A Landscape Master Plan in the Saco River Valley
In 2015, owners of this beautiful 14 acre private residence on a previous maple operation in the heart of the Saco River Valley signed on for a landscape master plan by ZBA.
Phase 1: In 2016 the initial installation took place, addressing the hillside walkway and rain garden. The owners chose to re-purpose some of the old granite found on site for the walkway steps for budget and environmental reasons. In addition, other discovered boulders from the site were used for the walkway retains, while the existing boulders were worked into the design. For the plantings, a large percentage of the initial design consisted of native plantings for the rain garden and long-blooming, hardy perennials for the edges.
Phase 2-Spring & Fall 2017: This phase of the landscape master plan saw a new irregular stone patio under the raised deck, an erosion control wildflower meadow and a simplistic stone bridge to connect the new home with the old sugaring facility. In the Fall, the owners added a footbridge over the stream and informal stone staircase to the hammerhead parking area.
Phase 3: Spring & Fall 2018: Our garden crew at Distinctive Gardening finished off the front foundation planting design, preparing a link to the future fire pit area. Later in the year, Scott Palmer of Feather and Wedge installed the stone step access from the hammerhead parking to the river bridge access area. Another assist on the planting came from Distinctive Gardening. Initial install photos can be found on our Facebook page.
Future: Much to still be addressed in the landscape master plan for the estate at Thorn Hill. The driveway entrance, post-construction, was left with unsightly rip-rap that will be carefully planted and seeded to make use of a potentially aesthetically valuable hillside. Other additions will include a formal stone wall entrance, small orchard and extensive woodland plantings.
