The Modern Oasis project in London stands as a stunning testament to the harmonious blend of contemporary design and natural beauty. Nestled against the backdrop of a lush golf course, this completed landscape project showcases an exquisite infinity edge pool, striking concrete feature walls, elegant inset decking, and a luxurious pool house/cabana. It seamlessly combines modern aesthetics with the tranquil allure of its surroundings, creating a haven of relaxation and sophistication.
Client wanted to be able to swim in the summer and have a hot tub in the winter however the lot size didn’t provide enough room for both. They opted to go with a swimspa. They wanted to utilize every square inch of the backyard with either a deck or patio.
The swimspa provided a few challenges, the first being the size. They are bigger than they look and the client wanted it to be sunk into the deck. An oversized pit was dug to allow room for any maintenance to be done and a 6×6 timber retaining wall was installed around the entire perimeter. We had to install a sump pit as well for any spring water runoff. The spa sits on a concrete pad surrounded by drainage stone. The composite deck was built at an elevation to avoid any railings and keep the space open. The spa is as flush to the deck as possible as to not interfere with the lockable cover. An inset storage bin was added to the one end of the deck. This acts as an access panel to the plumbing underneath as well as a waterproof compartment for furniture cushions. A couple of Fir privacy screens were installed to help buffer the views from the neighbouring properties, one has a frosted glass insert to match their existing outdoor table.
An interlock patio is located just beside the deck that houses a dining area as well as an entertaining area with a small chiminea. The clients don’t have much of a green thumb so low maintenance gardens were a must. We picked a palette of medium to large, multi seasonal shrubs and some ornamental grasses. A backdrop of black cedars and Pyramidal Hornbeams are used to fill a tight spot but as well screen some noise and views.
The site is finished off and complimented by landscape lighting that allows all spaces to be used any time of the day.
● Maintenance is essential for your yard’s aesthetic appeal and physical health
● Trusting a landscape professional is the best way to ensure the success and longevity of your landscape
● Regular maintenance saves both time and money in the long term
Why Maintenance Matters
Regular landscape maintenance is essential for the success of your landscape. From aesthetics to plant health, regular service keeps your gardens in peak condition. Here are 5 benefits of regular professional landscape maintenance:
1. Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is more than just what you see, it’s how people perceive your space. Gardens and landscaping can evoke feelings of peace and calm. However, if left to run wild, landscapes can feel overwhelming and even unsafe in some cases.
Your Home is an Expression of You
The exterior of your home is an expression of who you are. In the same way you carefully curate the interior of your space or take care of your cars, your outdoor space should be tended to. The exterior is the first thing people see when they enter your home and often provides the first impression before they even step foot through the door. A team of maintenance specialists will ensure your space allows for positive feelings by keeping things orderly and allowing the true design intent to shine through.
2. Weed Control and Overgrowth
Regular care is not just about aesthetics. Regular services can help ensure the health and wellness of the plants you and your designer carefully selected! If weeds are allowed to run rampant, they can choke out your new plants, not giving them the chance to establish properly and in some cases kill them off.
Your Plants Have a Lifespan
Another thing that constant maintenance takes care of is garden overgrowth. Each of your plants has a different life span. At the end of their life span, they will reach their maximum size and growth potential. Once this happens, those plants will start to either look overgrown or tired. This can leave your whole garden looking underwhelming. A professional team will be able to suggest which plants need to be replaced and what to replace them with. They will also be able to rejuvenate and trim back plants that still have a little more life to live.
3. Control and Manage Disease
Catching disease early can mean the difference between keeping plants alive or not. When you have a team regularly checking on your plant and lawn, they can catch things that you wouldn’t otherwise see such as damage, disease or insects. Any of these obstacles left unattended can be detrimental to the health of any of your trees, shrubs or perennials. Disease can easily spread from plant to plant taking out many along the way.
Catch Disease Early
To stop the spread, the disease needs to be identified as soon as possible to prevent contamination. Damage is also a common garden concern. If a tree or plant is injured, action needs to be taken quickly. A broken limb or branch can easily turn into a larger issue if not pruned properly or promptly on time. Under or over-watering can also lead to disease. Your team will be able to catch and identify disease, damage or improper care with expert perspectives through regular maintenance visits.
4. Saving Time and Money
A lot of time and work go into keeping your gardens in top condition. Many jobs need to be done to have a flourishing garden. Gardens tasks such as deadheading, trimming, weeding, pruning and edging need to be completed. Lawns need mowing and care to maintain their health and colouring. Spring and fall cleaning is required to keep properties tidy and prepare them for the following season. All these tasks pile up and create a lot of work for homeowners. In the long run, regular care doesn’t only save time but it saves you money. It is more cost-effective to regularly maintain your garden than to let it go and have to do a major overhaul.
Garden Maintenance Is For Everyone
It is easy to underestimate the time that goes into maintaining your landscape. It is easy to let your gardens go when the business of life gets in the way. Having a regular team ensures garden care is done with skill so you don’t have to worry about it. Garden maintenance is also great for those who are elderly and may not be physically able to complete these tasks. However, regular maintenance is not just for those who aren’t able, it is also for those who don’t enjoy the jobs or don’t have time to care for their gardens. This allows you to spend more time outdoors relaxing and enjoying your landscape as opposed to caring for it.
5. Experts in Garden and Lawn Care
The best reason to get regular maintenance is the knowledge and expertise your team brings to your garden care. If you choose a reputable company, your team will have a variety of experts on staff that help them make the best care decisions for your garden or grass. These skills will help you save time and money, ensuring the right treatment is applied or the best replacements are recommended. Your team can also help point out improper care such as over or under-watering, and correcting the issue before it becomes a problem. From lawn to plan care, your team of experts will be able to take the guesswork out of gardening.
Want a good place to start?
Your landscape job doesn’t stop once the crews leave your yard. Your landscape has living, evolving elements and that means you will need regular care to keep it looking as good as the day it is installed. Our team of landscape maintenance professionals is ready to make your life easier and take your garden to the next level. With services ranging from biweekly or weekly maintenance, spring and fall cleanups and property enhancements there is sure to be something that meets your needs. Get in touch with us today to start your maintenance journey >>>
Ready to Start Landscaping Your Home?
If you are ready to start your landscape project or to upgrade your existing landscape, be sure to get in contact with Earthscape. Our team of experts is excited to help you create your dream landscape. Earthscape is an award-winning landscape design, build and maintenance company. Our goal as a company is to provide the ultimate experience for our colleagues and our clients by striving to be the best contractor our clients have ever worked with. We are by your side every step of the way, ensuring consistent communication during the entire process.
What We Do Best
Our professional landscaping services include design, installation, maintenance, and landscape enhancements such as landscape lighting, irrigation and much more. With locations in Elmira, Ontario and Toronto, ON we look forward to servicing clients from these areas and beyond. Our on site teams are ready to make the transition from design to construction seamless and headache free regardless of the project value. With open communication and a great track record of successful projects, Earthscape is here to help you!
● Choose a company that can balance aesthetics and functionality with your goals and budget.
● Communication is key. Expect nothing less from the landscaping services you choose.
Choosing a team for your Landscape Design
Choosing a landscape company is hard. You don’t want to trust just anyone to design and build your dream space. Other than a home, your landscape may be one of the largest investments you make, so how do you ensure you make the right choice?
Here are 5 key things to expect from the professional landscaping service you choose.
1. Innovation that Works for You
A good landscape company will provide you with a pretty landscape. A great landscape company will make sure their ideas are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Your landscape company should be able to come up with out of the box ideas to solve your biggest problems.
A good design should balance the function and visual appeal. There is value in the expertise that comes from an experienced and accredited team of landscape professionals.Professionals in the design build space have hands-on experience building and working with landscapes. That makes them a great option to build your space.
Your Goals. Your Budget.
A great landscape firm will also be able to work with your budget. They should see your budget as an opportunity for innovation as opposed to a limitation. This doesn’t mean you will be able to get everything you dream of, depending on your budget, but it does mean that your selected team should be able to work with you to prioritize your needs and find a solution that does work for your budget.
2. Exceptional Customer Service
Another characteristic of a professional landscape company is exceptional customer service. This can take on many different forms but one thing should be clear; Communication.
From clear set timelines to progress updates, a professional company will keep you in the know. Communication is just as important during construction as it is during the design process. It should be consistent throughout your experience.
Open Communication
Exceptional service looks like going the extra mile. A professional landscaping company will be by your side every step of the way, explaining their process and answering any questions you may have.Find a company that is as invested in the success of your project as you are.
3. Integrity and Values
Hand and hand with communication should be the integrity of the company you choose. Anyone can impress when things are going right but when something goes wrong you want a team that can deal with it openly and honestly.
Construction is not a straightforward process and unknowns often arise as you dig further into the project. Companies that have great relationships with their clients make sure to handle these unknowns with integrity, creating a reliable service.
Long-term Relationships
Keep in mind, a large landscape job may last anywhere from six months to a year. You want to pick a company whose values align with your own. Having a good relationship with the company you choose can mean the difference between a fun, exciting experience and a stressful, headache of a process. Professional landscaping services will work hard to create relationships as opposed to just generating customers.
4. Think Long-Term
Professional landscape companies build landscapes that last. Any company can throw together a design but a company that takes the time to suggest ideas to extend the life of your landscape shows they really care about your project. This can look like suggesting tried and true materials, custom building things to fix your specific problems and considering things like drainage to avoid water damage.
While these things can add cost to a project, going with a company that has a good reputation and a track record of long lasting landscapes, means you can trust they have your best interests in mind.
Invested in Their Product
Thinking long term is not just about the materials they use but their philosophy on landscaping. A good landscape company will be just as invested in how your landscape looks on the first day of installation as they are in how it looks 5 years from now.
A good indicator of their investment is the services they provide. A company that designs, builds and maintains is a great example of this as they want to ensure your landscape continues to look its best no matter what growing stage it is at. A company like this has a team of professionals with different areas of expertise to ensure the overall success of your landscape.
5. Organized and Process Driven
Organization is the key to a smooth operation. If your landscape company does not have an organized and clear process there is bound to be things that fall through the cracks. Your landscape team should be able to walk you through next steps and provide checkpoints along the way.
Smooth Hand Off
If your project incorporates subcontractors, your selected team should be the main point of contact so all you have to do is provide input on your preferences. If your project is passed to different members of the team (i.e. designer to project manager) there should be clear communication between those members as well as a clean handoff and introduction to you, the client.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Organization should be clear from the beginning of design creation to the clean up of your outdoor space at the end. This will ensure success and lack of confusion for all parties involved. A professional landscape company will fill you in on their processes from the get go so you start off in the right direction.
Take your landscape to the next level with professional landscape services
While there is a lot to think about when choosing a professional landscape team, keeping in mind these 5 tips will help you make the right choice.Want a good place to start?
If you are ready to start your landscape project or to upgrade your existing landscape, be sure to get in contact with Earthscape. Our team of experts are excited to help you create your dream landscape.
Earthscape is an award-winning landscape design, build and maintenance company. Our goal as a company is to provide the ultimate experience for our colleagues and our clients by striving to be the best contractor our clients have ever worked with. We are by your side every step of the way, ensuring consistent communication during the entire process.
Our professional landscaping services include design, installation, maintenance, and landscape enhancements such as landscape lighting, irrigation and much more.
Located in Elmira,Ontario we look forward to servicing clients from the KW area and beyond.
Our on site teams are ready to make the transition from design to build seamless and headache free regardless of the project value. With open communication and a great track record of successful projects, Earthscape is here to help you!
With the unofficial kick off to summer this weekend and more warm weather on the horizon now is the perfect time to start thinking about your summer planters. If you caught our previous blog post, we talked all about how to design the perfect planter.
Check out our suggestions below for some unique plants to complete your perfect planter:
Sun Planters
Thrillers:
– Palm
– Mandevilla
– Canna
Spillers:
– Marguerite
– Creeping Jenny
– Sweet Potato Vine
Fillers:
– Diamond Frost Euphorbia
– Coleus
– Geranium
– Gerber
Shade Planters
Thrillers:
– Elephant ears
– King Tut
Spillers:
– Silver Falls
– Creeping Jenny
– Sweet Potato Vine
Fillers:
– Impatiens
– Begonia
– Fuchsia
Design Tip:
Most annuals are available in a 4” and 6” size. The larger size is typically double the cost of the smaller size, but are twice as large. We recommend the larger size for more bang for your buck, especially because it’s a relatively short growing season.
Maintenance tip:
Fertilize regularly when watering, at least weekly. When watering, water heavily and allow excess water to drain. This will help pull out any salinity build up and allow for better nutrient uptake.
Skip the work and leave it to us! Our group of professional gardeners would love to create the perfect custom planter for you. Inquire today >>>
The intent of this was project was to create a porch addition to expand the living area of the house during the warm months of the year. The space accommodates an area for cooking, dining and entertaining. The layout and finishes were chosen to flow with the interior of the home, creating a seamless extension of house. The collar ties add a custom detail making this structure custom and unique.
The built-in kitchen is located directly outside the back door. A small veneer wall creates a separation from the kitchen to the dining table, while also doubling as a seat or serving area for the chef.
The ‘L’ shaped sectional is a cozy sitting area for the family to relax by the new concrete fire table, or to sit in the shade and watch the kids play in the backyard.
The structure is cladded in a PVC material which achieves the clean and simple look that the client was hoping for. The cladding material is also very low maintenance and will continue to look great for many years to come.
Although the client was really drawn to modern design, they wanted to make sure that the porch wouldn’t look out of place with the house. To achieve a look that met their aesthetic requirements, the structure was kept relatively traditional, but a modern flare was achieved with the addition of simple plantings, accents, and natural square cut stepping-stones.
The goal of this project was to transform the existing decrepit landscape into a newly modern space with the purpose of entertaining family and friends. The clients also wanted a hint of ‘steam-punk’ incorporated into the overall theme.
To achieve the wants and needs of the client a new composite deck was installed with an angular form to maximize space on an already tight backyard with large setbacks. A swim spa was built into the deck and a secret hatch door was installed for any future maintenance. Large angled steps lead you from the deck down to the new random flagstone patio.
A large custom pavilion was installed over the patio to shelter users from the elements. Oversized rough Douglas Fir posts and beams were used along with some black powder coated steel bars to achieve the steam punk theme. Extensive engineering was involved to achieve the cantilevered look and reduce the need for an outside post. Tongue and groove cedar planks make up the ceiling of the structure along with LED pot lights. 3 pieces of sandblasted Eramosa stone acts as a bar area for users in the newly installed hot tub. Lastly a frosted glass privacy screen with LED colour changing lights separates the sitting area under the pavilion and the barbecue area of the deck.
Some existing plants and shrubs were salvaged during construction and were reused in the new low maintenance-planting plan. A new section of fence closes off the backyard for the homeowner’s dogs and a new gate was created with the use of steel bars to mirror the pavilion.
Homeowners who value creative design and exceptional craftsmanship, trust Earthscape’s simple step-by-step process to transform an outdated or non-functional landscape into an exceptional outdoor escape.
