Scott Residence Award Winning Landscape Design

Each enormous slab and boulder was meticulously placed for visual, as well as sound effects, as water tumbles over and through plants and stones on its descent to the upper pond.

An underwater wall retains the slope and provides support for a huge “jumpin-off rock” and for stepping stones across the base of the falls. The water here is 9 feet deep while the center of the pond is 16 feet deep.

A serpentine stone stairway parallels the descending waterfall, arriving at the “jumpin-off” rock and the continuing pathway to the spillway and dam. The path completely encircles the pond through native grasses and wildflowers.

The building contractor collaborated on construction of our wall design which integrates massive boulders into the wall structure.

The walls and other boulders support and anchor the terraces and walkways on the slope. Buffalo grass, blue grama, liriope spicata and three seasons of wildflowers demand little maintenance and provide excellent erosion control.

Stone paths and stairs meander across and down the front slope, over the falls, around the earthen dam, and finally down to the lower pond. Along the way the native grasses, wildflowers and over 10,000 naturalized spring bulbs provide 4 seasons of beauty.

The cool shade of the oaks is the “best seat in the house” for observing the comedy and drama of Nature. Wild turkeys strut their stuff in mating dance. Blue heron, eagles, and hawks dive for a free lunch. Snakes steal eggs and nestlings in full view of outraged mothers. Deer give birth.

Massing of flowering perennials provides drama near the residence. High performance cultivars of native species prolong the show without looking out of place within the surrounding natural landscape.

On the edge of woods the perennial plantings become more loose and informal, continuing the transition to the wild places.

The seeded wildflowers perform double duty on the earthen dam and in the meadow below, alongside the creek bank. The wildflowers and grasses anchor the soil and provide stunning contrast to the park on the other side of the creek.

A first-time visitor on a stroll around the pond will be surprised to discover a spillway (hidden on the center right of this view). Alongside is another stone stairway leading down to the wildflower meadow.

Spilling over the edge of the dam the rushing water continues the journey to the lower pond. Flag Iris and tall perennial grasses help anchor the surrounding soil

A dead elm tree in its new incarnation as a footbridge provides a cool spot to view the wild things in the deep woods around the lower pond. The bridge was designed and built by the landscape designer.

The lower pond spills over the final falls, under the footbridge and back into the creek where the journey begins again. Every day along the way more wild things come and find a home.

Construction of an earthen dam and two sizeable bodies of water on hilly topography adjacent to a federally designated navigable waterway and floodplain brought the interest and involvement of many federal and local agencies. The designer, working with civil engineers had to provide meticulous documentation of the safety, environmental sensitivity, and structural integrity of the project before the city council would allow work to go forward.