The brief
The house was finished; the lot around it was builder’s clay and a few surviving oaks. The family wanted lawn for the kids, somewhere to eat outside, and planting that would make the crisp architecture feel settled rather than dropped in.
What we did
We pulled the lawn into one generous, level rectangle off the kitchen and set a bluestone terrace beside it, wide enough for a table for ten. Deep borders of grasses, native perennials and multi-stem serviceberries soften the edges and screen the neighbors without blocking the light.
Under the oaks we kept the existing grade, hand-dug around the roots and planted ferns, sedges and hellebores. Drip irrigation runs to every bed and low lighting picks out the trees after dark.
A year on
The borders filled in during the first summer, and the serviceberries fruited in their second spring. We visit four times a year on a Signature care plan.