Original Plans Guide Landscape Restoration: Wisconsin Gardening Magazine

Article originally published in Wisconsin Gardening November/December 2013 p. 56-59.

Early 1900s gardens were part of an overall historic restoration project that included the Yawkey House Museum and its outbuildings in Wausau.

A water feature, pergola and sunken gardens were part of the original design, but were deteriorated. There is a rich history for these assets, starting with the original landscape
design done by Morell and Nichols in 1910. Their design brought the focus out into the east yard. There, visitors could view the classic pergola, covered with grapevines and accented with a classical pool and sunken perennial gardens. Other walking paths flanked
the grounds of this Marathon County gem.

Original Plans Guide Landscape RestorationView the project image gallery on our website.

Many of the steps presented here can be applied to homeowners who have historic or period properties, whether mid-century modern, Victorian, or Arts and Crafts. Gardens during those periods had certain kinds of designs and plants, which can be replicated in the landscape or updated with modern cultivars that provide the same look and feel. Anytime you buy or sell your house, it’s a good idea to provide the buyer with any landscape drawings you might have. They help the new resident learn what’s in the
garden.

Before Landscape Solutions could start, a structural report and diagram of the existing site had to be completed. The report compares what exists on site now to what was
originally planned. It was imperative that the new garden design gave
considerations to the original design, while unifying new needs. We
developed a sketch of new concepts to enable the committee to work out
specific needs and raise funds for the project.

Original Plans Guide Landscape Restoration  Original Plans Guide Landscape Restoration

Presently, the home and gardens function as a museum open to the public. The grounds can be rented for events, such as weddings. Because of this, wheelchair accessibility and gathering areas were needed, as well as wash rooms and catering areas.

The new design followed the original hardscaping concepts with emphasis on the pergola, water feature and sunken gardens. Other issues addressed were privacy, safety, garden viewing, interaction, functionality, lighting and noise. In home gardens, camouflaging sites or deadening, traffic noise may be concerns, too. For instance, a water feature dampens the sound of road traffic, and the pergola backed by a row of shrubs provides the garden with a bit of privacy from passersby.

The result is well thought-out garden beds, which provide color and texture, as well as historically corrects plantings wherever possible. The plants were chosen and arranged in both formal and cottage styles befitting a turn of the century estate.

The pergola, which supports a 100-year-old grapevine, was restored by saving the original columns, but replacing the arbor boards. Scaffolding held the historic grapevine while the columns were being restored.

Because of cracked concrete, the water garden had to be completely restored, by implementing moulds made from the existing feature. A variety of patterns, using warm-colored clay pavers, were installed to connect the museum with the gardens and carriage house. Limestone and slate were also introduced to add contrast and prominence.

The restoration of Yawkey House Museum and gardens gives a sense of history and pride to our central Wisconsin area.

View the project image gallery on our website.

Feeling Curvy: Backyard Solutions Magazine

Article originally published in Backyard Solutions 2012 Country Almanac #150 p. 118-119.

Winding stone & gravel borders perk up a cold climate front yard

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BEFORE: Overgrown jumble of plantings needed to be reordered in a low maintenance way.

AFTER: Reshaped and replanted existing materials; added in new stone planting beds, gravel paths and a water feature.

Sprucing up a front foundation can be a challenge when you live out in the hills of central Wisconsin. Add the challenge of roaming, hungry deer. The homeowners in this beautiful country home did not have time to maintain theil landscape, leaving them with a mess of plantings and weeds corning up to their front door. After landscape designer Susan M_ Murphy Jones designed theif backyard entertainment area, they asked her to help with the front. They needed ease of maintenance and order to the planting method. To assist with those priorities and cope with the limited plant selection and deer, Jones immediately thought stone! She pulled out existing plants and reused them in masses for a cleaner look. To save money, she left the curving concrete walk in place and bordered it with beds of a mix of larger and smaller cobblestones. She added a new, crushed red·granite path that works off the concrete walk and leads around the property. To accent the front entry and complement the more natural look, she planted a large white spire birch clump.

KEY PLANTINGS: Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Gold Mop’ (Golden Thread Leaf Cypress); Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (Crimson Pygmy Barberry); Juniperus spp. (Juniper); Calamagrostis spp. (Feather Reed Grass) ZONES: 3-4

Rocky Meander: Backyard Solutions Magazine

Article originally published in Backyard Solutions 2012 Country Almanac #150 p. 120-121.

Stone steppers provide safe passage along a hillside stream

Backyard Solutions Magazine Backyard Solutions Magazine

BEFORE: Wood beams made a ho-hum stairway to connect lawns over a slope.

AFTER: A 60′ stream and stone steps create a naturalistic and inviting journey down to a lower patio.

On a several hundred acre site near Wausau, Wisconsin, landscape designer Susan Murphy Jones, APLD, offered Mother Nature competition in fashioning a naturalistic stream, reflecting pools and rocky paths. The owners of this estate, with a trout stream running along the property, asked Murphy Jones to create a water feature to provide access to the bottom of the property, where they wanted a sitting area. Murphy Jones built a reflective pool at the top near the house and another at the base of the hill, with a patio area connecting the ponds. On one side is a staircase of stones, planted horizontally for safety and well lit for night-time enjoyment. Murphy Jones brought in boulders and rocks in all shapes and colors-and arranged them casually here and there as nature would have.

Putting a Fresh Face on an Older Home: Wisconsin Gardening Magazine

Article originally published in Wisconsin Gardening Magazine May/June 2012 p. 56-57.

There are many ways to give an older home a new look – from plants to paint to siding and walkways. This is the story of how a landscape designer gave a house an exterior makeover.

WG-fresh56 WG-fresh57

Click on image to enlarge page.

During these unstable economic times many people are deciding not to move, or build new homes, but still crave good design and change. It is important to make a home as inviting and unique as possible so that it reflects individuality, creativity and a sense of well-being. This process starts with the exterior of the home, and how it relates to the existing landscape and surrounding environment. Giving your landscape a fresh look doesn’t depend entirely on plantings; there are several other factors to consider that can enhance your home’s exterior.

Using color is the number one way to change the appearance of your home, and repainting or residing the house is often the most practical thing to do. With sensibility as a primary concern, I encourage my clients to consider updating their exteriors (which can include replacing rotting trim, poor shingles and changing the siding color) as the first step to a landscape renovation. To some degree, the color of the building will dictate the colors chosen within the landscape, and how hard surfaces and plant materials will relate. Exterior color welcomes one to the interior of the residence. It is important that all colors be harmonious, both inside and out.

Minimizing an investment by adding completnentary architectural elements to the exterior adds interest to the landscape. This can be done with columns, shutters, window boxes, lamp posts, new railings, accent trim, large urns, placement boulders, vignette low voltage lighting and more. At times adding a bench or focal point, such as a bubbling water feature, will also enhance an older existing landscape, detracting from other less desirable elements. One nice feature is better than a host of less desirable items.

Just renovating the entry can totally change the complexion of an older residence. In most cases, having an open and welcoming entry is a necessary step to develop a safe and inviting home. A client’s specific needs, as well as traffic flow patterns, regulate where walkways or small resting patios should be placed. Some of the biggest mistakes that I see are uninteresting, narrow, walkways that snug up to the residence – that can compromise the function of the entry. Another mistake is small stoop pads that are unable to accommodate more than one person making the entry into the house awkward. The final mistake I want to mention is forgetting to plan for downspouts and water distribution across walkways, which can cause dangerous accidents. Adding an open flowing walkway design is another great way to update an older residence. There are endless combinations of hard surface materials that can complement or contrast a home.

Often removing shrubbery is necessary, but by protecting the shrubs during the renovation process many plants can be rejuvenated or moved. This can be a substantial cost saving to the client. Of course bringing new plant materials into a des ign is one of the most exciting elements of landscape architecture. Any good design has texture, and plants are a great way to bring texture into the landscape. Spacing and arranging plants correctly can make or break a design. Remember, less is sometimes more.

Working with a landscape designer or architect is very important when you can’t afford costly mistakes. The Association of Professional Landscape Designers is a great place to look for a certified designer in your area. With creativity, good design and value can go hand in hand. When every penny counts, it is important to hire a professional to analyze the complete landscape site, including making changes to the home’s facade to bring impact. Often times there are elements of the home’s exterior that can be enhanced with limited change and cost, and most designers will notice this opportunity.

Learn more about Wisconsin Gardening Magazine.

Featured in Backyard Solutions Magazine

Susan Murphy’s landscape design was recently featured in Backyard Solutions magazine! Ten full color pages throughout the 2012 Country Almanac Edition feature beautiful photographs of projects completed by Landscape Solutions. The articles feature great tips to help you get the more from your landscaping, no matter what your budget.

Click on an image to view a PDF of that page.

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APLD Award Winner

In spring 2004, I was working on a front entry project with my client. In passing, I mentioned that their existing back yard patio would make a great entertainment/outdoor kitchen area. It was beautifully situated within 100’ of a class ‘A’ trout stream, here in central Wisconsin. Large residential windows took in the view. That summer I got a call to develop an outdoor kitchen and entertainment area that would be constructed in conjunction with their garage and laundry room expansion in the fall of 2004.

In 2006, Landscape Solutions submitted the details of this project to the Association of Professional Landscape Designers for consideration and Susan Murphy-Jones received APLD Award Honors.

Cooking and Eating Area

View the complete photo gallery for this project.

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Additional Project Details

The client wanted the new space to be an extension of their home, taking in the beautiful view throughout the seasons. The space had to be large enough for eight people to dine. It had to connect four existing door ways. They wanted a couple of sitting areas, as well as an eating and cooking area. They also discussed the need for a sense of enclosure as well as a focal point. My client also liked the idea of a meditative spot, as well as a walkway along the garage connecting with the driveway. Although my client loves to garden, we discussed using slow growing, deer resistant landscape plants. A native flagstone patio was already in existence, but poorly constructed. Large, locally available granite boulders were already on site, as well as a few nice specimen plants from a previous design. All materials that could be reused would be dug and moved to a staging area.

My responsibility was to help come up with design concepts for the entertainment area that would coordinate with the existing building. This included helping with detailing of functional spaces, counters, and walls. I was also hired to create a new landscape design to coordinate and accent the new entertainment area. Budget parameters were open to creative suggestions. At that time I was put in charge of supervising the installation of the hardscaping: walkways, boulder placement, and stonework. I would provide not only the landscape design, but also plants and supervision of the softscape. We started collecting ideas, seeking the help of the internet, a local interior designer, and a local contractor. After checking with the DNR and obtaining permits, we discovered a confinement set-back regulation only allowing us 32’ out from the house. This became our defining dimension.

PathwaysThe design concept was developed around a European-inspired fireplace as the focal point. Situated at an angle, one notices it from the great room without it blocking the view of the river. The fireplace was then connected into a knee wall enclosure that defines the intimate entertaining area. The wall design was kept low in areas so as to not block views. A cooking area was conceived across the back wall of the great room, that space then being shaped by a granite counter large enough for food preparation, appliances, and barstools. This cooking/working area naturally forms a space of its own. Having a common wall with the trophy room, it was an opportunity to design something unique. The home owner came up with the concept of arches. We then applied the arch concept to the knee walls, and gate design. For repetition, arches were also repeated in the new stoop up to the laundry room. Working as a team we came up with detailing for the walls and fireplace which included tile, wrought iron, stone capping, carved stone mantle and corbels, as well as granite counters. Besides an area to cook, there needed to be enough square footage to fit a table that seats six to eight. The client also wanted an area to relax viewing the fireplace. Because the trophy room also exits towards the river, the home owner wanted to unify the entire space, and possibly create secondary sitting area outside that section or the house. All walls and kitchen cupboards were to be built using stucco EFIS “Exterior Finishing Insulation Systems.” The entire back of the residence was also refinished with stucco to bring unity to the entire design.

The patio surface is natural sandstone obtained from a local quarry; this matched the previous surface. The new design offers the opportunity for all the customer’s needs with a table/eating area, outdoor fireplace room, and a counter design. The patio is extended to incorporate a space outside the trophy room big enough for a bistro table and chairs. This area is also accented with a beautiful wrought iron gate that leads one down to the river’s edge. On the other side of the patio, as one exits the lion flanked knee wall you walk through a quieter meditative area which is connected to the walkway around the garage to the front of the house. Several stone and flagstone paths lead one through the garden.

The new design included 6-8” of compacted road base under the flagstone, which was leveled with sand and filled with polymeric locking sand. To stop erosion and water problems on the patio surfaces, all gutters were hooked together with PVC and buried under the patios and walkways to percolate into the gardens and grass area. There are no drainage problems; the soil is light and sandy allowing water to quickly absorb into the earth. The grade dropped approximately 3’ from the outer edge of the patio to the lawn; this was negotiated by using fill tapering out 20’. Local granite boulder outcroppings form the stone steps and random retaining needed to secure the bank. This naturalistic element helps negotiate the grade, while integrating the hardscape with the plant materials forming a “backbone.” Even though it was drawn, the creation of this element of the design was done on-site. Boulders needed to be hand selected and placed. During this phase of the design implementation, large BB trees were planted to soften and form a backdrop for the hard materials, as well as help define smaller garden spaces/rooms and pathways. To form a natural arbor and offer some shade, honeylocust trees were integrated to the interior of the walled space. This is another transition element unifying the hardscape and plant materials. Low voltage lighting was installed for safety and ambiance.

Arch ConceptPlant materials were selected to unify the entire estate as well as add interest, color, and texture to the backyard retreat. All plants are hardy to Zone 4. Deer resistance was taken into account, as well as evergreen materials that would have a bit slower maturation.

Ornamental evergreens also were chosen for color, shape, and texture contrast. Shrubs were chosen for hedges, color, and fragrance. Perennials were selected for color impact and used in a mass planted style. The client is partial to groups of plants. A touch of formality was achieved by hedging the patio extension by the trophy room. This alpine currant hedge then repeats the knee wall enclosure element evident in the design. Some annuals will be planted yearly, as well as many potted plants placed on the mantle for impact.

The entire estate is on an irrigation system that pumps from the river. Fertilizers are used only when needed. Shredded hardwood mulch is used through out the planting beds to help with plant stability and overall plant health, keeping weeds out and moisture in the ground. All beds are bordered with rust free aluminum edging to separate the planted areas from the lawn. Deer repellents may be needed. Future maintenance will consist of mulching and pruning when needed, as well as spring clean up.

The client loves to garden, but has some maintenance help when needed. Fine-tuning will take place over time with the addition of ground covers and perennials.

When one sits in this entertainment area it “just feels right.” Balance was achieved. From the inside of the residence, the European fireplace lures you out into the space. Once there the sound of the water and birds bring one out into the environment. This project is the product of several skilled craftsmen working together for a common cause. It was a joy to participate in the creation of this beautiful space. Even though our summers are short, my clients have something wonderful to view all winter long.

Gardens used for quiet reflection

Susan Murphy-Jones' backyard is wonderful setting for quiet reflectionIt all started in a garden. The beginning of man’s relationship with the earth and the source of life began in a garden. Gardens can mean different things to different people depending on where they are, what they need, or what they’re doing. Even the simple act of gazing out a window at a garden or stand of trees can aid in healing and peace. In this busy world, it is so important to relate with the healing aspect of nature. Ever-changing nature holds the secret to life. It has a way to take one’s worries away. It has a way to bring peaceful certainty at the end of a day, or the end of a life. Calming our busy minds helps us live longer and in better relationship with one another. Walking up a mountainside or witnessing a hummingbird flit on the backyard monarda: it doesn’t matter which, because nature has a way of captivating the human spirit, lifting and renewing it.

True satisfaction does not come from things or accomplishments. In fact, technology seems to amplify mental noise. Like many of you, I get strung-out at times with the bombardment of thought. When a person needs healing or calming down, a walk in the woods, a climb up a hill, or a stroll in the backyard garden usually will help direct the spirit. It allows the mind to drift from everyday concerns by enticing with the smallest of beautiful things. This brings one into the moment, like a mini vacation inviting stillness in one’s life. There is no better healer than the earth; it takes things and changes them, renewing and creating constantly. It is also very important to introduce the young to the secrets of nature so that their awareness can grow with comfort and certainty of hope for the future.

During these times of so much discouragement, I encourage all of us to garden, plant, and nurture the spirit within us. Share your love of nature with all around you. Take yourself and your loved ones for a walk in the woods, a picnic at the beach, or visit to county or state park. Be open to the quietness. Happy gardening!

Basil in the garden and kitchen

Basil is my favorite herb. The smell alone of fresh basil is wonderful, but then the taste! I grow and use basil throughout the summer and then preserve it for use in winter by drying, freezing, or making pesto to freeze. I’ve been a fan of basil ever since I began making pesto about 25 years ago. An organic farmer at the farmer’s market in Wausau was passionate about basil and told me how great pesto was. Once I tasted pesto, basil has been in every garden I’ve had since—a sandy plot behind an apartment in Albuquerque, pots on a patio in Fitchburg, and now in a fenced-in raised bed.

Attracting Birds to Your Landscape with Plants

This spring, when you are choosing trees, shrubs, and even perennials to plant in your yard, consider the birds. These plants not only add texture and color in your landscape, but provide perching areas, food, and shelter.

When planting for the birds, try to incorporate plants that fruit throughout the season. Even before fruiting, dwarf fruit trees, berry bushes, and grapevines produce blooms that will attract insect-eaters like orioles and warblers. Later they will produce fruit for a variety of birds.

Peanut Butter/Eggshell concoction for birds

Ingredients:
1 cup lard
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups quick oats
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup raisins
1 cup ground eggshells
sugar (just enough to thicken)

Directions:

Grind eggshells in a food processor. Melt lard over medium heat and add eggshells. Cook until eggshells are slightly brown. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. Blend in remaining ingredients, let mixture cool, and pour into containers, then chill. Remove suet cakes from containers, wrap and store in refrigerator or freezer.

Protecting Plants from Gnawing Damage

 Rabbits and voles (field mice) are the primary animals that may gnaw on tender bark of trees and shrubs in winter. Putting up a barrier, such as poultrywire or hardware cloth, is the best defense. Put a fence around shrubs, and secure with a few stakes. Put a loose cylinder of hardware cloth around the trunk base of younger trees susceptible to vole or rabbit gnawing. Removing excess vegetation and debris near plants will also help reduce cover, especially for voles.
Repellents are also available to help protect plants from gnawing animals. Research studies have concluded results vary depending on location and even the specific year when using repellents. However, there are some important points to consider. Keep in mind repellents will reduce but not eliminate animal damage to plants. A good chickenwire barrier may eliminate rabbit damage to shrubs, but a good repellent may simply reduce the damage. So if some damage occurs, don’t blame the manufacturer, as damage may have been reduced but not eliminated. Remember results vary considerably in studies.

There are two types of repellents, contact and area. Contact repellents are applied directly to plants and repel by unpleasant taste for the animal. Some product examples include DeerAway, Ro-Pel, Miller Hot Sauce, and thiram (a fungicide). Area repellents are applied in the vicinity of plants and usually repel by smell. Examples include Hinder, dried blood, bar soap, and human hair.

Research studies show not every repellent works in every situation, but contact repellents are more effective than area repellents. Commercial products appear more effective than “home-made” remedies. If you’re planning to use a repellent this winter to protect shrubs and trees, read the labels thoroughly. Most need to be reapplied during the winter. Consider fencing or other barriers for more dependable protection – even though the initial costs are higher, remember they can be reused.