Creativity in Cresskill
Landscaping with Specimen Plants
almost PERFECT Landscaping
APLNJ - of bergen county
I first met this customer a year or two ago and lo and behold they remembered me because of that very first impression that I had left them with. At that time, they were just not ready to begin the project, but they recalled our conversation and knew that I had the knowledge to implement precisely what they envisioned.
This split level home in Cresskill N.J. was another landscape design and build project that turned out to be interesting and rewarding for both of us. Almost every homeowner has specific ideas and goals they want to achieve in choosing a landscape contractor.
At first we reviewed the entire property consisting of the front, back, and sides. The first meeting for the homeowner can be very overwhelming because of the amount of information discussed, but with patience and communication, much can be accomplished.
That being said, we decided what areas we wanted to work on first and began to address them. We make it easy and enjoyable for our clients to get involved in the design process. Most homeowners are all over the map and need to stay focused on their priorities.
Specimen Plants Used in this Landscape Project
For more detailed plant information select appropriate plant species below
What a breathtaking sight! In mid-summer this color-changing Hydrangea Tree is covered with masses of snow-white flowers. In late summer, the flowers turn a beautiful bluish-pink aging to a purplish pink. There is nothing quite like these trees to add elegance and structure to your garden. Planted in the ground or in containers, these traditional yet hard-to-find specimens provide balance, stature, and scale.
, shrubby ground cover that grows 8-18” (sometimes to 24”) tall and spreads over time by long trailing branches to form a dense mat 10-15’ wide. It is native to Japan. Branches spread parallel to and slightly above the ground. Growth is somewhat slow, typically taking 10 years to spread 10 feet. Spiny-pointed blue-green to gray-green needles (to 1/3” long) are primarily linear and appear in whorls of three.
The emerald arborvitae can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 3–7. This is an evergreen tree, keeping its foliage year-round. The emerald arborvitae grows to a height of 10–15′ and a spread of 3–4′ at maturity. This tree grows at a slow rate, with height increases of less than 12″ per year. Full sun and partial shade are best for this tree, meaning it prefers a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. The emerald arborvitae grows well in acidic, loamy, rich, sandy, silty loam and well-drained soils. Arborvitae provides nesting sites and cover for birds and small animals. The flower buds, seeds and foliage are a food source for wildlife.
Pendula’ is an unusual weeping cultivar of Norway spruce. It is an irregularly shaped evergreen whose form will vary considerably depending upon its early training. Unless staked and supported, it generally does not grow upward, but instead will mostly spread along the ground as a woody ground cover. It can be a very unique specimen in the landscape, particularly if located in a spot where its form can be best utilized. If staked and supported, it can grow generally upright into a 10-15’ tall tree.
Tree expert Michael Dirr has referred to the Deodar cedar as “the most graceful cedar.” And upon first sight, you’ll know why. Elegant, pendulous branches. Attractive coloring. Pleasing shape. Interesting branching patterns. It’s a tree born to be a landscape specimen.ng the first growing season to establish an extensive root system. Once established, reduce frequency; tolerates mild drought. Apply general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring.Specimen Tree Planting Design Build Description Below
Being that the house very open to high winds, the selection of plants to be considered and utilized had to be more on the hardier side. I often break down the areas into smaller projects so that each area becomes a work of art rather than a few plants installed throughout the landscaped beds. As a rule, most residential landscape clients want to start in the front of the residence because that area is what they see most often. They want something attractive, beautiful and interesting that they can be proud of day after day. We begin by examining all the elements involved. We look at the color of the house, the size and placement of the windows, as well as the texture or the residence itself. Is it red brick, mountain stone, or vinyl siding. We begin by marking the ground with a white marking paint showing the planting areas and some placement of materials. The right side of the house was very much smaller than the left. Two important factors needed to be discussed, one, a lower window and two, the brick area to the right of it.
As with most clients, they desired a garden that was quite interesting as well as simple to maintain. We agreed to install a number of specimen plants to keep the design on the more interesting side. We choose a Pom Pom Juniper (specimen) as a center piece. We used a low growing evergreen Juniperus Procumbens Nana to edge of the Pom Pom to accent it. This plant although was quite unique and purposeful because it did not cover the window completely but just add a bit of privacy.
The Pendulous Alaskan Cedar planted away from the house added depth and interest as well. A larger, tall and more of a narrow evergreen, Emerald Green Arborvitae nicely softened the brick wall of the house. Directly to the left of the stairway another specimen was installed, it being a weeping Norway Spruce.
The center piece for the area under the bay window had to be both unique in size and appearance. In our search we chose a beautiful Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar which fit the area perfectly. What really makes the Blue Atlas Cedar stand out is the winding branching habit that the Nursery had trained it to grow into. The next anchoring piece to be planted in the corner of this large landscaped bed area was a Serbian Spruce.
Moving to the side of the house another Emerald Green Arborvitae was installed to soften the power lines entering the home. Moving further down the side of the house we installed a Tree Hydrangea to give some color to that area. The burgundy background of the brick would accent the Hydrangea beautifully.
The final anchoring plant to be installed was the Cedar Deodar. Having foliage of short green needles, it contrasted nicely against the blue background of the home. Three lower Dwarf Fountain Grass were planted in the bottom of the Cedar. These plants were just a few of the highlighted plants to be planted within this design. All plants chosen had to endure almost eight hours of full hot sun.
Other smaller plants were installed to accent the specimens throughout the entire design. The final touches included an application of black mulch to a depth of 2 inches, that visually brought the whole design scheme together. For more information regarding the plant selection please refer to our plant selection library located within the website.
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“almost PERFECT Landscaping” has won the super service award for EIGHT (8) consecutive years straight” ( 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017)
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