We’ve past the first day of fall and the rainy weather has returned. If your yard is plagued with drainage problems this time of year, a rain garden may be the perfect solution to your drainage woes. By routing your drain systems and downspouts to a rain garden, you can move excess water on your…
Tag: Landscape architecture
Container Garden Maintenance
Pots and container gardens provide additional gardening space for both ornamental and edible plants. Making sure your pots are well watered and cared for will keep your plants looking their best throughout each season. As the weather heats up it’s especially important to make sure your containers get plenty of water each day. Summer Fall…
Project Spotlight: Backyard Retreat
This small Bothell backyard features a paver patio and seat wall with plenty of room for a fire pit and extra seating. The cedar arbor, perfect for a bench swing, also provides a little privacy from the neighbors. The composite deck landing abuts steel planters for vegetable gardening which also serves as a backstop for…
The Landscape Design Process
Each designer has their own process and when choosing a landscape designer, it’s an important topic to ask about. This will help you find the best fit for your project, and you’ll know exactly what you’re going to get throughout the process. Initial Consultation After having a phone consultation to learn about our design process…
What is a Master Landscape Plan?
A master landscape plan is a landscape design created for an entire property. It’s an important piece of information to have before any construction begins and includes all existing site information (buildings, driveways, plants, etc.) along with all proposed design elements. This includes hardscaping, lighting layout and fixture selection, plant selection and layout, plant schedule,…
Plant Selection and the Hardiness Scale
The USDA plant hardiness map is the go-to resource for gardeners, designers, and growers to help them determine which plants will thrive in a specific location. This map uses the average minimum winter temperatures which is then broken down into 10 degree zones and 5 degree half zones. They’re numbered 1-13 and are followed by…
Project Spotlight: Woodland Estate
This wooded property is surrounded by thick evergreen trees and has a peekaboo view of Swartz Lake. The homeowner was in the process of building their custom home when they contacted us to do the design of their landscape. Because this was a new custom home, the landscape was starting from a blank slate and…
Fall Garden Maintenance
As the last couple of blooms appear in the garden, it’s a good time to work on a few fall garden tasks to keep your garden tidy and ready for winter. Pruning While we don’t want to do any substantial pruning until late winter/early spring, late fall is a good time to prune out any…
Low Maintenance Gardening
It’s rare that we find a client that doesn’t want a low maintenance garden. Many people think low maintenance means no maintenance, which is typically not the case in most gardens. In general, a low maintenance garden would be one that you wouldn’t need to fuss with more than 1-2 times a year although everyone’s…
Pet Friendly Landscaping
While outdoor spaces are typically designed for the humans using the space, it’s also important to remember the pets of the family and how they use the space. As with any other design, you want to think about who or what uses the space, the flow of the space, materials, and of course plants. Hardscaping…