In the summer of 2019, we were contracted to create a landscape for a residential property in Beacon. The residents expressed a desire for their property to feel more unified, while maximizing usable space, and mitigating erosion on the steep slopes. The overall design included native and edible plantings, bluestone retaining walls along elevation contours, a boulder retaining wall, a rain garden, dense erosion control plantings, an herb spiral, several new garden beds, construction of a cedar fence around the front yard, reconstruction of a pre-existing deck and the implementation of various landforms and paths. A staircase, constructed out of locally harvested cedar logs, was pinned into the hillside. On either side of the staircase, three tiers of rock retaining walls hold beds of shade tolerant plants and edibles. Plantings and wood chips were densely placed on the other slope to help mitigate rapid erosion. A boulder retaining wall reinforces the stone elements of the retaining walls beneath it while giving structure and form to the front yard above it. The front yard design includes a reimagined layout of pre-existing plantings and raised beds, along with a cedar deck and fence that maximizes the space. With wooden elements dominating the front yard and stone elements in the back, the terraced wood chip plantings act as a transition between the two.
