It is not uncommon for us to see landscape designs that lack functionality or a holistic feel. Some of the most frequent problems we encounter involve a lack of unity.

Unity in a landscape is paramount: there are so many different elements in a designed landscape, yet they need to combine and work as a whole, as a single entity. Without unity, the landscape becomes nothing more than a hodgepodge of assorted species.

Typical foundation plantings are extremely geometric and fail to tie the house into the landscape. These accentuate that everything on the propery is "man-made," including the plants.

Foundation plantings also tend to be ridgidly maintained in stiff, unnatural forms, again subconciously imprinting on the landscape that these objects have been specifically-placed in the landscape.

Many landscapes exhibit a lack of continuity and a poor relationship between the lawn and the planting beds. The illustration on the far left demonstrates how discontinous planting beds lead to a lack of harmony and unity among the plants.

Corners in a lawn dramatically increase the maintenance issues. They require more use of string-trimmers, which do not provide the same uniform cut as a lawnmower blade. Scalping, or cutting the lawn too low, is often a side effect of string-trimming. This can cause unnecessary health issues in your landscape and can eventually lead to unsightly bare spots.

Lawn segments should be continuous, and should only be present where growing conditions are optimal and where it is comfortable and safe to maintain the turf area. Many times, pesticide use can be eliminated if steps are taken to ensure that the grass is not stressed. Grass can grow almost anywhere, but it only grows well under certain conditions. Don't try to force grass to grow where is will end up looking untidy.

Patio spaces and entertaining areas in general are often not spacious enough to accomodate guests. If you enjoy entertaining, you need to figure out what is lacking in your arrangements. If everybody is crowded into a tiny space, it can make for an awkward event.

It is not uncommon for outdoor areas to be devoid of comfort. A space that is boring or uncomfortable is not likely to be used often, and will more likely end up being used for storage of miscellaneous items. We can help bring life and meaning to your outdoor space. The best thing is: we're only a phone-call away:   1-800-553-1773.

Location, location, location... we almost hate to say it: everyone's heard it a million times before. But location makes all the difference.

Maybe the only reason that no-one in your family spends time outside is because your outdoor living space is on the wrong side of the house!