Teamwork

One of several landscaping jobs in the summer of 2018....

The request from the homeowners was simple:

Make it so we can walk to the dock without spraining an ankle,

and we want flowers.  Lots and lots of flowers.

This was a huge job, happening simultaneously with another enormous job,

and I was lucky to team up with Dan and Florencia of Zone 3 Gardens.

Drain tile was installed to remove the water that was coming from the eave-spouts

and pooling in a low area.  The tile empties into a filtering

field to keep runoff from reaching the lake before it percolates into the ground.

 

Once the area was leveled and undesirable vegetation was removed or relocated,

Dan started installing a flagstone path from the house to the dock.

 Todd installed a huge, flat rock to serve as a landing before the flagstone 

path transitions down to the dock.

Silt fence to prevent any runoff into the lake in the event of a heavy rain before the 

area was planted.

And now, whoo hoo, the fun began.

 One of several installments of perennials.

Florencia and I laid out the beds prior to planting.

 

Dan working his magic on the rock edging while Arrow looks bored.

 

  Flor, Dan, and Landon getting the plants in the ground.

 Landon and a yet-unbroken shovel.

Setting up sprinklers to water everything in nicely.

 Before the rest of the flagstone paths were installed.

Perennials with varying bloom times were planted to provide color and interest 

from spring through fall.

Path to the lake, flanked by spreading junipers on the left and a patch of blueberries on the right.

The view from lakeside.

Todd and John admiring their work while on a 'union break'.

 

Flagstone paths filling in after the beds were planted.

 Tristan supervising his bosses.

Portion of the landscape filled with perennial native plants to serve as a rain garden.

This area was designed to absorb and filter sediment from running into the lake.

Organic mulch was used and will

decompose after time, adding nutrients to the soil and keeping the beds lower maintenance

 until the perennials spread and suppress the weeds on their own.

The early stages of a native perennial rain garden from lakeside.

 Early evening sunset illuminating the gardens.

Flagstone path to the fish cleaning house.

Autumn Joy sedum and Red October grass for fall color.

 'Pusch' evergreen stays small and sports red cones in the spring.

 A bird's eye view.

Wait a minute, this doesn't look done yet.

 

And now, for the big finish:

A wood fired cedar hot tub from Canada.

Megan thinks shoveling gravel is fun and 

Dan and Flor clearly enjoy giant slabs of flagstone.

 If you call us 'just girls' again, we'll hit you with our shovels.

Todd and Dan installing the cover as the sun sets.

A rewarding project installed by a great team.

And no trips to the ER for sprained ankles any more.