a solid slab.

Safety
Non-slip pavers can be installed poolside, in walkways, patios or any other location in the landscape.

Permeable
Storm water will filter through rather than running off. This is a real benefit to homeowners living on or near waterways.

Investment
Hardscape features will not only add interest to your existing landscape but will increase the value of your home and can minimize softscape and turf areas that need to be maintained.

Join us at our year-round Virginia Beach location, 1144 Independence Blvd this Saturday August 11th at 10am, for a complimentary hardscape workshop and design seminar. Workshop features the NEW Essex stone along with tips on how you can bring a whole new look of elegance to your outdoor space. Whether it's a new patio, walkway or garden path, the irregular shape and slate-like texture of Essex stone lends the feel of a natural stone inlay. Free admission.

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