The Objectives:
The homeowner is a retired widow who moved to this duplex to be close to her daughter’s family
(featured in The Chef’s Family Yard profile). She loved the mix of flowers Laureen designed at her daughter’s yard and asked Laureen to change the boring front lawn into a colourful, low-maintenance garden she could putter in – adding and taking out plants over time.
The homeowner wanted an interesting landscape with varying heights, a small private seating area, and tool storage under her front stairs.
The Solutions
Laureen designed, and arranged for the installation of a new concrete sidewalk and patio with a
privacy fence. Laureen’s carpenter built tool storage under the front stairs with attractive wooden
facing.
Laureen’s crew dug up the edges of the lawn and created a small berm (hill) curving through the middle of the yard. Then they covered the area with newspapers and soil, did the planting and covered the bare ares with wood chip mulch. This method is something Laureen pioneered and it reduces carbon emissions from hauling away the sod. The newspapers and sod decompose over a few years creating a rich, organic soil that plants love to grow in. The wood chip mulch prevents weeds and keeps moisture in the soil, reducing the need to water.
A Montgomery Spruce that stays as a small tree is a focal point year-round and is decorated with lights and ornaments for the Christmas season. Low junipers and low-spreading perennials make for minimal maintenance. The junipers provide Winter colour and the perennials are a mix that provides colour throughout the growing season.
This yard has colour, texture and a variety of heights all year. The homeowner adds art pieces and has changed some of the larger plants over time, as she wants to try different flowers.
Laureen designed a simple back yard for her too with a fruit tree and wild strawberry ground cover. Her daughter’s family installed that for their Mom. The homeowner has been very pleased with her yard over the years.
She transformed my boring lawn
into an interesting, creative
and functional garden which
beautifully displays native plants.
- todd -
Laureen clearly loves her work. She is creative, listens carefully, asks good
questions, and has a light and pleasant touch with advice.
- pat -
I continued getting compliments about how great my front yard looks, so I hired laureen again this past spring to landscape my backyard!
- ken -
Our garden is low maintenance and attractive, with different shrubs and perennials flowering throughout
spring and summer.
- catherine and hans -
I love the installed design, from the rock river to the type, variety, and placement of the plants. Laureen was great to work with throughout the whole process!
- carol -
Me and gardening don’t go together. It has been an excellent move to use Laureen’s services. She is patient, calm, and very knowledgeable.
- line -
Laureen and her crew have always been conscientious and accommodating
...not easy things to accomplish in the landscaping field.
- jan and jacques -
“We brag about how quick and easy it is [to look after]. You developed a plan that met all of our needs and wants.”
Ryan l.
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