Green Jay Landscape Design

Green Jay Landscape Design

(914) 560-6570

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Don’t miss these two events! Jay Archer will be speaking at two annual conferences in the coming weeks. This is part of a series of educational talks Jay has participated in this winter, most recently at the Regional Environmental Educators Day (REED) and for the Aspetuck Land Trust (Watch the recorded webinar here!).

Rhode Island Nursery & Landscape Association Annual (RINLA) Conference

For landscape professionals, check out the RINLA Annual Conference, taking place Wednesday March 1st in Warwick Rhode Island. Register here.

Jay will be speaking to fellow tradesmen about forming a niche ecological business model. In Jay’s personal experience, leaning into an ecological landscaping perspective has distinguished his company in the market and attracted like-minded, committed clients. Projects are fewer in number but larger in size, creativity, and ecological impact.

Join us for Jay’s talk in person, Ecological Landscaping: The Shape of Things to Come.

Our friend Trevor Smith, of Weston Nurseries, will also be speaking. Trevor has a wealth of knowledge on Stormwater Management and ecological landscaping. You won’t want to miss his talk either!

CT NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Winter Conference

For anyone interested in organic gardening, farming and land management, the CT NOFA Winter Conference is for you! There is virtual programming March 6 – 10, and an in-person symposium on Saturday March 11th at Wesleyan College.

CT NOFA’s 2023 Winter Conference ft. keynote speaker Leah Penniman.

The lineup of speakers is fabulous and covers a range of topics, from Food and Farming for Climate Change (Steven Munno) to Jumping Worm Identification (Annise Dobson) to Forest Farming: At Risk Herbs Under a Forest Canopy (Walker Cammack).

Speakers for the 2023 CT NOFA Winter Conference.

Don’t forget the virtual workshops happening all week! Topic tracks include Homesteading, Organic Landscaping, Farming, and Activism / Policy.

Jay Archer is a speaker at the 2023 CT NOFA Winter Conference.

Jay’s talk, Ecological Restoration: Healing the Waters, Caring for the Land, details how ecological landscaping can Improve the health of the landscape environment by creating and maintaining naturally beautiful landscape environments which improve human health, prevent premature aging, and heal and strengthen our immune systems. Restore the balance of nature, conserve, preserve, and protect our most precious resource with native plants and healthy organic soil.

Register for CT NOFA’s Winter ’23 Conference here.

Contact Us to Book Speaking Engagements

We find great purpose in environmental education! If you know of a nonprofit, organization or club that would benefit from Jay’s expertise, contact us about scheduling a speaking engagement.

This property had many unique existing landscape elements, but the front yard lacked a strong design composition.  The client sought to freshen up the landscape before putting their house on the market – a strategy that both adds value to the home and delivers a powerful first impression.

Year-round curb appeal is achieved with a mix of evergreen shrubs, ornamental grasses, and pollinator-attracting perennials.

By some estimates, landscaping contributes up to 25% of a home’s market value.

Reimagined foundation plantings add visual contrast and ecological value.

Maximizing Curb Appeal with Native Plants in the Front Yard

In the front yard, the circular driveway and interior garden bed were designed and constructed well, but the plantings left something to be desired – with just a few sparse evergreen shrubs. The foundation plantings also featured typical, over-used landscape plants that lacked color and any benefits of native plants.

Landscape Design Master Plan in Scarsdale featuring naturalistic landscaping.

After creating a Landscape Design Master Plan in Vectorworks, we had a specific ready-to-build plant list and the materials needed for construction. The landscape design involved replanting the interior driveway bed with native perennials, flowering shrubs, ornamental grasses, and spring flowering bulbs. The front foundation also received a new layer of perennials and bulbs, adding much needed vibrancy to the front yard.

A naturalistic front yard design featuring ornamental grasses and pollinator-attracting perennials.

The large bed size allowed for randomized repetition in the planting – a strategy that creates visual impact by plant massing, yet also takes on a naturalistic feel through randomization.

Boulders and perennials create beautiful contrast in the driveway bed.

The client loved the design, and we began the installation, which involved both new plantings and addressing the existing landscaping for better performance.

Site Development, Soil Remediation

As part of our organic landscape installs, we apply several natural-source products to enhance the soil for planting. This usually involves organic compost, biochar, green sand, and potentially a soil drench of bio-stimulants and yucca (if conditions are particularly hot).

Boulders create contrast and become focal points in the winter landscape.

Favorite brands include: Organic Mechanics, Organic Plant Magic, Stone Barns Compost, Bioplex, Quantum Growth and Greensand.

Feeding the existing shrubs in the foundation, in accordance with our Organic Plant Healthcare program, allowed the mature plantings to gain essential nutrients, improve their immune systems, and look better in season to come.

Backyard Stroll Garden

New garden area with gravel paths creates an entrance from the deck to the rear yard.

The existing backyard landscape design in Scarsdale was a Japanese-inspired shade border. The design was executed well and has matured into a lovely garden. But, as it features a mostly foreign plant palette, the ecological value is limited.  The border garden also serves more as a viewpoint than an experiential garden. We decided the backyard could benefit from a more interactive garden that could be walked through.

Reducing your lawn area, in exchange for native planting, is the best way to make your landscape more sustainable and ecological.

We designed a garden off the steps of the deck, with intersecting gravel paths to guide you to through the different ends of the garden. We like to think of this garden as the entrance to the rest of the landscape.

Native pocket garden attracts beneficial insects, pollinators and birds!

Garden edging was utilized to hold in the gravel paths. Since the garden is sited within the lawn, we wanted to reduce the likelihood of gravel migrating into the lawn – a maintenance headache.

Landscape Design in Scarsdale: Schedule a Consultation

Interested in improving the landscape around your home? Contact us to schedule a free 15-minute discovery call, or a professional on-site consultation. Serving Westchester County, Putnam County, NY;  Fairfield County, CT; and Bergen County, Essex County and Morris County, NJ.

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Green Jay Landscape Design

914-560-6570

We are incredibly grateful for another year in the books doing what we love: designing impactful, ecological landscapes that both improve the environment and inspire a reconnection to the natural world. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting some amazing, passionate clients this year who continue to push us with complex design challenges. With no further ado, we present to you our BEST Landscape Designs of 2022. From front yards, to backyards, to steep slopes and pool landscaping, we hope you enjoy this compilation of (mostly) native landscape design & construction projects.

#5: Rain Garden & Soil Remediation for Landscape Drainage | Harrison, NY

We were hired to rectify a soggy backyard that remained flooded for days after large storm events. Through the on-site, professional consultation, we learned that the large home had insufficient stormwater infrastructure: everything was fed toward the driveway, where the anti-gravity sump pump often got overwhelmed and failed, leading to flooding.

We designed a plan to feed about half of the roof’s gutters & leaders into underground pipes directed at pitch to the corner of the yard. The piping is solid for the first ten feet, to move it away from the house and foundation, and then becomes perforated. This allows both excess stormwater to leak out as irrigation, and allows groundwater (in a high water table situation), to enter the pipes as an evaporation drain. The pipes culminate in a technical Rain Garden, designed with well-draining soil and native facultative plants that are excellent at absorbing water, and double as habitat for wildlife.

Read about the full project on our previous blog!

#4: Front Entrance Masonry & Native Plant Landscaping | Putnam Valley, NY

 

This estate is in a stunning setting, surrounded by mixed hardwood forest in beautiful Putnam Valley, NY. However, the landscaping around the house, especially the front entrance, left much to be desired.

We knew we had to rectify the asphalt drive, which extended all the way to the home’s front and side doors. After completing a Landscape Design Master Plan, we removed the asphalt around the home to create space for new natural stone walkways and planting beds.

On either side of the new front entry flagstone walkway, are native gardens designed to extend the natural bird, pollinator, and wildlife habitat from the surrounding forest. Using a mix of native perennials, flower & fruiting shrubs, evergreen shrubs, ornamental grasses, and groundcover, we achieved a naturalistic front entrance that melds perfectly with the surrounding environment.

Read about the full project on our previous blog.

#3 Rectifying Hurricane Damage: Erosion-Proof Slope with Garden Terraces | Old Tappan, NJ

This is one of the most extreme cases of slope damage we’ve seen to date! During hurricane Ida, this steep slope collapsed, thanks to very intense rain, poor quality sandy soil, and insufficient drainage infrastructure. To rectify the slope and prevent further erosion, we employed several Green Infrastructure techniques.

First, we directed the leaders from the roof into solid piping connected to NDS Flo-Wells. Then, we removed the sandy soil (that had too much drainage capacity). We installed six compostable Filtrexx Siltsoxx and staggered rows of boulders to support the slope. Together, both these features help to retain the slope while plant roots become established. Next, we brought in new engineered soil with a higher water holding capacity. Finally, we planted native shrubs and perennials into Jutte netting, for adding stability as the new plants become established.

We also had to reconstruct the outdoor staircase and retaining wall, that had become damaged in the storm.

Learn about the full project on our previous blog!

#2: Backyard Courtyard Landscape Design with Natural Stone Masonry | Somers, NY

This landscape design invites quiet strolls through the circular paths

One of our favorite projects ever! We transformed this backyard expanse of lawn into a charming, native courtyard garden. The foundation of the design is the new natural stone masonry. We designed a flagstone patio off the backdoor, that leads to a circular natural stone walkway that meanders around the garden, with a gravel shortcut path through the middle.

Native, textural perennials and shrubs soften the hardscape layout

Along the walkways are strategically sited benches, inviting you to slow down, rest and take in the magic of the garden. The plant palette is a naturalistic, mostly native selection chosen for wildlife benefit, year-round interest, and texture.

Learn more about the project on our blog, portfolio, and YouTube!

#1: Native Pool Landscaping & Front Entry Courtyard | Pound Ridge, NY

Native perennial planting blooms for weeks on end in summer

Coming in at #1 in our Best Landscape Design Projects of the Year is the fabulous Pound Ridge estate that received a pool landscaping makeover! We turned an overgrown, non-native pool landscape into a haven for pollinators, birds, and of course, our clients!

We transplanted many of the non-native ornamental grasses from the pool area and created a new grass garden in the large back lawn. This ornamental grass garden is lower maintenance than the lawn and provides visual interest in the expanse of turf.

With a clean slate for the pool area, we designed a garden of native, sequentially blooming shrubs and perennials that are pollinator favorites.  In fall, native, appropriately sized, ornamental grasses steal the show with their stunning seed heads (looking at you, Pink Muhly Grass), that double as bird food in late fall and winter!

For the front entrance, we revamped an existing courtyard to include more color and habitat-friendly plants. The vegetable garden was also reorganized into quadrants, for ease of gardening, and we added a border of pollinator-attracting plants to aid with veggie pollination.

Learn more on the full project blog!

Thanks for recapping the year with us! We’re so excited to see what 2023 will bring for us – new sites, new design challenges, new clients with a passion for improving their local environment. Bring it on!

If you’d like to work with us in 2023, schedule a consultation or free 15-minute discovery call.

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Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design Meets Ecology

914-560-6570

This estate in Putnam County, NY is set in a stunning location, surrounded by hardwood forest, streams and fields. The beautiful home was plagued, however, by an awkward front entrance: the asphalt drive extended all the way to the front door and side door, obscuring any distinction between driveway and walkway. We knew we had to redesign the hardscape to include natural stone masonry to better delineate the entrances.

BEFORE PHOTO: asphalt extends to house.

That design choice was intentionally made to accommodate a wheelchair, but the client now desired a more aesthetic front entrance. GJLD was hired to complete a Landscape Design Master Plan that focused on the front yard.

Designing Front Entrance Masonry 

We knew we had to remove the asphalt around the house and replace with a natural stone walkway. The steps to the side door, next to the garage, also needed a stone distinction. Both masonry designs needed to accommodate cars moving in and out of the garage.

We designed a wide, irregular flagstone walkway that flares at the front door and out to the driveway. Colorful native garden beds flank either side of the walk, immersing you in nature as you approach the home.

A flared stone landing for the side door steps is just enough to characterize the entrance, while removing the excess asphalt allows for a new garden bed.

We also added a steppingstone path to lead from the front walkway, around the house to the backyard.

Thanks to our expert mason Aztlan for executing this project flawlessly.

Landscape Design Master Plan in Putnam Valley, NY

Front Yard Native Landscaping  

There were a few areas of the front yard that really beckoned for a garden bed. There were many large boulders and rock outcroppings that created edges for garden beds. We designed one at the main driveway entrance, that doubled as screening for the electrical box.

 

In the sunny front yard, we designed a bed around an existing sprawl of boulders. Taking advantage of rock outcroppings adds texture, contrast, and a natural border around a planting bed. We chose long-blooming perennials for the front border, complimented by native shrubs, ornamental grasses, and taller accent perennials, all of which collectively create pollinator habitat.

On the other side of the driveway, we break up the expanse of lawn with a native shrub bed designed for bird habitat and as a low-maintenance, beautiful border garden.

Selecting Plants for a Front Entrance

 When selecting plants for a front entrance we have a few considerations:

Multi-Season Interest:

Long bloom periods, fall foliage, winter berries, evergreen shrubs…plants that serve multiple visual functions make for a low-maintenance, high-impact combination

Native Habitat Value:

Is the selection providing food, nesting materials or shelter for wildlife? Every garden is an opportunity to extend habitats and increase biodiversity

Form & Scale:

Is the plant the appropriate size for the entrance, and does its scale relate to the other plant selections appropriately?

We designed a garden with native flowering and berry producing shrubs, of various heights but mostly smaller than six feet. Waves of evergreen Inkberry holly and Juniper create visual consistency throughout the year. Long-blooming perennials provide color from April thru September.

Newly planted native landscape in fall with boulder accents and natural stone masonry.

This site has the advantage of a slope and naturalized area behind it, which provides a visual backdrop and connects the garden to the broader habitat environment.

Work with Us!

We are currently scheduling design clients for the ’23 season! Start your design project this winter to enjoy by the summer! Schedule your consultation or free discovery call.

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Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design Meets Ecology

914-560-6570

Newly terraced slope stabilizes hillside. Natural stone steps make it accessible.

Our first landscape design project in Bergen County, New Jersey was a complex storm restoration project on a steep slope overlooking a river. During Hurricane Ida, historic rainfall collapsed the side yard slope just feet from the house.  Existing retaining walls began to collapse, and the once navigable slope was now too steep to walk comfortably down to the river.

Before photo: the slope collapsed during Hurricane Ida.

Landscape Design Goals

The client wanted to restore the slope into something beautiful that would resist erosion and restore functionality to their side yard. Green Jay Landscape Design created a design plan and erosion control plan that needed to be approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as well as local regulatory agencies.

The sudden change in grade made this side yard dangerous and unusable.

Designing for Erosion Control

 The design plan includes several layers of erosion control strategies. First, many boulders were brought in and strategically placed to form the first layer of stabilization.

Boulder terraces and filtrexx socks work together to stabilize the slope and minimize erosion.

Next, we brought in sixty yards of engineered soil, specific to this application, to restore the grade to the pre-storm level. Installed within the soil are Filtrexx Socks, compostable “logs” that form the next level of barrier to keep the soil in place.

Boulder terraces retain the new soil.

Finally, the entire planting was planted into Jutte netting to an additional level of stabilization while plant roots get established. Eventually the Jutte will decompose and the plants will form a network of stabilizing roots.

Jutte netting lines each bed, stabilizing plants as their root systems develop. Natural stone staircase navigates the grade change.

All materials used are natural source organic materials sourced locally whenever possible.

Planting for Erosion Control

 

Boulder accents and evergreen Juniper mark the edge of the driveway.

When designing this erosion control planting, with part to full shade light conditions, we chose plants that:

  • Were mostly shrubs, which have larger root systems than most perennials
  • Included evergreens, for added structure and stability in winter
  • Provided habitat for local birds and pollinators. Most of this plant palette is made up of native plants.

Shrubs of varying heights stabilize the newly. graded slope.

Some plant palette highlights:

  • Red & Yellowtwig Dogwood
  • Ninebark
  • Viburnum
  • Aronia
  • Pennsylvania Sedge

Shade-loving perennials line the walkway bringing color to a dark side yard.

Natural Stone Masonry

Impeccable stone work effortlessly navigates the steep grade.

Staircase uses large natural stone steppers for a grand, naturalistic aesthetic.

Garden terraces formed by boulder rip rap walls, alongside a new natural stone staircase.

Impeccable stonework retains the grade around a landing in the natural stone staircase.

Much of the success of this design is due to the natural stone masonry. Aside from the boulder rip rap wall in the garden beds, our masonry team rebuilt a collapsed CMU wall and constructed new natural stone steps to navigate the steep slope. The result is beautiful, naturalistic and restores the functionality of the side yard as a corridor down to the river.

Wood chip path makes the steep slope down to the river accessible and a property asset.

We also restored part of the woodland trail to make it safer and more stable, using logs as water bars.

Cedar bark mulch lines the woodland trail. It is a natural insect repellent, which helps to extend the lifespan of the log steps and rail.

Water bars help navigate the slope and prevent erosion on the woodland trail.

This project is an excellent example of our Nature Design Studio, Primitive Technology Group and adminstrative staff working together efficiently for best results.

Work with Us

We have expanded into Bergen County, NJ! Contact us to schedule a professional on-site consultation and begin designing your dream landscape!

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Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design Meets Ecology

914-560-6570

This farmhouse-style home in Westchester County, NY did not have a landscape to match the stunning architecture. When GJLD first visited the property for a professional consultation, the backyard was a boring expanse of lawn. Jay observed the existing features—mature trees encircling the backyard—and was struck by inspiration to design a native courtyard garden for the backyard. He named the garden The Cloister of Sweet Serenity.

Backyard Masonry Design & Construction

The foundation of the landscape design is the natural stone masonry. An irregular flagstone patio off the back door creates an ideal gathering space for morning coffee, lunch, or summer evenings al fresco. From the patio, a flagstone path encircles the yard beneath the canopy of trees. A secondary gravel path meanders through the middle. Together, the pathways are both meandering and direct, offering multiple ways to experience the garden. Stone and metal benches are nestled within the garden for even more spots of respite.

Our flagstone walkways and patios are engineered for New England weather and climate including frost heaves. We choose to avoid cement because it is a very energy intensive material to produce, creates emissions during production, and is hazardous to human health.  Silica, in cement, is considered carcinogenic and recognized as so by OSHA.

Instead our base is composed of Item 4 (processed stone) with a washed gravel sub base for drainage with stone dust, sand, or polymeric sand for bedding and joints.

Native Cottage-Style Planting Design

The planting design for this Westchester County, NY property is predominantly native. From the early spring bulbs, to the extended summer blooming perennials, to the red and yellow twig dogwoods commanding the space through winter, the garden was thoughtfully designed to be enjoyed in all seasons. This aesthetic sequence doubles as an ecological one, for every ornamental feature also creates food for wildlife, from pollen, to seedhead, to berry.

As usual, all the planting was installed according to GJLD’s organic specifications. The highest quality, natural source compost, biochar and soil amendments were incorporated into the soil for optimum organic garden performance. We love Organic Mechanics and Organic Plant Magic products.

Landscape Design Process

This project began with the client hiring us to develop a Landscape Design Master Plan designed by our very own Nature Design Studio. The design plan allows us to decide the overarching layout, while also getting into the granular details of the planting plan. The Design Plan comes with one set of revisions as well as a Proposal with a ready-to-build plant list, and cost for installation.

It is never too early to start the design process. For those that pursue designs during the winter, we can often get started right away on the masonry work. Site development and planting installation can be scheduled for spring, and the landscape is complete just in time for the warm weather!  Contact us to start the design process.

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Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design Meets Ecology

914-560-6570