This project in beautiful Lake Orion, Michigan is a unique one. Our client wanted us to design an outdoor space that resembled a forest line and would grow into a spectacular wall like the forest their home was built in. The existing pine trees were planted by the Boy Scouts of America in the 1960s and and have grown into a huge forest, adding to the natural beauty of the area.
Our challenge was to build a modern landscape that can add to the local natural beauty and grow for years to come. We created large berms around the property and blended different types of trees, bushes, and perennial plants together to create a forest like appealing landscape. Some of the trees used in this landscape were Balsam Fir, Armstrong Maple, Multi Stem Autumn Blaze Maple, Serviceberry, Parkland Birch, Silk Lilac, and River Birch. The variety of trees gives the feeling of a natural feature and adds different dimensions to the landscape. The shrubs planted in this landscape consist of Boxwood, Yew, Barberry, Weigela, Viburnum, Limelight Hydrangea, and Spirea. We recommended these shrubs based on various bloom times, colors, and leaf type. Finally, some of the perennials used are coral bell, forest grass, allium, russian sage, yucca, and day lilly.
In addition to the softscape portion, we incorporated a Natural Slate Stone Walkway around the water fountain to match the natural stone facade of the house. We also added border walls with Limestone Caps to retain existing steps that the client wanted to keep leading to their front porch. The final touch were Natural Outcropping stones place throughout the landscape to add yet another feature to an already diverse design. All in all this landscape turned out great and we are excited to see it grow!