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Upon approaching the client’s rustic yet elegant homestead, one circles around this island of mature Sugar Maples and Dawn Redwoods under-planted with over one thousand Tulips each spring that offer a welcoming bouquet of color. Shade loving perennials, such as Hosta, Astilbe, and Hakonechloa, emerge in May to fill out the bed for the balance of the season.
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This unassuming entry drive, which is just under a ½ mile long, presents ongoing challenges with lawn damage from frequent delivery trucks and the never ending encroachment of the woodland border and invasive vines into the manicured landscape. Balancing the client’s request to make the ungated entrance appear less manicured or estate-like, in her effort to deter unwanted “guests” from venturing onto the property, we are forced to leave some compacted turf and abandoned stumps to punctuate the otherwise pristine lawn.
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Over six thousand (6000) Tulips are planted every Fall to provide waves of stunning color throughout the property. This planting takes almost three (3) full days to plant and a half (½) day to remove, after all bulbs are spent. Weekly repellent sprays are performed to deter rabbits and woodchucks from incessant browsing. In addition, numerous mature boxwoods require supportive wrapping each Fall and corrective pruning in spring to sustain the damaging heavy snows that occur each winter.
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Keeping the pool deck and tiered terraces looking their best is labor intensive, as no herbicide is allowed to be used on the Chinese Granite. Hence, many hours of hand weeding are required; plus the Thyme, planted amongst the flagstones, needs constant trimming with scissors to keep it in check.
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Our 7-round organically-based, Sustainable Turf Healthcare Program, which includes fall aeration and over-seeding, is employed to manage this 80,000 square foot lawn. Mowing just under two acres of grass, line trimming bed edges and fence lines, and hand weeding all of the beds each week, requires 450 hours of labor per season. Special care must be taken around statues and sculptures that are placed in and around the lawn.
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The resident dog takes full advantage of the extensive lawns - tearing around corners like a thoroughbred, leaping over the walls like jumps, and of course, relieving himself where ever he pleases. To keep the lawn uniformly lush and green, we scratch out discolored spots and heavily trodden paths and replace them with compost and seed on a weekly basis.
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(181) light fixtures are scattered throughout the turf and beds to ensure that parking areas, paths and trees are well lit each night. We provide a monthly inspection, lens cleaning and flagging of bulbs needing replacement as part of our service. These fixtures make lawn and bed maintenance more challenging in that each of over (140) up-lights must be either blown out (to remove mulch or leaf debris) or trimmed around each week.
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Seasonally different planting palettes and textures outside the art studio provide inspiration to our client, who is an artist herself, as well as an avid collector of art and sculpture that is dotted throughout the landscape.
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Our client enjoys a nightly stroll along this woodland path, which is bordered by Tulips and Daffodils in the Spring followed by banks of Astilbe, Ferns, Epimedium and Sweet Woodruff throughout the Summer and Fall. An emphasis on spring and fall color throughout the property is important to our client, as these are the two seasons when she is most frequently on site.
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Constant pruning and care is required for over 35 mature shade, evergreen and ornamental trees which are located within a fifty foot radius of the house, art studio, tennis court and pool house. A particular challenge is keeping these (4) featured Hornbeam trees uniformly pruned and in scale with the house as they anchor the edge of the expansive back lawn.
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This intimate and secluded seating area overlooking one of the private gardens is a world away from the hustle and bustle of New York City where the client resides during the week. Time spent here allows the artist to experience the blended forms of architecture and plants, sparking her creativity.
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Many unique outdoor rooms coexist within this 12 acre landscape. Pruning styles range from whimsical to formal depending on whether one is gazing off the back porch, like in this picture, or strolling into the front entry courtyard. Keeping an experienced fine gardening crew on the property year after year is critical to maintaining this look of rustic elegance.
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Over one thousand (1000) perennials, grasses and ferns are planted in four different garden areas on this property making for an eclectic mix of colors, textures and scents. Eighty six (86) CY of mulch is required to cover the 22,000 square feet of planting beds that are maintained on a weekly basis.
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This apple orchard was installed to satisfy our client’s love for apple pie. Proactive ongoing maintenance results in attractive and tempting Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Macintosh apples. After proper structural pruning in late winter and a 7-round application program, this year’s crop has resulted in an abundance of fruit, greatly pleasing the client.
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This oversized four foot wide container is changed out four (4) times a year to provide seasonal color and an interesting focal point welcoming guests at the front of the house.