Current Project Update

Another work in progress—probably the final one until the thaw. The plan, originally included in my 8/27 post, is below and is largely unchanged from the presentation drawing you see below. I used Dynascape color for a down and dirty rendering. I’m not overly fond of the color module of Dynascape despite its ease of use, but clients love the drawings. I can save them as a PDF and email them or print them out full size. Even a very detailed drawing takes less than an hour to color up with this point and click program. I still prefer the look and feel of hand colored drawings, but they're more cumbersome to deal with electronically.


This particular project has been challenging due to the laundry list of elements to be included as well as the stone that we finally chose to use. Since bluestone was not an option, we settled on local granite that is quarried in upper New York state. It's got lovely texture and color and is available both as wallstone and flagging. Below is a photo of the patio seatwall, firepit and stone carpet in progress.

The patio is raised one step up from grade to create a better transition from the house to the steps I'm stood on to take this photo. We ordered custom salt and pepper granite curbing to create that transition. Each 8" wide and 8" tall piece was snapped on three sides to work with the rusticated look of the stone. The dark spots in the photo are dirt...not defects.

I'll continue to post on this one as more progress is made.

#-21--12 days and counting

With less than two weeks to go, the major boulder work is complete and many of the plants have been purchased and placed. It is becoming a marathon of fits and starts due to the weather and trying to coordinate people to work. The solar equipment is going on top of the mound where it will be hidden from view. The rest of it will be under the still to be constructed patio. There's probably about 2-3 full days of work to go...

Partially planted, the solar tower of power--also known as 'That's a big pile of boulders!'

The nursery shorted us about 60 grasses and other plants so now I have to go on a major hunt to find substitutes. Nothing is ever easy. Here's what it looked like when we were almost done today. The planting is very slow because everything has to be tucked in here and there.

#14--Rock Star

The arch was finished today in anticipation of the 'in progress' press junket at the show house tomorrow. Many people were working today trying to get something done for the press to cover. We've been kind of on our own for the past few days and we're the only landscape design group with anything major done. It wasn't really planned, it was just when we could get everyone together to do it.

We also started the secondary stonework but didn't get as far with that.

Here's some photos of our rock stars--the arch and its creator, Dan Lupino.

Adjusting the keystone before dropping it into place
Dan, knocking out the temporary supports as his heart beats faster and faster.
Rock Star!!

#13-- Rock On

Dan Lupino started building the boulder arch today with Frank Scheppe's crew. It's a big statement and we wanted it done before the first press junket on Friday. Here's some photos...more as things progress.

Dan setting the first support stone--this was ultimately switched out for another

Setting temporary supports for the arch as it's built

The original support stone becomes the actual second stone

The arch by afternoon

#11 Sites & soil

This morning, on another project, they started digging for a pool. Before development 30-40 years ago the area was a known for its rose growing industry so when the excavator dug his first hole we found a layer of ash (from wood burning greenhouse heaters) and wonderful clean soil. It's a problem for the pool, but wonderful for filling in deep interior areas that will be augmented with a custom planting mix and will ultimately become the planting pockets in the rockery. Off I went with a full dump of this brown gold, 10 miles away to the Mansion in May site. This saved the soil from being dumped in some land fill and my pockets from having to buy and truck soil in later.

Notice how grey the soil is--its the ash from the greenhouse stoves.

#8--Start Up

The weather has been iffy so hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I'll meet the crew and the excavator at the mansion today. The main goals will be to tag boulders for specific use, identify inhabited burrows and move the inhabitants, and generally mark everything out so we can begin getting it together. Weeds may or may not be removed depending on how thawed the ground is or isn't.

We start so far in advance because it's a volunteer effort and this work gets mostly done in between the paying work. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow so we have to get started asap.

Later that day...

Moving the granite medallion to a safe place
The 1/2 weird granite thing isn't a planter at all--I don't know what it is

Beginning deconstruction

Further Deconstruction--some of the boulders are massive

Today's drama included the fact that someone had moved boulders before we got there (the property owner) to remove tree stumps and I freaked out and the stakes marking the proposed placement of the gala tent--in the middle of where my pool will be, and one of the excavator operators almost tipped the thing over moving a boulder.

The day's goal was to sort boulders and to try begin to see what is going to go where. Tomorrow we'll mark out the basic shape of things and start placement.

#4--Plants and Problems

I've done a quick CAD color rendering to try and approximate the quantities of plants that I will need to order in the next few weeks. It's difficult since I really have no idea what lies beneath the surface stones, how many stones there are, or how many plants I'll be able to squeeze in between the finished placements. Below is one thing I'm sure of--some long dead tree trunks. If you look closely at the base you'll see that a lame attempt was made at one time to cut that baby down.
I'm sure we'll find other under the debris. I also don't really know how far down the boulders go, this thing's been around for 100+ years at least and the area is known for the unusual large boulders that bygone masons used throughout the property. So, long story short, I can only guess at what I'll need plant wise. Below is an image of how I'm figuring it out.
The area is deer ridden, chipmunk infested and sunbaked. Add to that the May bloom time, the wow factor and my commitment to sustainability and you get the picture.

• Here's a short list of contenders so far. The trees are decided and I'm going out to a tree farm in Stockton (about an hour from here) to tag them as soon as it thaws abit.
• These are high up on the list--Euphorbia polychroma, Dianths g. either 'Bath's Pink' or 'Firewitch', Sedum reflexum 'Angelina' and 'Blue Spruce', Phlox subulata 'Emerald Cushion Blue', Teucrium hyranicom 'Purple Tails', Eregrostis spectabilis, Carex morowii 'Ice Dance', Thymus praecox, Salvia nemerosa 'May Night', Sempervivum sp.
• A little lower down on the list--Santolina sp., Yucca filamentosa (not sure which one), some kind of low growing conifer, some of the other sedums.

As you can see I still have some work to do. I don't want to use any annuals because they won't be able to be re-used after the show is over, so I guess that's another qualification for plants--I have to be able to find new homes for them later in the season.