Choosing Hardscape Materials

Material choice is, perhaps, the most fun step in a landscape design.  Material can (and will!) determine the direction a project takes.  It can determine the paving pattern, whether the design in curvy or posses straight lines, and the formality of the space.  Do you want a modern feeling space?  Do you want to have a monolithic wall or have it broken up with smaller stone?  Would you like natural stone or an interlocking concrete paving system?  These are all choices you need to make when thinking about a hardscape.  

PA Irregular Flagstone with a reclaimed brick border.

Quarter Ton Brown Boulders are great features in planting beds or dry creek beds.

Materials also determine the character of the space.  Whether you are going for an extremely modern space or want your patio to look like it is a hundred years old, material choice is very important.  Colors, architectural elements, and paving materials all need to work together to create a cohesive space.  At LawnScapes, we like to take our clients to a supplier’s yard to show them the wide range of natural materials and the options to be had.  Nothing is more fun that a shopping trip!  I tend to advise clients to take the time to choose the boulders, colors, and materials in person so that they know exactly what the materials look like. 

The rustic character of this space is accentuated by the stacked stone wall, broken flagstone cap and the stepping stones.

This entry courtyard is meant to be very formal.  The Rectilinear design, double sailor course of brick, and the range pattern flagstone really adds to the gravitas of the space.

Visit Delaware Hardscape Supply’s Website, CST Pavers, and EP Henry to pick out some of your favorite materials.  As always, please do not hesitate to visit our website at www.lawn-scapes.net to give us feedback! 

-Matt Bradley

Race Street Pier

View of the upper level of the pier and the Ben Franklin Bridge.

               A couple of months ago the Race Street Pier in Philadelphia opened to the public.  Since this was a brand new work of landscape architecture right in my backyard I figured I should take a trip into the city to see it.  I hopped a SEPTA Train at the Malvern Station with my trusty road bike, camera, and my head full of great expectations. 

               The Race Street Pier was formerly known as ‘Pier 11’ and was a rundown unused urban space.  Located right next to the Ben Franklin Bridge and offering dramatic views of the Delaware River, this Pier was ripe for redevelopment.  This is one of the first of many public parks built by the Delaware Waterfront Corporation.  Three designs were presented and ‘The Slice’ won.  I must say as a designer this design is spectacularly dynamic.  Check out all of the designs HERE

The lighting at the end of the pier is quite unique.  Place randomly into the pavers, it really creates a show when viewed from the bridge above or even on ground level.

One of the most striking details is the use of ‘Cor-Ten’ steel for the raised planters.  Cor-Ten steel is meant to rust, protecting it from the any further degradation from climatic forces.  Once it takes on the dramatic brownish, red color the protective barrier has formed.  This material really harkens back to the Piers more humble, industrial beginnings.    

The winning design is dominated by a large, sloping ramp that rises along the north side of the pier.  Constructed of ‘Trex’ wood it should last a very long time.  

Dramatic view of the Ben Franklin Bridge

View from the end of the Pier toward the city.  Notice Comcast Center peaking it's head out of the mist.

Native plantings with Cor-Ten steel planters

If you have any question don't hesitate to visit our web page at www.lawn-scapes.net!

A simpler Time.....

Ever wish you could step back in time?  Find a place where all the hassles of the modern world melt away?  Well I have found that location.  Now I do not want to give the exact location where this magical retreat is but, I will tell you about it!

A shot of the stone chimney and naturalistic landscaping.

               My wife’s family has a lake house in Great North Woods of Wisconsin that her Great Grandfather built during The Great Depression.  He needed a way to keep his factory workers busy so he would not have to lay them off.  If you have ever seen “The Great Outdoors” with John Candy and Dan Akroyd then you have a great picture of the surrounding landscape.  Once a year Sarah and I like to escape for a week or two to decompress, mountain bike, water ski, and drink the amazing Wisconsin beer. 

View of the dock and "Echo Cove"

               The lake house and the crystal clear lake it is on serves as an inspiration to me every time I visit.  We have no television, internet (wireless included), and out cell phones barley receive service!  We really can relax, listen to the sounds of the lake, and have good conversations with our family.  I always come back ready to work and with plenty of photographic inspiration for my design work.  Since the family owns it, we have the responsibility of keeping it up.  I love working on the cabin, the boathouse and in the surrounding yard/woods.  To keep the upkeep to a minimum the landscaping is very naturalistic and composed of flora native to the North Woods.  Species include Black Pine, White Birch, and several varieties of native grasses.  The main focus is on removing small trees (when they grow in nuisance areas), ensuring that the crushed red stone walks are compacted, and the paths are swept clean.  Unfortunately, any chores must be completed before we can go skiing, kayaking, or for a bike ride!

View to the Boat House showing the natural landscaping and walkways.

 The idea of a wooded landscape composed of native flora and fauna really inspires me.  In spite of my chosen profession, I really do not enjoy yard work all that much!  With an eye for design and function I would love to see more landscaping like this in Pennsylvania.  How much lawn do you really need?  Enough to lounge, through the football, or run the dog; with careful planning all of these uses can be accommodated without requiring a Saturday spent on the mower.  Color within a naturalistic landscape can be provided with native azaleas, dogwoods, and other shade tolerant understory plants. 

Mixture of native grasses and ferns.

   Once you move beyond the landscape surrounding the cabin and start exploring the wondrous natural expanse of the forest beyond it you find many interesting things.  One of my morning rituals is to take either the kayak or the canoe out and paddle around our cove.  There are two islands and several swampy areas to explore.  The first is named ‘Bud’s Island’ after the man who built the primitive cabin that is on it.  As you can see from the pictures nature is slowly reclaiming all of his hard work.

Cabin being slowly reclaimed by nature.

I really love the aesthetic created by the cabin, pine straw, and the birch trees; it is just so picture perfect.  While exploring we were extremely careful to not disturb ANYTHING!  We want to preserve this for future generations to explore and enjoy.

Close up of the cabin.

  Once done photographing the cabin and exploring the island, I moved on to exploring the swamps.  The flora is amazing, encompassing all manner of flowering water plants and lily pads.  Lily pads bloom in two colors on our lake, white and yellow.  The white blooms are becoming more and rarer as they are out competed by the yellow.  One sad sign of the times is the appearance of the Eurasian Milfoil  in the lake.  The Milfoil is an invasive exotic that is quickly out competing the native plant species in the lake.  It is quite the nuisance and pretty disgusting when it attaches itself to your leg when swimming.  The local forestry office has come up with a pretty interesting way to control this pest.  Their method consists of a pontoon boat, two divers, and what is basically a vacuum.  One diver goes down and uses the suction hose to harvest patches of Milfoil while the other stays up top.  This seems to be working quite well, though every time a boat drives through a patch the prop cuts any Milfoil present to pieces and disperses little pieces to reproduce asexually.  We do our part by taking out the kayaks and raking the dock and beach areas clear of floating pieces

Lily pads in the swamp.

Rare white blooming lily pad.

These plants bloom a beautiful purple spike.

Mini Trees!

Greetings from a simpler time!

Interesting facets of daily life in Wisconsin’s North Woods are the so called ‘Supper Clubs.’  These are mostly family run restaurants that are run out of lodges or old homes.  Our personal favorite is Norwood Pines.  The lodge it is run out of is absolutely beautiful and the ice-cream drinks are to die for; by far the best food in the area.

Norwood Pines Supper Club

  Many of the homes in the area are marked with amazing stone work, be it chimneys or walls, our cabin included.  The craftsmanship inherent to this kind of work is on display every place you visit. 

Fireplace in the boathouse.

Stone retaining wall.

I love our cabin for its obvious age and the antiques that still work perfectly (or not so perfectly).  These antiques lend a feel of a time gone by to the cabin and I would never update any of these items for the sake of modernism.

I love the illustration but I don't know if I would trust this in a fire.

Vintage door closer.

View of the boathouse and our dog, Sam.

I hope all you readers are enjoying these blogs about what inspires me and you have thought of a place that inspires you as well.  Writing these help me recapture some of the thoughts and ideas that I had when I was experiencing them and by writing are refreshing them in my memory! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to visit our web page at www.lawn-scapes.net.


-Matt Bradley

The Kitchen Garden

            A kitchen garden is an amazing way to supplement your trips to the supermarket by supplying fresh, local produce.  The local and organic food movement is becoming more and more visible; what is more local than your backyard!  Families with children will create an amazing learning opportunity by teaching (and showing) their children where food comes from, and the amazing process of life.  A garden of about 300 square feet can keep a family of four in fresh vegetables and fruit for an entire summer though, I would recommend going smaller for your first season.  If planned correctly the spare fruits and vegetables can be canned or frozen for the winter months.  If you do not have space for a garden of that size, then Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Swiss Chard, and Carrots can be grown in pots.  My wife and I grew an amazing variety of produce on our back deck during college. 

            It is very important to plan your garden for maximum yield by choosing what you want to grow and what your family eats a lot of.  My grandparents had a garden every year for as long as they were able.  They avoided the initial plowing by hiring a local man with a tractor and plow to work their soil for a very reasonable rate.  Once this was done, they could pick out rocks and sow seed.  Your garden plot should be placed in an area that gets good sun throughout the day.  Avoid areas with large trees because of roots.  Sketching out your garden is a good idea.  An easy scale to work with is 1”=1’ (you can use a regular ruler if you do not possess a scale).  It is important to think about plant space requirements and to make sure you leave space between rows to walk.  Make sure during your planning that taller plants, such as corn, do not shade out other crops that require more sun. 

Research the plants that you are growing to learn about crop yields, space requirements, and whether they can frozen or need to be eaten right away.  I would also recommend researching disease resistant varieties and which crops do well with little work in your area.  The perfect garden soil is loamy and rich.  The key to soil improvement is working organic material into your soil.  A soil test (available from your local County Extension Office) is highly recommended.  A soil test costs anywhere from nine dollars to 30 dollars and will tell you what your soil’s pH, composition, and make up is.  Knowing your region’s frost dates because this helps determining the grow season’s length.  Southeastern Pennsylvania’s is about 200-300 days. 

Taking care of your garden is very important for crop growth and quality.  Take a walk through your garden every day with an eye for diseases, wilting, weeds, and to pick your crops.  Water whenever the soil becomes powdery and dry.  Make sure you water deep and thoroughly.  I also recommend mulching your garden.  Mulch insulates plant’s roots and replaces organic material to the soil.  Leaves, hay, grass clippings, saw dust, or wood chips are all suitable materials to use as mulch in the garden.  For disease problems I recommend purchasing a vegetable disease guide.  It is important to decide whether you want to try to deal with disease problems organically or with a chemical.  There are many organic products available to deal with pests and diseases.    

Hints and Tips for a Quality Garden:

1.     Choose disease resistant plant varieties

2.     Inspect seedling for diseases before you purchase.

3.     Pull and dispose of diseased plants. DO NOT compost.

4.     Rotate crops every year to prevent soil depletion and soil born diseases.

5.     Weed often.

6.     Do not work in your garden after a rainstorm.  Plants can be more fragile, the soil will be soft and muddy, and the roots can be trampled.

7.     Compost healthy plants at the end of their life.

            Crops to Consider:

·       Crops for Early Spring Planting:

o   Broccoli, Cabbage, Lettuce, Onion, and Radish

·       Crops for Mid- Spring Planting:

o   Cauliflower, Beets, Carrots, Swiss Chard, Beans, Corn, and Early Potatoes

·       Crops for Early Summer:

o   Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Lima Beans, Melons, Okra (bread and lightly fry in oil, to enjoy a true Southern Delicacy), Pumpkins, Squash, and Winter Potatoes

·       Crops for Summer into Fall:

o   Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Lettuce, and Radish

o   Plant in early August: Cabbage, Cauliflower

o   Lettuce, Spinach, Turnip