Blueprints and River Rock

Landscaping Plan For a New House

94 degrees and 95% humidity makes it feel like 105 degrees outside and it is only the first week of summer in southwest Florida.  Watching the maintenance and landscaping crews work makes you wonder how they can work so hard in the heat, dripping wet they go from one job to the next beautifying yard after yard.

Cute Renovation

This house looks very different with the huge old bougainvillea standard removed the schefflera rearranged and the addition of panama roses.  The stone and weed barrier will help this elderly couple reduce maintenance.  Hazeltine designs and installs jobs of all sizes.

Before Mostly Junipers

I have designed and sold a few projects in Bobcat Trail in North Port this year these newer homes have the builders package landscape plan which generally consists of the same tired, cheap  plants; shore juniper, cabbage palms, Washingtonian palms, flax lily, iris and grasses. 

Tear Out

The skid loader makes short work of removing the old juniper and the weeping bottlebrush. The bottlebrush was good looking but planted to close to the house.  Maintenance for Bobcat Trail is done by a major national company and they trim all the bloom from the bottlebrush even though the clients have asked them not to, I replaced it with a palm at the proper spacing.

Sun Impatiens, Oh Yeah

Flowers spilling out of a pot surrounding the lamp post with a great new jasmine vine really changed the look of this house.  The homeowners are really happy with the new look.

No Real Landscaping Before

Cleared Property Line

I did not have the opportunity to meet with the owner of this property but that did not stop us from helping out with the landscaping.  This rental is owned by a woman in Miami and she wanted a spruce help that would help facilitate renting.  HNI to the rescue.  This quick fix up included chopping back the bush on the neighbors empty lot, adding some curb appeal to the road side and making the backyard more family friendly. 

Adding Curb Appeal

Many of the jobs I design have multiple components and frequently owners are absent so it is up to HNI to deliver the project on time and on budget, it is a good feeling to work for a company that is capable of delivering what it promises.  I ran Millgrove Landscaping with that philosophy and am pleased to continue with those values.

Bagged Stone

Topdressing beds with landscaping stone whether bagged or from a gravel pit is an effective method to help reduce weeds.  Landscaping fabric or weed barrier is installed under the fabric and weeds are kept at bay.  Gravel pits are in short supply down here in flat Florida so all stone is imported from other states.  I traveled to a few of our stone suppliers last week and got an education on how the stone gets to our southern most state.  Very interesting.

At Conrad Yelvington stone of various is brought into their yard by railcar.  A spur allows the cars to pull over a large pit with a heavy steel grate.  The car doors are opened and the stone drops into the pit.  The pit has a conveyor that runs under the road and then to the above ground belt which dumps it into the trucks.

The Conveyor

This will give you  an idea of why stone costs so much in FL, back in IN we could just go to the gravel pit and buy stone for around $ 12.00 a ton, down here all that shipping translates into stone that costs $ 120.00 a ton.  But it was a pretty cool to watch the stone being delivered.

Been awhile since I was required to wear a safety vest and hard hat but I did not mind.  I would prefer to have my own hardhat and not wear someone else's but that's okay.

The Grate Over the Pit

Auto Cad Comes Into My Life

Hummingbirds are missing from my Florida home but once I get the exterior painted I plan on putting up a couple of feeders.

These two morning doves were hatched and raised on the top corner of our hurricane shutters, this is the second nest that we have had this year.  The neighbor has the same event, these birds are very adaptable, certainly urban dwellers, guess if they can do it so can I.

Somebody Really Liked Stone

Currently I am wrapping up a proposal for this home in Englewood, the new owners liked some of the ideas the ex home owner had but upgrades are definitely needed.  The roadside facelift will include palms, bird of paradise, dwarf allamada and tropical appeal.

Putting Green

This never used putting green will give way to a fabulous paver patio that will include a pond, firepit, designer block seating benches and a oversize planter.

Existing Pond

The ponds that are currently in the back yard have a certain amount of charm and even a few fishes, but the construction technique was not very professional.   A pond expert will be installing the new pond and even managing the old fish during construction.  This site will be filled and compacted and the new pond location will afford a view virtually from every location,  it will be very sleek and set into the paver patio.

Current Gazebo

Proposed Pavilion 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new pavilion will be 14 x 28' with a aluminum peaked roof, paver floor and a 3 x 8' granite serving table perched upon three Tremron block pillars, can't wait to see it complete.  The resident chef is picking out the grill which will tuck nicely behind the table.  I hope to be invited to the first BBQ.

Survey/Site Plan

Most projects start with the survey or site plan that are required for any construction.  If I get lucky the customer still has a site plan or if it is new construction one is obtained from the builder.  These plans are generally on a very small scale 1'=20' for function the plan is usually blown up to a larger scale, 1'=10' for many projects and even 1'=4' for smaller areas.

The next step is the actual creation of the lay out and selection of the plant material.  This process takes the most time and it is very important to continually work with the customer to assure you meeting their needs and style.  Outdoor living spaces are very personalized these days, there are just so many options and ideas.

Scott Draws Auto Cad

An exciting new dimension for me is the ability for my designs to be drawn professionally on auto cad, Hazeltine has two auto cad wizards and another in training.  Additionally the landscape architects can design and draw with these wonderful tools, me I still feel pretty comfortable with a pencil in my hand.

Groovy New Look For My Designs

I can't wait to present the proposal for this project next week.  We have worked hard on the design and tweaked it several times, I think the clients finally have what they have been dreaming about.

Digging These Fern Spores

The Future Is Wide Open

Great New Office

Greetings from southwest Florida, my new home.  It has been a long while since I have posted on this blog, during that time I have not been landscaping but have been working on my homes getting two ready for sale and getting one ready to move into.  Might not sound like work but it has been lots of cleaning and painting, packing, selling and loads of yard work, now I have been working at my new job for two weeks and still settling into home. 

Atrium In Design Office

Lately it  looked like a hoarder lived at my house but the boxes are gradually being unpacked and new locations for their contents is found. Still a lot of painting to do and shelving to build or buy but time is my friend, no worries.

This sweet painted piggy greets customers at the design center at Hazeltine Nurseries Inc., in Venice, FL, some 1200 odd miles from Indiana where I hope to find a nest of my own for the next several years. Everything about my new digs screams first class, do it right, makes me feel at home.

Going to work for someone else is not an easy proposition for me, not a contract I would enter into lightly after having spent the last 30 or so years being my own boss.  It certainly helps if your first impressions make you feel at home.

A Visual Surprise Around Every Corner

Welcome to the Full Retail Nursery

Wow what a great environment for inspiration,  a full retail nursery, tractor trailers to deliver plants, field grown specimen palms on 90 acres next adjacent to the  pristine Myakka River, super groovy.  There is a butterfly garden display, a large green house for the more tender plants, a wide selection of stylish pots and of course the plant selection, seems like I have died and gone to landscape heaven.

Display Butterfly Garden

Yep, We Got It All

Come On In See Deb, Cheryl, Laurie and Crew

Design Ideas You Can Experience

Big changes on the horizon for this girl and family, the dogs swim every day in the pool at home, don't know who likes it best but I sure dig living here so far, like vacation every day except the working part.  Of course when you feel at home, respect the principles and love your chosen field of work it surely helps the days pass.

A Peaceful Easy Feeling

Plants, Plants, Plants

The Meaning of Life

Who knows what the future holds but life's good on my ship right now.  As Tom Petty says," the future is wide open."

I Fly Seattle, Indoor Skydiving

Leo and Marcy gave me a great adventure present for Christmas, indoor skydiving, it was a huge rush.  Leo shot this video in slow motion it was when the instructor took me to the top of the dome and spun me about, wow.  Heart was racing, mouth was dry and my grin from ear to ear.  Don't know if I am ready for the real thing yet but this was sure groovy.

Ray's Review

It was 2008 when I first worked with Ray Butcher, the undisputed head gardener of Ladera Resort and my respect for him grows with our every encounter. The Ladera style is without mistake strictly Ray's, he loves the "jungle look" filling all spaces with color and form replicating mother nature, mixing high plants with low, red with yellow, blue with pink creating a haven for birds and guests of Ladera.

Ray loves Ladera and it is evident as he tours with guests explaining plants including folklore, medicinal purposes, food value and aesthetic beauty. He is a knowledgeable grower and designer with an incredible capacity to put in long, physical hours in the hot tropical sun, often softly singing as he goes about his daily tasks. His soft manner and sly sense of humor add to his considerable charm.

We have learned much from each other and I am proud to call him my friend and look forward to returning to Ladera and working side by side with Ray.