Green Mountain Landscape, "Inviting nature home"

More and more I here, "So what are we going to do next year?" and this customer is a prime example. Last years (2007, at top of page) walkway project went very well so this year I was asked to put in a simple patio up by the house. The catch was the husbands favorite tree had to be saved and the handrail extended so he could make it around to a place to sit. Existing elements were the beautiful Eastern Red Cedar trees reddish and shredding bark, the abundance of small boulders and this particular customers affinity to wildflowers.

To help prevent a premature death of the Red Cedar tree, excavation begins 3-4' from the house and tree. A benifit to this is reduced cost of pavers and the pea gravel ties in nicely with the surrounding small boulders. Since a sturdy place to sit was needed for the husband, with a handrail leading to it, a built-in bench seemed the logical choice. Proximity to the tree made the material choice easy- Redwood and Cedar of course, it looks fantastic, smells awesome and has natural rot/insect resistance. The homeowner many years ago had added a wood and pipe handrail to the front steps and walkway, so this theme was carried into the new handrail and even the bench arms. Hidden behind the Yews under the front window was a rotting 2"x12" potted plant shelf, with leftover cedar material from the bench I made a new shelf. It really helps tie the whole scene together and was a freebie to the customer!

Lastly, the customer had placed some hollow cinderblocks along the 2007 walkway project to hold back some earth (that mysteriously seems to keep piling up) and provide a place to plant flowers, well that created a slight trip hazzard for her grandkids so I was asked to put a small fence up. This was a perfect opportunity to tie-in the front yard to the back so I used rough-sawn cedar slats configured in a whimsical arched pattern set on redwood post and rails.