Fall Is For Planting

As the leaves begin to change and the air turns crisp, there’s no better time to consider the benefits of planting trees in the fall. We’re passionate about the environment and want to share with you why autumn is the ideal season for tree planting.

1. Strong Root Growth: During the fall, the soil is still warm from the summer months, while the air is cooler. This unique combination encourages robust root growth. Trees planted in the fall have several months to establish their roots before the heat of summer or the harsh winter cold sets in, giving them a head start for a healthier, longer life.
2. Water Conservation: Fall typically brings more rainfall, reducing the need for excessive watering. This not only saves you time and money but also promotes eco-friendly practices by conserving water resources.
3. Less Stress on Trees: Trees experience less stress when planted in the fall. Cooler temperatures reduce the risk of transplant shock, allowing your newly planted trees to acclimate gradually to their new environment.
4. Fall Foliage: Fall offers the added bonus of stunning foliage. Imagine the vibrant colors of your new trees enhancing your landscape as they transform with the season, providing beauty year after year.
5. Environmental Impact: Trees play a vital role in combating climate change. By planting trees now, you’re contributing to a greener, healthier planet for future generations. Plus, they provide habitat for wildlife and improve air quality.

At Land Design Associates, we’re here to make your tree-planting experience effortless. Whether you’re a homeowner, business owner, or a community organizer, our expert team is ready to assist you with the right tree selection, planting advice, and the highest quality trees available. Take advantage of this perfect season to invest in the environment, your property, and your community. Together, let’s make a positive impact by planting trees this fall.

When the owners of this Needham home asked us to help out with their landscape design, we were all in.  Visiting the site, we saw a beautiful new home but with a “builder’s special” landscape.  

The family wanted an outdoor fire pit with sitting walls, a grill island, lighting and privacy screening.  They wanted the front yard to give a welcoming feel to the neighborhood but allow them visual filtration and privacy so they could sit on their front porch without feeling like they were on view.

The Design Process is Key to Making a Great Space 

Organizing the flow and usage of the outdoor kitchen area, fire pit and dining area was the first step.  We gave the homeowners multiple layouts. Each design layout had unique elements organized in a different flow and arrangement.  

We encouraged our new Needham clients to think about how they would use the spaces on a day-in-day-out basis.  We sprayed the design out with marking paint and had them to “live in the space” for a weekend using their use tables and chairs and imagine being in the completed space.  This is the best way to get the feel of the spatial organization. Does it feel too big, too small or, as Goldilocks says, “Just Right.” We often suggest that families spend time “feeling” what the new space will be like then and deciding whether they need to be tweaked.

We will show you many possible ways to organize the components of your patio design  so you can see and imagine being in each of the spaces.   From there, we will put together a final drawing.  Usually, we end up taking one element of one design and one from another and so on, combining the client’s desired patio components into a working concept drawing.  From there, one idea leads to another and then another.  It’s a heuristic process.  At the end of the landscape design process, we can layout the patio in place in your yard.  We often suggest that families spend a weekend “living” in the spaces and deciding whether they need to be tweaked to be a bit bigger or smaller. 

Going through the landscape design process is fun and often the kids get into it.  They like to imagine themselves and their friends sitting around the backyard fire pit.  They enjoy giving input on where the swingset will go and if the lawn area is big enough for soccer etc.  Children also have fun selecting plants and flowers and usually are quite interested in the different attributes of each plant.  Kids also get really excited to plan vegetable gardens.  They love talking about planting strawberries, blueberries and apple trees. After all, you never know if an early pleasant experience in landscape design will lead to a career as an architect or a scientist.

Patio, Wall, Grill Island Materials Create A Welcoming Space

Once the overall configuration of the outdoor space was determined, we focused on choosing patio materials and wall materials.  We used the Unilock Estate Wall for the sitting walls, fire pit and grill island. For the patio pavers we used Techo-Bloc .  The custom bluestone wall caps were templated by our crews and fabricated locally in Newton at Stone Gallery . The landscape masonry choices are all a blend of good looking and economical.  The paver and wall block, when married with natural bluestone and granite caps and a grill island countertop, sings out with welcoming notes.  For the landscape lighting, we used Integral lights.  The ambience of low voltage, outdoor lighting is wonderful and makes eating out under the stars ahhhhhmazing. By going through all the layouts, components and materials ahead of time on paper with the client, their options and final selections easily fell into place.  The worst thing is to finish a landscape project and say “why didn’t I think of that!!!”

A custom outdoor kitchen in Westwood, MA designed by Land Design Associates featuring a stainless steel grill, granite countertop, and natural stone base for a timeless, functional design.

Trees, Shrubs and Flowers Enhance the Ambiance

Being originally from New Hampshire, the homeowner wanted to add a touch of New England to the patio area.  And since it was an unbearably hot sunny space prior that was too uncomfortable to sit out in during the day, we suggested planting sugar maples around the patio.  These trees provide lovely fall color and just the right amount of shade for the sitting area to be cool and usable during the summer heat.  We used white Annabell hydrangeas, Crystalina summersweet, a Sweetbay magnolia and long-blooming purple Rozanne geraniums to enclose the patio with nice fragrance and interesting texture.  

Around the perimeter of the yard, privacy was sought from the relatively close neighbors’ houses.  For this we used Norway spruce, Green Giant western red cedar and Nellie Stevens evergreen holly. In the front of the house we used Endless Summer hydrangeas planted behind a low hedge of Green Mountain boxwood providing a separating element from the street.  Along the porch, we planted Landmark rhododendrons which have a lovely deep pink/red flower and are evergreen with year-round foliage.

All the plants selected for this Needham landscape  were recommended because of their relatively low maintenance and their reliable performance.  We never suggest plants that are “fussy” and require a lot of care.  All of our plants are proven winners in the Massachusetts climate.  We recommend flowering plants that have fragrance and are summer blooming when folks are outside enjoying their backyards.  We like the mix of evergreen and deciduous plants for year-round interest.

A Needham, MA backyard retreat designed by Land Design Associates featuring a custom bluestone patio, outdoor kitchen, and circular fire pit with lounge seating for seamless indoor-outdoor living.

Cozy furniture tops off this patio turning it into an outdoor living area you’ll never want to leave

Lawn and Plant Irrigation Keeps Everything Green 

To keep the fresh sod for the lawn happy, we installed an automatic sprinkler system with both rotary heads and spray heads.  This system is controlled by a Hunter Hydrawise smart sprinkler system that takes satellite weather information and automatically adjusts how much water goes to each lawn area and planting zone. 

The best way to water a lawn is to soak the soil thoroughly to simulate a heavy rain and then to let it dry out.  This makes the roots of the grass plant “chase” the water down rather than staying near the surface dependent on daily shallow watering.  The deeper the root system, the stronger the lawn will be and enable it to resit drought, insects and diseases.   Also, cutting the grass high keeps moisture in the plant since it has more leaf surface to help conserve water.  Also, longer grass leaves give needed energy and support to the lawn’s root system as it works its way deeper into the soil. 

Combined with lawn irrigation, cutting the lawn and leaving the clippings down helps promote bacterial activity in the soil.  Like probiotics for humans, high soil microbial activity is beneficial for making the grass healthier so it can fight off bugs and any diseases that may occur.   A properly scheduled fertilization program will enable good grass leaf production. Also, watering the fertilizer in deeply with the irrigation is key. 

Plant irrigation is vital to healthy growth and flowering of all the plants in the yard. Trees, shrubs and flowers will win the battle against weeds.  Lush stands of plants will cover the ground enough to shield the soil from the sunlight weeds need to grow. This means that dense spacing of plants is the best way to design the garden beds.  We create our landscape designs with plants that spread and cover a lot of the plant bed.  This also creates a full, relaxed, opulent garden design.  Large groupings of plants that are allowed to grow together in masses is definitely the way to go instead of staccato-style design where there is one plant of each here and there with a lot of space between them.  This is how weeds get their toehold and pretty soon the nice landscape plants are losing the weed battle.  Proper plant spacing along with proper fertilization and irrigation will ensure this happens.  

Looking to Upgrade your Backyard Space in Newton and the Surrounding Area with a New Landscape Design?

Here is what the Needham homeowner, had to say about working with Land Design Associates on this project: 

“The outstanding communication, care, responsiveness, flexibility, and patience of LDA’s staff during the design process gave us complete confidence in choosing the firm’s hardworking landscape professionals to complete the project for us. Their expert installation of a patio, sitting wall, fire pit, trees, shrubs, flowers, irrigation system, and lighting created a beautiful and functional outdoor living space and landscape that our family will enjoy together for years to come.!”

We work in Needham, Newton, Wellesley, Westwood, Dover, Milton and other communities surrounding Boston.  Fill out a form on our contact page today to book your no cost consultation.

A new walkway can make a real impact on the appearance of the front of your home. A walkway is an extension of your home and adds tremendous aesthetic value. With proper planning and execution walkways become a functional seamless integration into your landscape. There are many things to consider when planning what kind of walkway fits your property’s character, your projects goals, and of course the budget. 

Location

Consider where you park and where guests will park and how they get to the entrance. Nowadays many homes have two front entrances and don’t bother to build a walk to the main door.

Although you may not use the front door, creating an inviting entrance makes your house look better. One option is a walkway going from the main entrance and to the side entrance. If people park on the street, have the walkway go towards it.

Shape: Curved or Straight

If curved, accentuate the curves, otherwise it can look like poor construction. Curves work well for larger front yards so the walk can extend out from the house a little more. This also creates planting beds that are larger, which is a nice option for an informal look. Meandering walkways cause you to slow down to focus on your surroundings.

Steps

If there is a slope, add steps to the beginning or end. If you require many steps, separate them and add landings making it easier for everyone to walk on. Too steep of a slope can be slippery and hazardous for some to navigate. Avoid a single step as it can be a tripping hazard.

Consider removing old concrete steps or having them veneered with other materials.

Materials

Materials must complement the style of your home. If you have a brick house, use brick as an accent. Don’t be hesitant to mix materials with others. You also want the color to coordinate with your home and not detract from it. Select surfaces that are easy to walk one that is safe and non-slip.

Looking to Upgrade your Backyard Space in Newton and the Surrounding Area with a New Landscape Design?

If you want to stun your family and friends and truly fall in love with spending time outside in your own backyard, come talk to us. We’ve been providing landscaping services to Newton, Norfolk County and southern Middlesex County for over 25 years, and we’re proud of what we do.

This grand Norwood mansion-style home was severely overgrown when we first met the homeowner.  Her husband was an avid plant collector, but not the best designer –  as he had many rare and interesting plants all around the property but with no rhyme or reason.  In fact, most of the plants were in the wrong spot for their sun/shade preference. They consumed the front yard with seeming random plantings of specimen plants.

Another major problem with the property was that the ample and flat front yard was right on a busy street and many people would even cut through the yard rather than walking around the corner on the sidewalk.  The homeowner’s daughter was planning on moving into the house and she had small children who needed a safe, private area to play.

Landscape Architectural Plans Make it Easy to Meet Landscape Use Goals

Our team crafted a custom landscape design to solve problems presented by the home’s landscape and location. It included building a beautiful stone wall and columns with steps.  Then we put a fence on top of the wall set back in a perennial garden plant bed. We used a solid fence to deflect street noise away from the front yard and also to present a visual raised barrier to people looking in while the family played and relaxed in the front yard.

For details, we did landscape lighting under the step treads and columns.  We also installed a very ornate walk mixing the “mosaic” style of stone laying with rectilinear bluestone borders.  

For plantings, we relocated most of the existing specimen plants to the perimeter of the front yard, gave the lawn nice curves using steel edging, and designed for many perennial flowers to billow up in beds along the edges of the newly sodded lawn.  

By going through the landscape design process, the homeowner was able to bring this Norwood mansion back to its glory on the outside.  The entry and front yard are now not only grand but useful for a young growing family.

“Land Design Associates was very professional and their labor crew highly skilled. They provided exceptional advice and created a landscape design based on our vision. The management team was patient and very helpful as we made numerous changes prior to the final drawings. I highly recommend Land Design Associates and their great crew to any potential client.” – Homeowner

Looking to Upgrade your Outdoor Space in the Greater Boston Area with a New Landscape Design?

If you want to stun your family and friends and truly fall in love with spending time outside in your own backyard, come talk to us. We’ve been providing landscaping services to Westwood, Norfolk County, and southern Middlesex County for over 25 years, and we’re proud of what we do.

Before Land Design Associates renovated the backyard at this family home in Westwood, it was bland and underutilized.

The small, discolored vinyl deck was misshapen and tired, the paver-stoned yard offered no privacy for socializing and the lawn areas presented unkempt woods that imposed on the amorphous space.

In short, the homeowners had a beautiful house but lacked a stunning outdoor living space that they could be proud of.

So we set out to design and build for this family with children a backyard patio and lounge area, complete with an outdoor gas fireplace, a kitchen grill built into a stone island and a beautiful perimeter of flowers and plants, to help get them back into nature.

Patio with Grill Island Replaces Old Deck

We designed and built a new patio by hand-laying modern, blue-hued pavers from Techo Bloc and enlarging the surface area for proper outdoor gatherings.

These pavers are a popular choice for many backyard designs in the Boston area as they fit into modest budgets better than most natural stones without greatly sacrificing aesthetics or functionality.

We constructed a grill island along one corner of the patio using a durable, blue-gray granite called Blue Mist for the countertop to complement the nearby wall colors and to match materials for the wall caps and steps.

We built the base from natural veneer stone, sliced very thinly and cemented to a steel-reinforced, concrete-block wall trimmed and hand-laid by our skilled masons, for a high-quality look.

Because veneer stone, which is available in multiple colors and styles, is sliced so thinly, our masons can easily create tight, aesthetically pleasing joints.

We designed the steps to flow gracefully to the patio and ensured they would be large enough even for the children to sit on. The Blue Mist granite for the steps has a non-skid surface yet is smooth enough to comfortably enjoy the area with your bare feet during the summertime.

Outdoor Gas Fireplace Provides Warmth to the Outdoor Lounge Area

Sited at an angle to provide a great interface with the upper patio, the outdoor fireplace is the focal point of the lower sitting area.

We built walls at bench height on the sides of the fireplace to allow plenty of sitting room for friends and family, again using veneer stone and Blue Mist granite for the caps for continuity.

The remote-controlled gas fireplace eliminates the time-consuming needs of having to prepare a fire by hand and to wait for potentially unsafe embers to extinguish before retiring for an evening. Gas fireplaces also do not need to be cleaned of ashes and potentially foul-smelling half-burnt logs.

We used the same Techo Bloc pavers for the lower-area patio surface from the dining-area patio for further aesthetic consistency, accenting them with a lovely Victorien paver border. Banding the patio with a paver of contrasting colors here provided a nice, inexpensive flourish to the design.

The fireplace area is now a “go-to destination” for the family, enabling them to enjoy their outdoor space from early spring to late fall (and even sometimes during mild-weathered winter days!). Gone are the family’s times of not being able to relax outside with a red wine and friends on a gloriously crisp autumn day.

Outdoor Lights to Illuminate Evenings

Our landscaping specialists installed light fixtures underneath the wall caps, step treads and the grill-island countertop to cast just the right amount of light to warm up the patio at night.

Additionally, LED path lights and up-lights on the trees augment and expand the effect of these built-in lights to create a feeling of moonlight throughout the whole backyard, while being fully within the family’s convenient control from either an inside switch or a phone app.

Providing Privacy With Beautiful Flowers and Plants

We used a large variety of colors and textures for the plantings that surround the patio areas.

Along the edges of the upper patio area and throughout the lower patio area, respectively, the family now delights in the aromas and visuals of Boxwood and super fragrant summer sweets.

Endless Summer Hydrangea gives beautiful balls of flowers all summer while large fir trees and western red cedars were planted along the property line to create a sense of privacy from neighboring houses.

Colorful perennials provide vibrancy color throughout the summer season, including a pink dogwood tree that blooms in June to provide flowers that last for weeks.

Lastly, we installed a high-tech drip-irrigation system from Netafim for the plants to create an eco-friendly watering solution that also saves the family tons of time and effort. The drip system connects directly to the lawn-irrigation timer, so hand-watering is never required.

Plant Beds and a New Fence to Define the Large Side Yard

The homeowners have a very large yard that was encroached upon by some messy woods.

Confronted with this challenge, our professional landscapers built a layered planting bed with tall evergreen plants at the back, medium flowering plants in the middle and colorful perennials along the front of the bed with a nice arch and steel edging to permanently maintain the flowing curves of the bed.

The layered planting bed’s effect defines the lawn-area space and creates an edge to separate the yard from the woods. In the back of the planting bed, we installed a spaced picket-vinyl fence that provides a neat appearance and works very well as a background or foil for the variety of textures and colors in the planting bed.

New Outdoor Space a Success for Family and Friends

With the installation of the new patio, fireplace area and side yard, this beautiful house in Westwood now has places for the family and their friends to actually enjoy outside, whereas before they wouldn’t even venture into their backyard.

The project also provided a ton of value to the house when the family decides to sell. The reality of today’s housing market compels young couples to focus on certain must-haves, including nice outdoor living areas and green yards with flowers for their kids to play in.

“Land Design Associates was very professional and their labor crew highly skilled. They provided exceptional advice and created a landscape design based on our vision. The management team was patient and very helpful as we made numerous changes prior to the final drawings. I highly recommend Land Design Associates and their great crew to any potential client.” – Homeowner

Looking to Upgrade your Backyard Space in Westwood and the Surrounding Area with a New Landscape Design?

If you want to stun your family and friends and truly fall in love with spending time outside in your own backyard, come talk to us. We’ve been providing landscaping services to Westwood, Norfolk County and southern Middlesex County for over 25 years, and we’re proud of what we do.

How to Prepare Your Lawn Now to be Summer-Ready!

Leave the struggles of keeping your lawn green all year behind. Start preparing your lawn now for those tough summer months when the true strength of your lawn will really show. It is time to make your lawn great again!

We all know everyone wishes that they could have a lush green lawn all year long. Then midsummer rolls around and your grass fights a losing battle to the intense heat and lack of rain.

Your grass then begins to fade from green to brown and you wonder what you could have done to better prepare your lawn for the year ahead. Follow these lawn care treatment tips and you will be on your way to having a stronger, fuller lawn that will stay green even in the dog days of Summer!

Lawn Maintenance Tip #1: Dethatch

Thatch is a thick layer of organic matter that accumulates at the base of grasses. In order to give the roots of your lawn room to breathe and grow, remove excess thatch buildup through dethatching.

This process also allows for fertilizers to be better received by the roots of the grass since the fertilizer can come in direct contact with the soil at the base of the grass rather than sitting on top of the thatch layer.

Lawn Maintenance Tip #2: Aerate

Everytime your lawn sees foot traffic or the lawnmower, the soil becomes more and more compacted. Excessive compaction reduces the airspace required for healthy soil to function and for plants to optimally grow, causing thin, stressed turf that is susceptible to weeds, diseases and pests.

In order to remedy this problem, Land Design Associates offers aeration as part of its lawncare-maintenance services throughout Norfolk County, which pulls plugs from your lawn to open up airspace for the lawn’s roots.

Lawn Maintenance Tip #3: Apply Lime

Grass is the strongest when rooted in soil that has a neutral PH. If the soil is too acidic then your grass will not be performing at its peak. In order to lower the acidity of soil and bring the PH back to neutral it is necessary to apply lime to your lawn. After all, your grass can not grow at its best if the soil it is rooted in is harming it. Acidic soil just may be the “root” of your problem.

Lawn Maintenance Tip #4: Overseed

If your lawn is looking thin and bare then it may need a little “pick me up” with overseeding.

Overseeding is done through the use of a specialized machine that cuts grooves into the soil and drops the grass seeds inside. This method ensures much better soil to seed contact which in turn leads to better germination rates and a fuller lawn for the customer.

Bare spots become a thing of the past with overseeding.

Lawn Maintenance Tip #5: Fertilize

Depending upon the specific problems that your lawn shows, treatment can be possible through the application of either organic or chemical fertilizers.

Our lawn care experts will determine if your lawn could benefit from fertilizers. If so, they will use their expertise to formulate a recipe that your lawn will love. Fertilizers have the ability to speed up the eradication of lawn problems in order to bring it back to full health.

Lawn Maintenance Tip #6: Consult an Expert

Save yourself, let an expert do the dirty work. Lawn care experts have seen all kinds of problems, and chances are they know exactly how to deal with your lawns’ as well. Hiring a lawn care professional ensures that your lawn gets the treatment it needs. Not only will you save time, but also money. Your problem will get solved the first time, no need to guess about the treatment plan when a professional has got you covered.

Planting fragrant shrubs adds a wonderful addition to your garden. Once you’ve experienced the enjoyment of a fragrant plant, you’ll want to add more. You’ll want to include shrubs that smell good near patios, entries, kitchen windows and driveways for even more of that sweet flower smell!

Lilac

Some lilacs are more fragrant than others, so buy them when they are in bloom to pick one that you prefer. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from however you can expect most to possess a strong, fresh fragrance. So which are the best? Here are a few that are available.

Maiden’s Blush- Blooms earlier that most and blooms well as a young plant. The blooms are fluffier that the standard and it is extremely hardy.

For something different try Beauty of Moscow. It is a very fragrant double flowered cultivar and is known for its double florets with a two tone pink/white color. Beauty of Moscow has some of the largest and most fragrant flowers of all lilacs.

Azalea

Some azaleas not only have spectacular blooms but can also be fragrant. A very cold hardy selection is the swamp azalea. An appealing plant native, it bears funnel shaped flowers that bloom profusely. It has a strong clove-like perfume that rivals roses. It prefers part shade and is perfect for shrub borders.

Roseshell azalea has pink, funnel shaped flowers in mid to late spring that appear in large clusters of 4-12 blooms. It also grows well in part shade and appreciates moist, well-drained soil. It is a vigorous and showy azalea.

.

Summersweet

Blooms in mid-summer, this popular native has a sweet-spicy scent similar to a carnation. The flowers appear in narrow, upright panicles and are most typically white. A pink variety is available as well, named ‘Ruby Spice’ that grows to 8’ wide and tall. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. More compact white flowering varieties include ‘Sugartina’ and ‘Sixteen Candles’. Water regularly to maintain moist soil for best bloom.

Butterfly bush

This sturdy shrub has bold blossoms that emerge late summer. The fragrance has a sweet honey-like scent and is available in many shades of blue, purple, magenta and white. This plant will sometimes die back to the ground in winter and produce new shoots in spring. Some to try are ‘Miss Ruby’, a dark pink one and the ‘Lo and Behold’ line that are smaller and more compact.

koreanspice viburnum

This is one of the most fragrant shrubs available. Dense, white, round flower heads are formed from many smaller flowers that resemble a snowball. It’s spicy, sweet, vanillery scent carries across the yard so place it where you can enjoy its fragrance. Every yard should have one. This viburnum is not typically a plant for a tiny spaces as  it grows slowly to 6-8 feet tall. More compact varieties have recently been available. ‘Cayuga’ is a go-to variety that is somewhat compact and has an abundance of flowers. ‘Spice Baby’ is a bit smaller, staying to 4-5 feet tall and wide.

No matter what you’re looking for in a landscape for your home, the experts at Land Design Associates can help. Contact us today to learn more or give us a call at 781-769-3286

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While shopping for the bright and bold flowers for the spring and summer is fun, planning ahead for winter interest and color also offers its own rewards. To get some nice color in the winter, plant these trees and shrubs where you can easily view them from inside your house. There are a few other ways to add that much-needed pop of color in the bleak winter months.

1. Interesting Tree Bark

Plants with interesting bark are stars without their foliage and really shine in the winter. These trees and shrubs are beautiful in summer and winter when the bark is normally overlooked. Stems and trunks with peeling bark resemble cinnamon, such as the Paperbark Maple and climbing hydrangea.

Paperback Maple

Try a Stewartia with a camouflaged appearance. Stewartia is a small tree that flowers mid-summer. Both of these trees work well in smaller garden or closer to the home where you can view them up close.

Stewertia

2. Colorful Branches

Coral Bark Maple is a small tree with brilliant bark on its young branches. As the foliage drops in autumn, the tree’s bark begins to turn an attractive coral-pink which intensifies in cold weather. The winter bark color is deeper the more sun it receives. 

Coral Maple Bark

Although fairly boring in the summer, red twig dogwoods add cheery colors in yellow, orange and fiery reds in winter. The branch color persists all season long and is dramatic when planted in masses. They require cutting back every few years as newer branches have the boldest color. ‘Mid-Winter Fire’ and ‘Arctic Fire’ are good choices. 

Red Twig Dogwoods

3. Bright Berries

Beautyberry is a native shrub found in the southeast that grows 3-5 foot tall and wide with arching stems. Its foliage is not spectacular and is hardly worth looking at. As the foliage turns in fall and the leaves drop, the stems are concealed by bunches of small bright berries. The large amount of bright purple berries is striking during a time when there isn’t anything else found this color during winter. 

Beautyberry

Winterberry provides a winter show of abundant bright red berries covering the stems that can persist into spring. It’s a large, native shrub found in wetland areas along the east coast. Once the leaves have dropped, you are left with an astonishing view of thousands of berries adorning every stem. The cut stems are a bright addition to holiday cut greens. The berries are usually red but yellow varieties may be also be found. (‘Berry Heavy Gold’) This is an easy plant to grow and has few problems but keep in mind that it suckers and will grow very large. One male winterberry (‘Jim Dandy’) is required to pollinate female shrubs for heavier fruiting. 

Winterberry

Checkerberry is an evergreen groundcover that is native to eastern North America. Leaves are glossy, rounded and leathery and the plant grows 3-6 inches high. Plants will spread over time to form a groundcover. White flowers appear early summer and change into edible bright red berries. Leaves and berries have the aroma and taste of wintergreen. This plant grows well in shade with medium water requirements.‘Berry Heavy’® Heavier berry set than the species Try ‘Red Sprite’ for a more compact variety that grows to only 2-3 feet. 

Checkerberry

4. Plant late winter/early spring bloomers

Kick winter gloom with early bloomers. Witch Hazel, also native, blooms February/March with yellow to copper blooms and is one of the first plants to flower in New England. Give it some space as it will can become more than 12 feet wide. 

Witch Hazel

Lenten Rose has semi-evergreen foliage and blooms in February-April. The flowers pop up before new foliage and remain for several weeks. The foliage will look tired by spring, so freshen it up by cutting it back.

Not to be overlooked, crocus planted in a warm sunny spot are reliably one of the first harbingers of spring.

No matter what you’re looking for in a landscape for your home, the experts at Land Design Associates can help. Contact us today to learn more or give us a call at 781-769-3286.

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Even though a DIY landscape seems like it’d be a fairly simple project (who doesn’t love spending time in the garden?), transforming a landscape on your own may not be the best use of your time and money.

Before you pull the trigger on your DIY yard, think about these other 5 valuable things a landscaper could add to your project:

1- Determine the ‘flow’ of your landscape

• Designing your landscape for optimal functionality that suits your specific needs and home design.
• Determining the best locations for hardscapes, pools, sheds, walkways, driveways and more.
• Optimizing the use of your property by understanding spatial relationships to configure how all of the landscape elements will ‘connect’.
• Making sense of it all – creating a cohesive master plan that will look great for years to come.

2 – Add their specialized experience and landscape knowledge to your vision

• Having a professional knowledge of plant material helps landscapers select the proper plantings for the right place. This removes the possibility of expensive plants not surviving.
• Increasing the longevity of plants and decreasing the amount of maintenance required—low maintenance landscapes look great all year with little upkeep!
• Selecting hardscape materials for what will work best in your plan (for instance, many types and styles of stone and pavers are available for a patio and not all types of stone or pavers are suited to every situation). A designer can help you narrow your choices for what works for you.
• Knowing the local climate and seasonal weather patterns prevents problems down the line.

3 – Give you new ideas

• Creating a master plan of your property with a fresh perspective.
• Providing a variety of layouts and explaining the pros and cons of each.
• Including all of the features you would like and some features you hadn’t thought of.
• Introducing you to different ideas for outdoor features that are new to you.
• Offering a clear vision.
• Problem-solving seating options, drainage issues, curb appeal and more.
• Providing ideas on what to refurbish and what to replace.
• Helping you explore cost-effective options and alternatives.

4 – Prevent costly mistakes

• Helping you avoid spending money and time on plants that will underperform in your area.
• Designating hardscape areas with the correct shapes, forms and locations so problems are avoided or resolved before construction.
• Suggesting proper material selection for your region.
• Recognizing challenges inherent in your yard and providing great solutions.
• Outdoor living is an investment! It’s always best to go into it with professional guidance and support.

5 – Help plan for efficient construction

• Ensuring that your project is sustainable and developed within your budget and time constraints.
• Configuring details like lighting and irrigation that are crucial for long-term landscape usability.
• Being able to forecast the cost and timeline for your project.

To summarize, a landscape designer can plan ahead for future work, get the optimal use of your yard for family and entertaining and add greatly to your home’s value. Whether you want a designer for your entire yard or just want to refurbish your yard, a landscape designer is well worth the money.

Still not sure how to plan for your landscape? Book a free, no-strings-attached consultation with a landscape professional.

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