It’s that time of year again: Downton Abbey time!
I’ve been waiting all year to catch up on the drama that goes on at Dowtown Abbey. While I was happily watching this the last few Sundays, it mentioned how the Countess of Grantham loved her Gardens. The beauty of Downton Abbey is that it is a real place, where the...
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TO FENCE OR NOT TO FENCE
Fences can be barriers or decoration or often a combination of both. Fencing can create a welcoming feeling to a home or a feeling of privacy. There are a great variety of fence materials and designs available of homeowners. Determine your budget, the purpose of the...
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PLANNING A WALKWAY
In residential design, the layout and materials of walkways are critical to the function and style of a property. They can range from being a very practical direct way for people to enter the home, to a meandering path that allows someone to look around and enjoy the...
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HARD DECISIONS
There are many design decisions to be made when contemplating what paving material to use when building a patio or terrace. Picking hardscape materials can be tricky. It’s important to know a little bit about every product so that you know what will work best for you...
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LET’S TALK ABOUT DECKS
Years ago, a deck was built with one material – wood. Now there are many options that also include different types of wood! If you get excited about design details, do not overlook the different choices of deck material. There is no right or wrong answer when it...
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SEEK INSPIRATION
It’s a new year and a new start to the gardening season. As a landscape architect working in the landscape industry, I have been asked countless times “what do you do all winter?” Believe me, there is lots to do but maybe a better question is what you can do this...
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MOVING FORWARD FROM THE ICE STORM
What an end to 2013! With the countdown to Christmas in the final days, the ice storm really messed up every and all plans for the holidays. Now that everyone has survived, recovered and been reconnected; we have time to assess the damage that the storm wreaked upon...
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MORE TREES PLEASE!
Trees have been used as ornamental plants as early as the Egyptians. They wrote about trees being transplanted with a ball of soil around the roots. Throughout the years and around the world, many trees were introduced to new places by trade and travel. Today these...
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IS THE SUMMER REALLY OVER?
I can see snow falling through the window as I am writing. This does not make me very happy, as I feel that this summer was not nearly long enough, warm enough, or sunny enough. But this happens every year. As I look around the gardens, there are no more bright,...
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Go Green…
This is a photo I took of a garden in Verona, Italy. It reminds me that sometimes the simplest things are the best. This garden was almost completely green, with colorful accents only in the urns that were scattered sparingly throughout the site. There was mostly...
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THE PERFECT LANDSCAPE
We often get clients who want a landscape transformation that looks complete, filled in and perfect, and appears to have been there forever. They want this look immediately after the construction is complete. And we can come really close to giving this to our clients....
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WALKING THROUGH YOUR GARDEN
A client once asked me “How often should I walk through my garden?” I answered, “Each day, things change in a garden. If you walk through your garden every day, you will always see something new. It might be something small, but looking for it will help you take the...
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How do you select a Landscaping Company?
How do you know which landscaping company is right for you? There are a number of questions you can ask. The answers and information you receive will guide you towards the selection of a company that will help you achieve the desired results for your residential...
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THE WEEKENDS ARE FOR ENTERTAINING…
It’s been a really long day…actually, a really, really, long week at work. After a quick stop at home to drop off your briefcase and change, you hop in a cab, still tired, but ready to relax with your friends. They have recently done a total landscape renovation on...
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CANADA BLOOMS…
Our amazing crews and all our staff put in over 500 hours in the five day build prior to Canada Blooms 2013. We created a 1590 square foot feature garden that features four individual garden rooms. Each of our foremen took on one garden room as a project. As a result...
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…WINTER INSPIRATION
In our Canadian climate, the landscape season is compressed into 9 to 10 months of absolute crazy hours and intense work weeks. We have to cram an entire year into the months where the ground is not frozen and covered with snow. That usually means our slowest months...
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THINKING ABOUT CANADA BLOOMS…
Our design is done, our write-ups and descriptions are done, and each crew is working on preparations for their portion of the build! Our whole staff is looking forward to that crazy few weeks in March that is known as Canada Blooms. Our feature garden is a little...
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Following The Sun…
In a climate with so many extremes of temperature and weather, it makes sense to have several different areas throughout a property that take advantage of the best the day or evening has to offer. At our house, we have individual patios or porches on three sides of...
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Happy New Year
Happy New Year from D.A Gracey & Associates Ltd. We look forward with anticipation for the new year and the projects that we will help our clients to create. I have always felt it was "legal" to start planning my own garden once the rush of Christmas has passed, and...
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IRELAND! A post by Courtney
Travelling through Ireland is an adventure that everyone should get to enjoy. The diversity within that small country is amazing, with extraordinary landscape features. It ranges from natural wonders like the Cliffs of Mohr to the formal gardens that surround the...
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