…is a woodland free of exotic, invasive plant species. This client’s Hillsdale, NY property is highlighted by an understory of native Vaccinium corymbosum (Highbush Blueberry) and Vaccinium angustifolium (Lowbush Blueberry). Both are edible, give great fall color, and are essentially maintenance free if planted in the proper location (these particular plants do prefer acidic soils).

Sustainability is not a new concept. Using native plants, low-maintenance plants, and creating landscapes that require little in the way of fertilization and irrigation has worked for thousands of years. As a culture we drifted away from that with the commercialization of fertilizers…but that is a whole ‘nuther story.

Today, we need to focus again on finding ways to decrease the inputs into our gardens, lawns, and fields. Translation: Save time, save money, and have a lower impact on the environment.

Organizations like NOFA have expanded their influence into the commercial landscape world with support, education, and accreditation in the area of Land Care.

Among the “tools” we now have in our kit are several seed blends for low-input, low-maintenance lawns. Here you can see an established section of a lawn installed just one year ago. Cool season fescues (Hard fescue, Sheep’s fescue, Red fescue, etc) make for this drought-tolerant, shade-tolerant, soft and beautiful lawn. It stays about 5 inches tall and gets mowed twice a year!

Our landscapes often feature natural stone and native plants, but once in a while a project comes along where we get to play with more traditional ideas.  This client in Alford had a very specific request:  a checkerboard in her back yard!

Good Landscape Design combines Form with Function, Aesthetic with Sustainable, Pretty with Pragmatic.

Here Ornamental grasses arch over a Goshen stone path in Alford, MA.

Fieldstone patio and path, containers, perennials complement a home tucked into a woodland clearing.

Monterey, MA.

Drawing and doing…

Landscape Design is a blend of art, science, and nature. Webster-Ingersoll's designers bring these elements into balance with people, their architecture and the natural features of their site to create spaces in the landscape that are meaningful and harmonious.