Acer Garden Design

Another redo of a tired foundation planting.

Still a work in progress, this courtyeard apartment building needed serious drainage work to prevent dangerous ice on the walks in winter. High walls and old green bushes made one hurry past. Now Kousa dogwoods, interesting grasses, and Spring and Summer flowers are real head-turners. We will continue to tackle the remaining areas in upcoming months. Stay tuned!

A bleak front yard left untended for many years became a welcoming, organized space. Native flowering dogwoods provide privacy for the large windows and bulbs, perennials, and shrubs flower in turn.

Historic setting for beds that must be deer proof and colorful while being seen across a large lawn.

This shows effective layering of plants, and for all the great color here, the planting is still simple, requiring only minimal up keep.

We removed virtually everything in front of this once-neglected house, as it blocked the view of the entrance from the street. In addition, we built a new brick and bluestone porch, with a wet-laid bluestone walkway and natural stone steps. A pretty stacked stone retaining wall was built along the driveway. The new front garden has color in every season, from the earliest hellebores in March to the last fall asters in November, with very little maintenance required.

I put together this garden in Bernardsville to showcase a wide variety of perennials. 

BEFORE: This garden in Bernardsville was over run with hay scented ferns and pachysandra when the owner called me.

AFTER: We planted a range of non-invasive plants to provide color in all seasons.

A small terrace with bench provides a relaxing spot to experience the garden.

We work around existing elements such as the Japanese maple, boxwoods and little Styrax tree.

Crumbling stone walls were rebuilt into three levels; existing rocks were put to use as a stairway to the upper viewing terrace.

The pre-existing hay scented ferns are now tamed into reasonable size and fit into the scheme.

Hemlock mulch provides a rich colored weed control barrier. Mulching retains moisture as well.

A classic color combination of mauve and chartreuse. The flag to the left marks an irrigation head for the moment; our design takes into account irrigation and easy maintenance.

This house is located on a shady site. We helped the homeowner with paint colors on the house and shutters to better harmonize with the stonework, installed a new walkway, and built a wonderful bluestone patio and garden. Cobalt blue containers are the perfect contrast to the house colors.

The first two pictures are BEFORES,  to give a sense of how far we were able to go in terms of improving the overall appearance.

This was a “tear down” to the foundation house. We designed a safe, elegant entry walk 15 steps up to the front door. Ornamental grasses, bulbs, and windowboxes soften the front. This project featured a firepit abutting the patio, privacy plantings, flowers, herbs and a berry patch.

We transformed a plain ranch house with typical foundation plants and lots of lawn, into a park like space with curving beds, a nook for a bench or chair, and great fall color that the homeowner can enjoy from inside.