When I first came to see this job, it was a little overwhelming. The 2.5 acres was a wasteland of weeds and a few random Palm trees. Except for two sad Oak trees on the south property line, It was a wide open, full sun football field! The soil was poor and the land was flat and uninteresting and absolutely without any shade.  I realized it was going to be like designing a park as opposed to a residential landscape.             

So the first challenge was to shape the land and create some berms (a raised mound of earth) in different areas of the property where trees could be planted to create shade. These would also give the property some interest by shaping it into different levels. We used excellent soil to build up two long berms along the driveway that would be filled with plantings. In the front of the property, we built a very large berm that would be home to over 20 trees which would block the road noise and eventually look like a forest.

The owner then told me she wanted to have some large rocks incorporated into the beds so I was able to find a great source of extra large fieldstone in Tennessee. They shipped them directly to the house and we placed them in the beds to add to the aesthetics. We also decided to build a two-tiered “rock” garden with these 1000 pound rocks in front of the pool area. 

We took one area at a time and prepared the soil, built berms, put in irrigation and planted. The last beds were created around a meandering walking path that takes you around the property. The owners enjoy walking in the morning and experiencing all the life that has arrived since the thousands of plants have been planted. These beds are full of color- native plants and perennials and native trees- magnolias, elms, maples, and tropicals. It is an area that is allowed to be a little wild and not formal and it has constant color all year round. It is remarkable how many butterflies and bees and birds came to live here once the property was landscaped. We try to keep all chemical fertilizers and pesticides and herbicides at a minimum and have always used only organic fertilizers. The plants are healthy and beautiful.

The original design that was drawn put all the bones of the landscape in place- berms, trees and larger shrubs. From there the little gardens evolved. It is not a cookie cutter type of garden, it is a collection of hundreds of different plants grouped in interesting spaces. When you walk through, you are alway greeted with something different.