Recalling one of our most interesting opportunities and natural transformations of landscaping as I reviewed the photographs searching for some related pictures in preparation for another presentation I was taken back in time to 2016, Limehouse Ontario. With fond memories of a family of Chipmunks that inhabited the site and during the installation, inadvertently ended up as comic relief supervising the project. During the installation of the project, our clients scheduled a trip overseas and left us to transform their property while they where abroad, now being ever so responsible I took it upon myself to send them daily reports with photo's to assure them all was progressing and allow them to rest assured the work would be accomplished with the same dedication as if they where home. I decided to make the Chipmunks the supervising social conveners and as it turned out provided fun entertainment for their morning coffee and scones before heading out on their daily tourism schedule.
The client's request was to implement a natural landscape that fit the escarpment woodland setting with stellar ingredients. The existing site from the previous owners had a massive concrete pad which was installed at the same elevation as the back patio doors so basement flooding was an issue. Then in the middle of it all a modular California kitchen although properly installed belongs in California not a wooded lot on the escarpment and the garden surrounds were self-explanatory.
Here are the before pictures, nature's beauty surrounds concrete chaos
Wooow stand back here comes some big orange dragons? Let's beat it Dale.
Extracting the concrete, man that was fast, and to think we chipmunks had to live with that all these years
I can hear the forest breath a sigh of relief.
Under the concrete they found one our main stashes of rocks, I hope they don't take them away!!
I heard them talking about using them all over the place Yahoo!!
Natural ledges, a ravine,sitting benches, and a BBQ? Now this I have to see.
They are finding rocks everywhere in the woods, even I didn't know we had some many!
OMG 2 trailer loads the most amazing stone I have ever seen just showed up out on the road. I wonder what they will do with it, they are massive!!
I hope someone has a plan.
Incredible they are making a new patio with these massive pieces of stone, some are bigger than that table they were using to serve up lunch on last summer, and look at all our rocks blending in..........this is going to be something special
MMMM smell that fresh earth they put everywhere, it's heavenly, can't wait to dig in. On closer inspection it's like no soil I have ever experienced, rich in texture, moist ...I overheard one of them say it's their special compost made by a good local farming friend..sooo cool
Wonder what is going on here, that looks like the fire box they used last year to cook summer meals with?
This wall of stone is awesome
I would not have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes, they made another BBQ area out of stone, how incredible is that. Wonder what's going to happen next.
Rocky stopped by and joined them for lunch
Apparently, they were not impressed but had a good laugh about it.
Behind the scenic patio, stepping stone path, ravine stone trails(with a bridge just for us chippy's) and log cabin lodging, now that what I call attention to detail!
Every day another surprising development.
And they just upped the ante, plants galore, a lot of native friends and...
Ferns, moss, wild ginger, dogwoods, viburnums, serviceberries, daylilies, hostas, hollies, thyme, hydrangeas, mountain Cypress. Then.... stop the presses Japanese Maples and Ginko from woods across the globe! I am digging this scene with respect.
They even planted the ravine with native friendlies and took great care not to disturb the young Bitternut tree which means we will have nuts for years to come!! I must tell Dale all about this, she's my girl friend who lives next door.
I was so excited I proposed and she said yes!!
And they lived happily ever after.