Sprucing Up for Spring
By L.J. BUTTERFIELD :: March 27, 2006

Recent cold weather aside, spring has arrived. Crocuses have broken through the hardened ground and the daffodils' green beginnings dot the side of the road. The promise of rebirth is exciting.

Just don't look around too much.

Old leaves still lie in collected piles scattered around the yard, sticking out from under a bush or between the rocks in a garden wall. The grass is lumpy and brown. In short, the yard looks a mess.

It is clearly time to call in the landscapers.

But, this year, how about something different -- special.

Landscape designers in Fairfield and Westchester counties are ready with practical advice and creative ideas to help spruce up your outdoor spaces.

"I get people asking for putting greens in the back yard. It's a pretty popular feature," said Jim Capone, owner of Jim's Landscape Designs in Yorktown, N.Y. "You don't need a big yard for them either. They say that most of your game is your short game.

"In big yards you can build a chipping area. We did one home that was on 2 acres and put a green in the back and (the home owner) shoots from the front," said Capone. "Sometimes you can tell who has them, they're made from synthetic grass so it stays perfectly green in the winter."

Capone is among a number of landscape designers and architects happy to oblige what appears to be a growing desire among home-owners to engage their whimsical side when cleaning up after winter.

Andrew S. Brodtman, owner and senior landscape designer at Twombly Nursery in Monroe, N.Y., has had some unusual requests. "I created a living igloo for some kids," he said. "I took a ball cage, flipped it over, tacked it to the ground, had plantings growing over it and cut a hole to crawl through."

While unusual ideas do have their place, much of the advice these landscapers give is geared more toward practical improvements.

"Now is a good time to start thinking about what you want," said Capone. "In a week or two it will be time to plant, usually the beginning of April."

And make sure the quick transition into warmer weather doesn't pass you by if you plan on doing any major restructuring.

"If you're going to do any tree or bush transplants, now is the time to do it," said Michael Labriola, owner of Michael Labriola Inc. in Armonk, N.Y. "Before the buds, while dormant. If a tree is moved at the wrong time it may not live."

So, aside from the whimsy of a golf course or an igloo on your front lawn what are the trends that landscapers say they are seeing this season?

"An English country garden used to be the most asked for and now it seems that everyone wants a more natural look," said Brodtman. "They want it to look like we've never been there, like nature. It's a trend."

"A lot of people have begun to ask for landscape lighting and water features," said Capone.

Labriola agreed. "Everyone seems to want more accent lighting and water features like waterfalls. People like the way water sounds. Perennial gardens around their living space is popular as well."

Landscapers cover more than just the greenery when designing a property. They take into account driveways, garden walls, pathways and any 'hard-scapes' that need doing.

"There are so many different types of pavers (bricklike blocks) now that aren't commercial looking, they last, they're easier to walk on and can make more sense for some people than cobblestones," Labriola said. And they can be laid in many different patterns like "running barn," "basket weave" and "herringbone," he said.

"Up county there is a lot of natural stone made to look like it's always been there. It's less formal and more country," Labriola said.

"Lower Westchester is a little more formal the type of stone is more granite."

It's not just stone that divides southern and northern Westchester.

"Everything we plant north of Scarsdale are varieties that are deer-resistant. This is more and more suggested by the home owner," Labriola said.

"Zones are important. There really is a transition zone and we're right above it," he said. "There is a difference between what you can plant in Mount Vernon or New Rochelle compared to what you can plant up by Katonah or Mount Kisco. If you go to a retail nursery sometimes the nursery grower hasn't done their homework on whether we will have a harsh winter."

Photo courtesy of Jim's Landscape Designs in Yorktown.

So what is the cost of having a landscaper work on your property? "You can spend anywhere between $2,500 and $600,000," Labriola said.

"Any contractor worth their salt will say to get two or three other estimates," Capone said. "A lot of people shop around and get two or three quotes. It's good to have something to compare to. But don't get 10."

Then the contractors just become numbers on a page, it's confusing. The quality of the work gets lost and it becomes a battle for the lowest quote. You want someone who fits your sensibilities.

The best thing about hiring a landscape designer for your property is being able to translate your vision to reality.

"People get to see the entire project laid out before them. It's such a benefit. Then, if they want, we can do the work in stages," Capone said. "We come out for a free consultation and, when we show you our portfolio, we'll give you ideas. Its worth it to do the work with us because what we charge for the design is given back as a credit toward the project," he said.

Just be sure to go with someone you trust. The Labriola family epitomizes the idea of longevity and knows quite a bit about changing trends

"My family's been doing this since the late '40s early '50s, so when I go to a house in Scarsdale and the people have been in that house for 30 or 40 years and I see that my father and uncle had done the plantings it's weird. Yes, we're carrying on tradition but it's also like a new generation is taking over," he said.