Portfolio

Galway Lake

This project was great for two reasons. First, the client and I are related and second, the day ends with a boat ride on Galway Lake to watch the sunset!!

Client Criteria

• Lowest maintenance possible
• Do not block the view of the lake from the front sunporch windows
• Incorporate Black Eyed Susan perennial

Challenges

• Very rocky soil and the stones around the house were slipping forward
• Plant selections must be able to withstand extended periods of time with zero attention
• The single watering source hose hook up is in the back of the house

Solutions

• We added new garden soil and organic matter to the soil and the stones were levelled.
• I selected tough as nails and low maintenance ‘Little Lime’ Hydrangeas to flank the front porch and will not block the view of the lake from the sunporch.
• Black Eyed Susans were planted for full sun exposure on the side of house and the color can be seen from the road driving into the home.

Normanside Country Club NCC – Combining my two loves!

I am an avid golfer and we are members at Normanside Country Club in Delmar. Since 2020, I have planted and maintained the flower planters around the Pro Shop and the Clubhouse. I designed the garden bed outside the Pro-Shop and most recently we updated the plantings around the flagpole outside the Clubhouse entrance.

I’m happy being at a golf course in general, but I absolutely love gardening at NCC!

Client Criteria

• Avoid plants that are highly susceptible to insects and/or diseases (Protecting the turf is the highest priority at every golf course.)
• Don’t block sightlines from the inside to the outside areas

Challenges

• Deer, deer and more deer!!!
• Pounding sun all day long
• Garden beds previously were covered in landscape fabric which kills the weeds (as intended), but also kills the good organisms necessary for healthy soil

Solutions

• We used plants that are rated “A” for Deer Resistance and can tolerate excessive sun.
• We removed the landscape fabric, add new high-quality garden soil and add plenty of organic matter. Two seasons later, the soil is now teaming with worms and other signs of healthy soil – namely healthy happy plants!

Front Yard Refresh for Avid Gardeners

My clients are experienced gardeners and have extensive plantings on their property, which are gorgeous! They wanted to update the front beds that frame both sides of the yard and create visual unity between them.

Client Criteria

• The more color the better!!
• Remove shrub, coneflowers and Japanese Blood grass in front right mailbox bed and replace with perennials
• 100% replacement of plantings in front left bed

Challenges

• Front Left Shade Bed: Tree roots limited the amount of usable space for perennial roots. Area gets minimal morning sunlight, which hits the ground and up to only about 36” before trees block afternoon sun. Area needed texture and color
• Front Right Mailbox Bed: Large tree stump in center with roots extending through the bed
• Bed sloped forward and required leveling

Solutions

• Front Left Shade Bed: I used Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ to provide texture with heart-shaped leaves to compliment the foliage and flower shape of the ‘Bobo’ Hydrangea shrubs.  ‘Bobo’ grows 3’ tall and the bloom changes from white in the summer to pink in the fall.
• Front Right Mailbox Bed:
  • Our Spring planting was delayed a month to wait for stump removal.
  • We removed the tree stump and added high-quality garden soil to the entire bed.
  • We removed the existing Barberry shrubs, Coneflower and Japanese Blood Grass plants.
  • We added a Bobo shrub for repetition and unity with the other front bed.
  • The updated bed has a blue Spruce, a Gold Mop cypress, fuchsia roses, bright purple salvia, hot pink phlox, yellow euonymus and white and gray stones.

Historic 1800s Beauty

This beauty is the second oldest home in the Town of Bethlehem and not far from the Hudson River. The clients wanted to begin with the front left side of the porch with plantings that would thrive in the conditions.

The photos show the Before and After of Phase 1 of installation.

Client Criteria

• Bring the area back into control with a design that is both neat and beautiful
• Low maintenance

Challenges: The Five Families

• Woodchucks. Lots of them.
• The house is surrounded by woods and all that entails. Multiple woodchucks had burrowed under the front porch, greenhouse and the back of the house.
• 5 Have a Heart traps later, the woodchucks were re-homed, holes were plugged and the client began using natural deterrents.
• We lost valuable fall-planting time in the month of September while the woodchuck situation was being addressed.

Solutions

• The property is closely monitored for any evidence of woodchuck activity, especially in March and April when they come out of hibernation and mating season begins.
• We revised the initial plant selection to use plants that woodchucks are less likely to munch on.
• We split the installation schedule. The area was cleaned out, edged and the Boxwood and fall-blooming Rudbeckia were planted in October.
• The remainder of the project will be completed in the Spring.