Philadelphia, PA: ....What? A Pondless Waterfall!
As we grow, we continue
to expand the services we offer.
This client came to us for bamboo to compliment a water feature he was adding.
During our initial conversation it was clear that he was having trouble finding someone that would "listen" to what
he wanted. The bids and designs he received, seemingly ignored the "look & feel" he described to them.
We listened and when we provided the client with our recommendations, he was pleasantly surprised.
Given
that our client has a child, there were obvious concerns with a pond. In order to provide the sound of flowing water without
the drowning hazard, we designed a pondless waterfall.
Pondless waterfalls have a basin below ground that captures
and retains the water when not in use. These systems are not only safe, they are easy to maintain and inexpensive to operate.
Although we have had limited supplies of Black Bamboo, this was clearly a worthy location. We hand selected several
specimen pieces of Black Bamboo and installed them on either side of the water feature. A root barrier was installed around
the bamboo, to prevent it from have the ability to pierce the pond liner.
Radnor, PA:
This project is best described as "The Physical Challenge".
Our client lives on the side of a steep hill and needed help replanting an area he just cleared. Initially, he wanted to plant
7' tall evergreens, but soon realized a few problems....The trees weighed more than 400lbs, and the area was so rocky there
would be no way to plant them.
We recommended that he plant several of our 15'-20' tall plants and a few 25' tall
plants. Navigating these plants down the hill was no easy task, but we got done. With plants as tall as 25', our solution
more than tripled the height of the evergreens. These plants can be expected to produce new growth as tall as 20' next year!
The evergreens would have taken 10-15 years or more to reach this height.
Philadelphia, PA:
This
project posed a few challenges and required truly "custom dug" plants. We needed large specimen plants but
the planting area was very narrow and access was very limited. Welcoming the challenge we searched every grove we have to
find the perfect (15'- 20'+) P. nuda. A root barrier was also installed to ensure that the bamboo could not escape into the
adjacent courtyard.
Malvern, PA:
Despite
a beautiful existing landscape this home backs up to a cemetery and the deciduous plants are no help during fall and winter.
To make matters worse the white pines continue to lose lower branches every season. Our solution, build a berm on top of the
berm and plant large divisions of Sasa palmata. Sasa palmata loves the shade and will do great in this location, where many
other plants wouldn't have a chance!
Philadelphia, PA:
This
client had a vision of what he wanted and provided the template. We selected the bamboo and located the stone.
A mix of species were selected including; Black, Yellow Groove and Sasa Veitchii.
Voorhees, NJ:
After settling
for Leyland Cypress, our client realized it would take years for them to fill in.
Solution: Transplant the Leylands, install a root barrier and plant bamboo. We selected 15'-20' Yellow Groove for
this location.
Valley Forge, PA:
This
client has a wooded property, but the tall trees provide little privacy.
We installed several
mid-size pieces of Yellow Groove bamboo. A second row was staggered to provide the most immediate impact.
Notice the stone border.... all removed while digging trenches for the bamboo.
Harleysville, PA:
This family loves to spend
time on their porch but needed some privacy and wind protection. Our biggest challenge on this project was negotiating with
the kids to let us shorten the sand box!
Audubon, PA:
After adding
an outdoor living area and hot tub, our client realized the job would not be complete without a quick privacy screen. Once
we took a look at the location, we recommended using Pseudosasa Japonica. This would stay within the height they wanted and
would provide a nice lush look throughout. Arrow bamboo is also not very invassive, which makes it easy to control without
a barrier.
Royersford, PA:
We were
contacted after this customer had enough. Initially they thought placing ivy on an arbor would help, but soon realized much
more would be needed. Next door the neighbor's pool was in dis-repair and on top of that a Wawa was just built on the corner.
The pics below were taken before mulch was added, but the 7-10 yellow groove did a
great job providing an immediate impact.
Paoli, PA:
In this side yard project our client wanted to add privacy with a natural looking arrangement of strategically placed
plants. They contacted us after bamboo had been mentioned by a landscape design firm that they also work with. Although the
suggested bamboo would have done just fine, it was not what the client would have wanted over time.
Our recommendation was to use
Arundinaria Gigantea and Sasa Veitchii.
Arundinaria is native to the
United States and provides a very erect and natural looking hedge.
Sasa
Veitchii is a beautiful and fairly hard to come by bamboo with lush green leaves that develop a white margin in the winter,
adding great color to any area.
Paoli, PA:
In the rear
section of the property, several 12'-15' tall white pines had already been planted for long term privacy. With the construction
of the home across the way our client needed something that would establish faster.
We selected
several large divisions of yellow groove bamboo ranging from 18'-25'. You can see the immediate impact in the pictures below.
Since then we have added several more large divisions and will be adding pictures as we go.
Malvern PA:
The pictures below reflect the growth of Phyllostachys Bissetii in
just over 2 years!
- April 2, 2007
- April 6, 2007
- July 8, 2007
- June 15, 2008
- July
9, 2009
After a complete pool renovation and the addition of a large patio, this client wanted
some privacy! The previously installed 6ft privacy fence was doing nothing to block the neighbor's garage. Phyllostachys Bissetii
was chosen for it's mid-size height and aggressive nature. It is clear that no other plant, tree or shrub would have accomplished
as much the bamboo has is just a few years! To date this grove is maintained without a root barrier. We established a small
trench on both sides and actively patrol the trench for escaping rhizomes on a semi-annual basis.
Swathmore, PA:
Our client recently purchased a home that had
a few existing stands of bamboo. Initially they wanted to have all of the bamboo removed and received quotes from a tree service.
Fortunately they found us, before making any decisions!
The tree company's recommendation...Cut it down to waist
level with chain saws. This would have been a terrible decision and would have simply caused the bamboo to grow thicker and
denser.
In reality the bamboo provided an effective privacy screen and just needed some attention.
Like many of the existing stands we see, this had grown uncontrolled and unmaintained for at least 12 years! Our recommendation
was to cut the bamboo back and establish an edge that could be maintained semi-annually.
Along
the driveway, we shaped the bamboo to flow within the existing trees. Given the proximity to the trees, trenching was not
an option. This was clearly a job for our Air Spade. The Air Spade is a specialized tool that blows compressed air at
supersonic speeds. The air released dislodges soil, without severing tree roots. After creating a small trench with the Air
Spade, we are now able to perform semi-annual maintenance without damaging the trees!
In the rear of the property,
the bamboo was much denser and needed a more aggressive approach. We cut the bamboo to the ground and will allow sections
of it to re-generate with lush new growth. While creating an edge with, the Air Spade uncovered an old slate walk way that
was literally swallowed by the bamboo. This is a great example of what can happen when things are unmaintained for a period
of years...
