Enhancing the Edge - Distinctive Landscaping - Vermont Landscaping

Before: Driveway was too wide, washed out, view was focused on garage, and no existing landscaping

After: By narrowing and curving the driveway away from the house, we re-focused the view and gave more space for plantings.

Before: Front porch with walkways leading to front door

After: Re-defined walks, added large plantings that bring the forest to the house.

Before: Front entrance with a short front walk and no existing plantings

Installation: Installed a bluestone walkway, moved boulders from the site to give a woodland feel. Plants are being laid out to be planted.

After: Bluestone walkway, gravel drip edge, woodland garden.

Before: Existing connection between front porch and parking/garage.

Installing bluestone steps and a walkway to connect the front porch to the parking area.

After: Final connection with bluestone steps and a walkway, planted on either side.

Before: parking area with a beautiful view of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains.

After: Using a small planting as a buffer, a patio space was bumped out of the walkway to take advantage of the great view.

Before: View of front porch and garage from the front door.

After: Front porch overlooking woodland gardens, bluestone steps and walkways, and a cocktail patio.

Before: Potential site for the cocktail patio.

After: Bluestone cocktail patio surrounded by Anemones and Daylilies.

Before: Entrance to driveway from the main road.

After: Granite cobble strip, brush cleared, birch groves planted with under plantings of Daylilies, lawn extended to the road.

After: Clearing of underbrush in the woods to give clearer view of existing old farm wall.

After: Parking/turn-around area defined by stone wall built with stones from the site and clear view of existing farm wall in the distance. Landscape lighting is discreet to help with parking at night.

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Upon completion of a handsome garage to complement their Bob Burly designed home in Essex, NY, our clients approached us wanting a plan to merge the garage with the house.

Our design begins with a bluestone walk connecting the porch of the residence to the garage. We graded this walk to offer a compelling view of stone stairs from the porch and added a landing to soften the climb. At the top of the stairs is a small stone cocktail patio overlooking the eastern pastoral views backed by Lake Champlain and Camel’s Hump. This walk creates a strong axis and an edge used to define where woodland ends, the house begins, and the meadow follows. The eastern border of the walk and patio are meadow-themed gardens of ornamental grasses and summer blooming perennials.

The front garden mimics woodlands by extending the edge of the forest to the house, incorporating the house into the existing woodland setting.

Adding a curve and shifting the driveway west away from the house towards the woodland focused attention to the landscape and views and created more space for the woodland-themed plantings adjacent to the house.