I have fondness for the Goddard House. I love making the residents happy. They watched us all day as we transformed the bare sitting area into a glorious garden.
WE'VE BEEN BUSY! /
We have been so busy I have taken to FB and Instagram to update our followers on this season’s doings. I now realize that I have neglected a whole audience of people who are not on social media so I now will get back to posting our 2020 work right here. I have an amazing crew this year who are knocking projects out of the park, or should I say out of the garden!
RR TIES, STRUGGLING PLANTINGS AND LAWN MADE A DREARY IMPRESSION.
When I first met the owners of this home they wanted me to help them with their small backyard garden. They are longtime residents of this leafy Brookline neighborhood and brought up their family in this lovely home. Now it was time for them to enjoy the yard. When I started to point out the ugly RR ties holding the front grade, the poor lawn and dead plantings, they agreed that a facelift was in order. We settled on installing an engineered wall and steps capped with bluestone.
In the backyard, we reordered the beds, cut down a few struggling and dead trees, and brought in beautiful shade plantings including a ring of azaleas, monkshood, astilbe, annabelle hydrangea, ajuga, itea, andromeda and more. The lovely ostrich ferns and hostas were retained and moved around to better balance the landscape. We repurposed the boulders that had been holding the grade on the front steps and used them throughout the garden. New sod and irrigation were the final touches for a successful project.
IRRIGATION AND MAINTENANCE WILL ENSURE OUR CLIENT’S ENJOYMENT OF THEIR NEW SPACE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
WHO’S BEHIND DOOR #2? /
Our client lives in a two family condo and though condo #1’s front door is clear, her condo was hidden off to the left side. She needed some curb appeal and a new walkway that designated the second residence. First order of business was to take out some old tired plantings and sick trees. Then, we built two new walkways and added colorful plantings to help define the two separate residences.
We added a trash barrel area and a big landing for strollers and Bikes.
A beautiful birch tree now defines the garden space and will bring vertical interest throughout the year.
A limelight hydrangea greets our client at the door and helps to hide those ugly bins!
A whole new experience to come home to and lots of nice compliments from all the neighbors!
Thanks FF Crew ( Lorena, Tiatyra and Jared )for all your hard work on this one!
Can't See The Forest For the Trees (or anything else)! /
When I first met with my Newton clients, they knew for sure they wanted to take down the trees in their backyard. The tiny trees that had been planted years ago had grown and overwhelmed their home and backyard. They threw down an abundance of sap on the terrace and outdoor furniture, and created a gloomy and dark atmosphere. Though I hate to take down trees, these were more appropriate for a large forested lot. Take a look at how we transformed the space to a bright garden full of light.
Pink azaleas, purple catmint, and liriope fill in below the tree form hydrangeas.
We spruced up this drab entrance by resetting the stepping stones, adding a few hostas and flanking the terrace with limelight hydrangeas.
We pulled out dead plant material and added a swath of annabelle hydrangea against the brick. Next year, white puffy blooms will be popping all summer long. The new grass adds a lush color.
At the exit to the garden, we planted Leucothoe to add green all season long. A colorful PJM will eventually grow to the window to be enjoyed from inside.
The back door got a quick makeover with seasonal containers, a limelight and a PJM guarding the exit.
A venus dogwood, sweetspire, catmint, and knockout roses love this newly light filled garden!
I'M SCARED! /
Sometimes when I go back to a client’s landscape after a few years, I’m scared to open the gate! Did the client water enough? Are the plants ok? How did the landscape age? I’m always relieved to walk into the garden and see everything flourishing as planned. Last weekend I stopped in at the Wellesley English garden, (featured on this site) to see how it is doing a year later. WOWZA! This garden is on steroids! It helps that the owner is a wonderful gardener herself. Please enjoy her beautiful photos.
BEFORE THE WORK.
Decked- OUT! /
When I first visited this property on a cool fall day, I was surprised by the deep lush backyard this JP property had to offer. Unfortunately, an old deck imprisoned the back of the house and cut off the home from its natural surroundings. My client was surprised and then excited when I suggested taking down the deck to have the new entertaining space right off the house. We got to work this summer to make the space a natural family sanctuary.
We installed long granite stairs at both doors to access the new bluestone terrace. Oversized containers with lush hydrangeas flank the french doors. Our favorite outdoor furniture vendor, Didricks, provided a modern, stylish, and comfy dining set. One more chaise lounge to relax and read a book will make the space complete!
Thank you FF Team for the property clean up and restoration. Kudos To Team Netto for their beautiful masonry and attention to detail.
Curb Appeal 101 /
Ever wonder how to add some curb appeal to your front yard? Here’s a good example of how to update a property. The long hedge boxes in the yard, the foundation plantings need some attention and the the old 1960’s walkway definitely needs some love.
We modernized the landing and walkway with the clean look of bluestone.
Next, we took down the old hedge and returned much of the lawn to grass. Using some of our clients plantings and adding some fresh colors, we cut out a pretty garden at the curb. Hydrangea, lilies, iris, catmint and coneflowers greet the neighborhood.
A Circular Story /
When I first visited this property, I was struck by how beautifully the inside of the home had been furnished. The decor truly reflected the cool, modern vibe of my client’s aesthetic. While they had concentrated on making the inside and backyard stunning, the front was still waiting for its turn. These things take time. They were now ready to come home to a symphony of color and our job was to make it happen.
The home had two old paver walkways. The first thing we did was to take them out, add one big bluestone walkway, and repair the broken landing and step.
The old walkway…
The center circle was unbalanced. The large pine, dwarf yew, and dogwood were fighting for space. The house number was tacked to a misshaped stone . We knew this could all be remedied with a little elbow grease and some new plantings.
We picked out the perfect boulder and added an engraved numeral. By transplanting existing material and adding a soft hill of rhododendrons, we balanced out the circle. A swath of shasta daisies, catmint and grasses now greets the homeowners at the driveway edge. Red and pink astilbes add a pop of color in the interior.
The new front gardens are filled with colorful plant material that will fill in and bloom from the spring through the summer. We dedicated the garden to the right of the mudroom to roses and lupine. Lacy quickfire hydrangeas greet visitors at the front door. We added six mature trees to the property as well as azaleas, coneflowers, phlox, penstemon, itea, twist and shout hydrangeas, and Dragon Lady ilex.
Thanks to Lucas and Luis who restored the landing and built the new walkway and Antonio Pesce/Architect. Thank you to my team of women(Lorena, Tia and Jane) who literally moved boulders to make it all happen!
A Chestnut Hill Puzzle /
Our first visit to the site was a bit of a puzzle. What to do with this rather blank canvas? The clients needed more entertaining space, a grill landing and a cozy couch area. Landscape architect, Steve Woods designed a space that fits together just like a puzzle.
We built a beautiful mahogany deck at the far end of the bluestone masonry. Tucked into the wood and stone, is a custom steel corten box filled with grasses, catmint and coneflowers just waiting to pop with color!
Oversized mahogany plant containers hide window wells and bring the garden right into the space. The home awaits a new coat of paint, some comfy deck furniture and some great entertaining.
Thank you to the Faithful Flowers crew, masons, Luiz and Lucas Netto, carpenter, Mike Souza and LA, Steve Woods, and Artist Adam Cowell who made the incredible corten planter!
A MAKEOVER OF HISTORIC PROPORTIONS /
This incredible Brookline home was hiding behind a ragged hedge. The new owners loving restored it head to toe and then turned to Faithful Flowers to create a landscape worthy of such a stunning home. We kept it simple. Enjoy the view with from our new drone!
Chestnut Hill Makeover /
We came to this house with grand ideas of a new fab terrace, firepit, walkway, driveway, deck and lighting! This glorious old Chestnut Hill home has great bones but needs a big update for a new, young family. The owners loved our ideas, but wanted to proceed slowly. Breaking a large project into sizable bites is a great way to go. The more time I spend on a property, I see how a family uses their landscape. We installed a beautiful meandering bluestone and granite pathway and brightened up the doorway with new plantings. Now on to phase two!
Let it Flow... /
We took over this property from a "sister" company. They did a beautiful job on the hardscape and custom fountain. We added a lot of plantings to bump up the seasonal color and "secret garden" feel.
The Needham Nest /
Last year I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful Needham family. The front of the house was lacking in pizazz and Faithful Flowers has a few ideas to bump up the curb appeal.
We built these cute little cheek walls with recessed lights to add some depth to the yard and light the steps at night. Then, we added new plantings including spirea, roses, hydrangea, catmint and shasta daisies for spring, summer and fall blooms. Now this property blooms all season long! We also took down a large storm damaged maple and replaced it with three birches that hug the corner of the lot and are beautifully lit up at night. Stay tuned for the backyard makeover later this month!
The Drive By! /
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a fabulous Brookline designer. Her interior design and landscape won a Boston Home 10th Anniversary award. I hopped out of my truck today to shoot a few photos of how beautifully her garden has grown. It's always great to collaborate with a client with an eye for design!
This is the front before we restored the stately entrance. We took our cues from old photos.
Buddha's Delight /
Linden Street is a little slice of heaven, tucked away behind Brookline Village. Take a walk though this darling neighborhood and step back in time. Our client asked us to create an oasis out of a muddy shaded backyard that was seldom used.
We cleaned the old bluestone, took it up, regraded and installed a new footing and relayed it. Then we added a cobble edge to the new plant bed at the fence line and filled it with climbing Hydrangea, Green Spire and Carex grass. We gave the Buddha a sacred spot in a peastone garden complete with Hosta, Bamboo, Aruncus and Tiarella.
Stepping stones helped define the shade garden, buffered by plantings of Hosta, Hay Scented Fern, Annabelle hydrangea, Azalea, Bleeding Heart and Astilbe, Solomon Seal and Blue Hydrangea.
The Buddha is pleased and so is the client.
THE FIRE DRILL /
This beautiful victorian needed to be ready to hit the market and fast! Here's how we gussied her up in only two days...
While the interior of the home was perfection, the exterior needed some big help. We started by replacing the cement walkway with bluestone. Next we redid the foundation plantings and added welcoming front porch containers.
The backyard was the real challenge-we transpformed the mudpit into livable space by repurposing existing stone into a small terrace. Next we added a firepit, stepping stones and blooming forsythia. The outside of the home is now as beautiful as the inside-who could resist? The home was under agreement in a flash!
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? /
Here is the before photo in 2013.
I stopped by a busy intersection in Brookline where I had installed a garden several years ago. The goal was to create somewhat of a buffer between the house and the street and to hide a secret garden for a small child to explore. I was curious as to how the garden held up and if the objective was met. A successful garden should look great as it is planted but also needs to go the distance. What do you think?
2017
No one gave this cape a second look until... /
This cute Brookline cape was hidden behind an old privet hedge, tired foundation plantings and an ugly walkway.
Faithful Flowers lightened up the look by removing the privet and adding a handsome iron fence. We installed a bluestone walkway to match the existing steps and year round blooming foundation plantings. Welcome home!!!!
This Terrace is for Turkeys...REALLY!!! /
My longtime customers sold their large beautiful home and downsized to a historic condo. They had a small space in the backyard dedicated to a terrace area. Unfortunately, it looked like this...a sad slab of concrete. Not an appealing area to relax after a long day at work.
The first thing we did was to create an inspirational drawing that enlarged the entertaining space and ringed the terrace with plantings to create the effect of being inside the garden.
Given the green light, we demolished the old concrete slab and installed Unilock pavers to keep costs down and to match existing onsite pavers.
The result, a quiet retreat hugged by hydrangea, shasta daisies, sedum, catmint, grasses and knockout roses. Something is blooming all year long! The turkeys challenged our photographer Peggy Stander for territory!
Now you know why this terrace is really for turkeys!
SPRING AWAKENING /
Faithful Flowers displays work year round in center court at the Mall at Chestnut Hill, but spring is always a special time. This season, I teamed up with Ken Dietz, principal of the interior design firm Dietz and Associates (http://www.dietzandassociates.com). Ken and I often collaborate as he designs fresh and modern interiors which I translate outside into the landscape and natural world. I have been thinking about the young contemporary artist, Juan Travieso (juantravieso.format.com) whose work reflects his environmental concerns. I am quite taken with his paintings of deconstructed birds and apparently so are many collectors and museums.
Endangered Bird #116 Juan Travieso
I suggested to Ken, that I would like to include Juan's work in the project. With that in mind, Ken and I created an installation featuring Juan's birds combined with elements of an awakening spring New England landscape. See how we took the plan from start to finish. Thank you Juan for sharing your work and Ken for your impeccable design and eye!
