Koi Pond in SE Michigan

Koi Pond

     

                      

                           

Privacy Screening in Birmingham, Michigan

Privacy Screening

 

This privacy screening in Birmingam was constructed using Parasoleil Panels.

Landscaping in Ferndale, Michigan

We recently completed the landscape rennovation of a backyard in Ferndale, Michigan.  We custom built a wood arbor, installed a brick paver patio approx. 120 sq feet using Unilock Brussels Block in Sandstone, and installed a Flagstone Path. 

The plantings included ‘Green Mountain’ Boxwood, Climbing Hydrangea, ‘All Summer Beauty’ Hydrangea, deciduous Azaleas, Myrtle, and assorted perennials. We also planted three ‘Cherokee Chief’ Dogwoods and a 7′ Hemlock. Natural Boulders were placed in the planting areas.

Custom Wood Arbor

      

Our client was so happy, we have just also completed her frontyard!

Parasoleil Panels

The Parasoleil panels we used in our booth at the 2010 Spring Home & Garden Show at the Rock Financial Center were a big hit.

Landscape Artisan's Booth

 

The panels can be used as screening, pergola roofs, canopies, railings, etc. Interior applications can be made also.

Parasoleil panels are a green product. They are completely mined, milled and manufactured in the United States. They are made from 90 to 95% recycled copper. They are recyclable. Parasoleil panels are also made using aluminum, fsc-certified woods and organics, steel and tinted acrylic and these too are green-certified.

Last fall, we installed Parasoleil panels in Birmingham as an eye catching backdrop to enhance the client’s view. Between the panels are deciduous trees and the photos below show the fall and winter look. The client chose to add a patina to the panels.

 

Get Rid of Your Lawn (or some of it)

You can save money and help the environment by reducing the size of your lawn, according to Jerome Belanger in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Self-Sufficient Living.

Belanger points out, amongst other stats, that 28 to 40 billion dollars are spent a year in the USA on lawn care. According to the EPA, lawn mowers use 800 million gallons of gas per year. Running a gas mower for one hour is putting as much pollution into the air as 8 cars driving at 55 mph for an hour. Lawn mower accidents are nearly as many as involving hand guns.

Irrigation systems to keep lawns green use gallons of water and the electricity to run the system. Not to mention the irrigation system install price, repair and maintenance.

Have you considered landscaping sections of your lawn area and reducing its overall size? Relegating lawn to specific uses, such as for the children, the dogs, your golf practice and re-thinking how you use the remainder of the space in your yard is a first step.

Your lawn can be converted into a wildflower meadow that requires virtually no maintenance and if planted with perennials, will return each summer. You may need to add seed every once in awhile, but you have eliminated the mowing and you will attract hummingbirds, songbirds and butterflies. Not to mention, the gorgeous bouquets you or the children can gather for your dining table.

How about converting the space into edible landscaping and growing some of your own food? Edible gardens can be a thing of beauty to behold, with neat, trimmed beds and wonderful colors and the benefit of homegrown, organic foods for your table. Here at our house in Ortonville, we are converting a 48′ x 56′ space of lawn into a traditional Native American garden with corn, pumpkins and sunflowers. The pumpkins keep the critters from getting in the corn and the sunflowers. We will dry the sunflowers to feed the songbirds in fall, and harvest the corn for ourselves, our local food bank and our livestock. The pumpkins are just plain fun to carve, when they don’t become pies or bread.

You can also replace lawn with groundcover, such as sedum. An English Garden with its stone walls, paths and benches along with roses and lavender, maybe a fountain, would make a unique front yard. Those of you familiar with the children’s classic The Secret Garden, know what fun and wonder an English garden can be for the entire family.

How about a courtyard instead of lawn? How about a pond instead of a stretch of lawn? How about planting trees? Everyone knows that planting a tree reduces your carbon footprint.

Think of your lawn as having the potential to be an Outdoor Room.

If you are interested in converting any of your lawn into natural landscaping for you and your family to enjoy, please contact us.

Books about this subject:

• American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn by Ted Steinberg
• Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn by Frtiz Haeg and others
• Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community by Heather Coburn Flores
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Self-Sufficient Living by Jerome D. Belanger

Landscaping in Birmingham, Michigan

  An outdoor grill for an outdoor living space.

  A natural fire pit with wall seating. The wood cover converts the fire pit into an outdoor table.

A backyard porch built from Brussels Blocks.

        An outdoor patio made out of Brussels Block.

Landscaping in Highland, Michigan

A backyard patio built with Belgarde ‘Arbel’ concrete pavers and trimmed in brick pavers.

A custom built wood pergola for the backyard patio.

Landscaping in Franklin Michigan

Photos of a recent project we completed in Franklin, Michigan. Bob Porter designed this wonderful backyard oasis. We custom designed and built the pond, waterfall, flagstone patio and plantings. We used natural stone and ‘Lilac New York Blue’ flagstone in the patio seating area.

Special Kudos to our foreman, Chad King, on his exceptional work building this beautiful pond!!

 

 

 

 

Brick Patio in Ypsilanti

Here are photos of a recently completed brick paver job in Ypsilanti.

 

 

Landscaping in Royal Oak, Michigan

These photos were taken by Mark Kelly of a project we recently completed in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Before Photos:

    

 

After: