Designing a landscape for a newly renovated home or new build brings a special sort of excitement that only blank slates and full creative freedom can bring. Something about welcoming a new structure into a landscape that complements its style, grounds it in place, and benefits the local ecology is immensely rewarding. Of course, a “blank slate” doesn’t really exist in the real world. We are always dealing with variables such as construction debris compromising soils, watersheds and topography influencing stormwater behavior, and neighboring developments impacting viewsheds and lifestyle. At this Dobbs Ferry property, we had ample space to flex our creativity muscles, with the front yard landscaping, while also tackling very specific site condition issues: improving stormwater management, screening the adjacent property, and managing the pond. The client hired us for a Landscape Design Master Plan and completed the work in phases, with site development starting in the fall and winter, and planting completed in spring.

This project is #2 in our Best Landscape Design & Build Projects of 2024 series!
Catch up on the other projects in the Top 5:
#3: Hilltop Edge Habitat Fit for a Public Garden
#4: Restoring Functionality & Reducing Erosion on a Steep Slope
#5: Nature Play at Home: Designing a Backyard World of Wonder
Contemporary Front Yard Landscaping for Pollinator
We knew the front yard landscaping needed to have a contemporary feel, to match the renovation style, without compromising our biodiversity goals. We designed a matrix-style planting, using native grasses and sedges (little bluestem, purple love grass, Cherokee sedge, to name a few) as matrix plants to provide visual consistency and fill in gaps between other highly ornamental plants (vignettes).

The front yard landscape also includes many dwarf shrubs, some flowering, some evergreen, to create structure throughout the seasons, particularly in fall and winter. Chokeberry and Inkberry are native shrubs that provide critical berry sources for birds, plus aesthetically, they offer beautiful fall color or evergreen foliage, respectively.

The overall composition has a whimsical lightness to it, thanks in part to airy plants that catch the morning light beautifully. We opted for contrasting flower shapes, which have the added benefit of attracting a larger range of pollinators.


It was important to the client that their views of the pond were preserved, so the overall height of the front yard is low.

Along the driveway entrance beds, we opted for shadier low-growing plants to maintain a clear view of the stunning new architecture. Masses of contrasting textures make for a simple, low maintenance and deer-proof planting. This is especially important for the driveway beds outside of the deer fence.

Stormwater Management with Bioswales
The front yard landscape slopes toward the backyard, so we knew we had to create pathways for the stormwater to flow. In the front entry landscape and on the other side of the house, we constructed three bioswales of gravel and river rock.

Bioswales direct stormwater, while also interrupting it and slowing it down. Stormwater running across stone is less erosive and destructive than when it runs through soil.

Pond Management
A large pond resides in the front yard of the property, with a large expanse of lawn between the pond and the house. We knew we needed a vegetative border of some sort to intercept any nutrient runoff coming from the lawn, but we also couldn’t obscure all views of the water from the house.

We designed three “pocket gardens” of native, moisture-loving perennials and ferns. These isolated gardens were a great opportunity to use some of our wilder native perennials, like goldenrod (considered the best native perennial for bees).

On the side of the pond, we seeded the area with a conservation mix and planted some wetland shrubs along the border.

Since the surrounding topography, outside of the property lines, was shedding water toward the pond from all directions, we also installed some perforated pipe drywells to help disperse the water underground before it has a chance to erode the pond bank.

We also installed some bioswales along the pond border to help direct sheet flow in specific locations, another erosion control technique.
Screening & Erosion Control on a Slope
The backyard slopes down toward the neighbors’ and lacked any understory planting beneath the mature trees. The client desired screening of the neighbors’ property, and we knew the slope, in its current state, was prone to erosion. GJLD crews armored the slope with large boulders to help stabilize critical during the planting establishment phase, until the roots can secure the soil further.

We also installed a drainage system off the gutters and leaders, called a level spreader with vertical infiltrators. It essentially acts as a dry well across a larger area, and allows stormwater to infiltrate horizontally and vertically across the backyard.


We designed a native shrub border to create a mid-layer of screening vegetation and secure the slope. The plant selection also creates essential bird habitat by providing berries, insect habitat and safe cover for nesting.



For more information on this project, visit the case study in our Portfolio.
Now Scheduling Landscape Design Projects for 2025
Do you have a new construction home that needs an ecological landscape design to complete it? Stormwater, erosion, or screening plaguing your current landscape? Want to foster more bird and pollinator habitat at home? Contact us to schedule a consultation!


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Green Jay Landscape Design
914-560-6570
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