Side yards, those often neglected areas that run alongside a home, normally bordered on one side by a boundary wall, tend to remain out of sight and out of mind when it comes to the homeowner’s vision for their property. Although they might seldom see foot traffic, side yards can nonetheless become enchanting corridors or versatile spaces with a little bit of attention and creativity.
In the pursuit of a well-balanced and varied landscape design, shape and form are crucial elements, contributing to various form and style themes. Here we’ll demystify these often obscure terms to help you gain a better understanding of the design process and communicate the vision you might have for your Somers, NY yard to our experienced landscape professionals.
Deciduous trees are ideal for bringing shape, color and shade to your outdoor areas. While they lose their foliage and become bare in winter, they often make up for it with their breathtaking fall coloring. Their shape is generally fuller than their evergreen counterparts, allowing for greater variation and a wider spread for providing shade during the hot summer months.
The ivy or Hedera plant is a climber that is adored for its ability to add lush greenery to a landscape all year round, cover walls and building facades for aesthetic purposes and provide a hardy groundcover for areas where grass has difficulty growing. Simultaneously, certain species in certain areas have a tendency to grow uncontrollably and can become noxious if they’re allowed to get out of hand.
Creeping and climbing vines have a number of handy uses in landscape design, including covering a bare wall, serving as ground cover, providing additional shade when draped over a pergola or obscuring an unattractive structure. Because they grow so quickly, vines are ideal for fast and noticeable changes to landscape aesthetic. And since they take up little to no ground space (unless used as ground cover), they’re perfect for adding vegetation to small outdoor spaces or tiny yards. Here are some versatile options ideal for the climate of Cortlandt, Westchester County and surrounding areas falling under the plant hardiness zone 6b.
The Virginia creeper is particularly noted for its fiery fall coloring when the five-pointed leaves transform from an unassuming, mid-range green to blazing orange and crimson. A fast growing vine, the Virginia creeper is ideal for covering relatively smooth surfaces such as exterior walls or boulders. It manages this with the adhesive pads at the end of it’s forked climbing tendrils and can reach a height of 60 feet under optimal conditions.
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With it’s thick, woody stems, the American wisteria climbing vine can grow up to 50 feet long and bears long bunches of bluish-purple, trumpet shaped flowers in summer. The long, fuzzy pods of seeds borne by the wisteria are also an attractive feature, though these are toxic but non-lethal. Several species of indigenous butterfly are attracted by the wisteria, making it an excellent choice for homeowners looking to attract benevolent insect-life to their yards.
A variant of the lighter green English ivy, Baltic ivy is a dark green, densely growing vine that can be used to cover fences, walls or structures, and can also be used as a low growing ground cover. Baltic ivy adheres particularly well to roughly texture surfaces such as brick or stone. Evergreen, extremely resilient to cold, and thriving in shaded areas, Baltic ivy is perfect for maintaining greenery in your yard year round, or adding greenery to patches of ground where grass struggles to grow.
So called because of the bright red and orange flowers, the trumpet creeper is an eye catching plant that is as tough as it is showy. Thick woody stems ensure extreme resilience to temperatures and aggressive pruning and may in fact require it in order to keep this vigorous grower under control. Although it can strangle other plants, the trumpet creeper is ideal for quickly covering large spaces, bringing color and substance to otherwise bare landscapes.
Originally from East Asia, this vine-like shrub has found a welcoming habitat in the eastern United States. The small, off pink flowers and unusual purple, pod-shaped fruit are a unique touch to a landscape, but perhaps the most attractive attribute of this exotic-looking plant is its scent. From May through to June, the chocolate vine blooms, emitting a strong fragrance somewhere between chocolate and vanilla. The fruit is sweet and edible, though it consists mainly of seeds and a thick skin. The chocolate vine serves as both a functional vine and novelty plant that is sure to draw attention and start conversation.
The choice of pavers for your new patio is one that could potentially last a lifetime. Therefore, it’s worth making sure the decision is one that will pay off in the long run. In this post we’ll take a look at how you can make the most of this lifetime investment and get the perfect patio paver for your needs.
Flowering perennials are ideal for bringing color to your yard year after year and with a spectrum of blooming times, you can ensure that your landscape remains cheerful year round. Here we’ve selected some of our favorite perennials perfect for Cortlandt Manor and surrounding areas falling under plant hardiness zone 6a.
