DESIGN/BUILD
Thank you for considering Brookside Landscapes. We appreciate the opportunity to consider your home and how your outdoor spaces can enhance your life.
Our goal is to bring you a landscape perfectly suited to the needs of you and your family or business through the seamless collaboration of both our design and construction teams.
ELEMENTS OF A
GOOD DESIGN:
LOW MAINTENANCE
One of the most common requests we receive is for low-maintenance landscapes. Achieving this starts with designing landscapes that work with nature, not against it. While rock landscapes may seem like a low-maintenance option initially, they result in greater upkeep over time. By avoiding design elements that can lead to more work, we create outdoor spaces that are both beautiful and easy to maintain for years to come.
THE BIG PICTURE
Think about how your home is seen from various perspectives: from the street, half a block away, and as visitors approach your front door. Your landscape should complement the architectural style of your home, enhancing its features and reinforcing its character. Thoughtful plant and hardscape selections, as well as their arrangement, should align with these broader considerations to create a cohesive and inviting look.
LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
How your home appears at night can greatly impact the atmosphere, especially since guests often see it after dark. Subtle landscape lighting that complements your home’s overall design adds depth and provides just enough light to make spaces easy to navigate after sunset.
MINIMIZED LAWN
The bluegrass lawn is both the highest maintenance landscape surface and the least visually “natural.” While America’s “love affair” with the lawn secures its presence in many landscapes, it should be approached thoughtfully rather than assumed as a default. Lawns excel as recreational surfaces and can provide a strong visual impact, but their role in the overall design deserves careful consideration.
SEASONAL CHANGE
A well-designed landscape should enhance our dramatic seasons, creating moments of transformation that feel remarkable. Plants bred for static traits, like purple or yellow summer foliage, often appear unnatural and lack the dynamic quality of seasonal change. True drama emerges when a mass of Black-Eyed Susans bursts into bloom or a grove of sumac ignites with fiery red in the fall, bringing a theatrical sense to the landscape.
PERENNIAL & GRASS USE
These plants not only thrive in our environment, but they also help control overgrowth and offer a natural rhythm of color throughout the seasons. With our hot, dry summers, these plants flourish, significantly reducing maintenance needs and creating a low-maintenance landscape that works with nature.
NATIVE RESTORATIONS
Native plant communities are a sustainable choice that reduce maintenance, minimize runoff and erosion, and create a strong sense of place. After all, buffalo didn’t rely on leaf rakes or hedge trimmers to maintain their environment, they thrived in harmony with nature, and so can we.
PLANT MASSING
Grouping multiple plantings of a single species in a 'mass' or 'drift' is one of the most fundamental yet impactful principles of landscape design. When the same species are massed together, they create a stronger visual impact during their peak season, while also effectively covering the ground plane. This technique not only enhances seasonal beauty but also creates a cohesive and dynamic landscape.
LIVABLE SPACES
When an outdoor space is comfortable, inviting, and functions seamlessly with your lifestyle, it becomes more than just an outdoor area, it evolves into a true extension of your home. By thoughtfully blending design and functionality, these spaces not only enhance your home’s atmosphere but also enrich your daily life, offering a natural connection between indoors and outdoors.
CONSTRUCTION
At Brookside, we believe that the process of delivering a landscape should be as enjoyable as the final product. To achieve this, our highly trained construction teams play a crucial role. Our Construction Manager will get in touch with you during the transition from design to construction. They will communicate the schedule and introduce you to your Project Manager/Foreman. Your Foreman will be your primary contact during the construction process. They will oversee the on-site construction process daily, schedule and communicate with subcontractors, and arrange for material deliveries.
“This is a great “family” of workers. We loved everyone and everything they did to enhance our home. The outcome is beautiful. We highly recommend the Brookside team!”