Landscape Planning

Time to do Something about the Mud and Rocks

We brought in Material to start establishing the grade.

Sylvan Nursery, Westport, MA

Thousands Millions of Plants to Choose from.

Large Dogwoods

It was like going on an Easter Egg Hunt.

All Types of Grasses to Pick From.

Day Lillies

This section alone could have taken up my day if my Better Half

handn't of dragged me away.

Buzzards Bay

View from just down the road from the Nursery.

Preliminary Drawings and Plant List

Ideas put to paper.

While work was picking up on the inside it was time to start paying attention to the outside and the landscaping. Henry Pereira from Periera Brothers, who was working on our wall, suggested that we reach out to Brooke Merriam from Sunflower Designs in Bristol, RI (www.sunflowerld.com) for our landscaping design. It was the perfect suggestion.

Our first meeting went fabulously. We walked around the house and Brooke asked all kinds of questions about the types of plants that we liked, what did we want to do with each section (sides of the house, property lines, privacy, etc.) did we prefer low maintenance plants (yes!) and so on. She asked all the right questions and made great recommendations.  We knew immediately we had the right person for our landscaping. Brooke is an expert and patient and tuned into what we like. She also laughed at my corny humor. That alone gets her many points.

Hiring a Landscape Architect is the right thing to do if you’re a novice gardener like I am. I’m great with day lilies, irises and hostas. The rest, not so much. There is a lot to know about the right plant for the right location, soil prep, watering, where to buy, when to plant and so on. While my better half is better versed in this than I am, having someone help with channeling our thoughts to paper makes it all worth it.

Brooke also suggested that we visit a couple of nurseries to take a look at the various plants to get a better idea of some of the recommendations she had made. Given my limited knowledge of plants and bushes it was an excellent idea. So off we went to Sylvan Nursery in Wetsport, MA (www.sylvannursery.com). We should have brought a picnic basket (Hey Boo Boo). If you should ever go to a nursery, be prepared for a long day. Food and water are a necessity. Maybe even a tent. There’s a lot to see and you’ll find yourself wandering from end to end and then back again. You’ll see one tree that you’ll mark and then you’ll find another tree that you like so you have to go back and unmark the other one. Once you find it again. We learned a lot and will probably go back again to see the plants one more time before finalizing our decisions.

So now the fun begins. Brooke quickly provided us with a preliminary plan along with a preliminary plant listing. This is going to be a lot of work. And there needs to be a lot of thought given to our landscaping.

We’ve watched the inside of the house go from concrete to wood frames to sheet rocked walls to paint and actual rooms. Now we're going to help the outside evolve from patches of weeds, dirt and mud to rooms outside with walls, pathways, patios and gardens and lawn.

We’re excited to start this next phase.

Enjoy your day.