BC Landscape Awards of Excellence: Landscape Installation Winners

Credit: courtesy BCLNA

Great Canadian Landscaping Company

The BC Landscape Awards of Excellence recognize the year’s best in building the garden dream.

This prestigious competition honours the outstanding work of B.C. landscapers in various project categories, ranging in value from $5,000 to in excess of $120,000. The following are the winners for the Landscape Installation category. All projects entered into the competition are examined by a highly accredited group of horticulture professionals, who thoroughly evaluate based on a broad range of elements such as:
 

• Quality of workmanship
• Quality & health of materials
• Attention to detail
• Overall design
• Overall impression

www.gardenhabitats.ca

In this garden makeover, a modest “patch of grass” backyard behind a new Kitsilano duplex was transformed into an artful landscape featuring dramatic stonework and carefully selected plantings that achieve big results. The clients, having moved here from a secluded North Shore ravine, wanted to soften the blunt cedar fence and block unsightly views of the garage and back alley. They were also keen to create a leafy haven for entertaining up to 10 guests at outdoor dinners.
Before	After
To achieve all this (on a budget) the entire yard had to be stripped bare, drainage installed and massive amounts of stone and plant materials brought in. Oversized boulders were used to provide retention as well as visual drama. The tight-fit flagstone patio, built on two levels, offers various seating and entertaining options. Trees and plants were selected for screening, shade, variety and long-term growth patterns. Several of the client’s own plants were incorporated into beds designed in a freeflowing fashion around the stonework.

www.blasig.com

At this home, the upper decks weren’t big enough to have a table and a barbecue, the stairs were made with pressure treated ties that everyone slipped on, and the Photinia hedge across the back was dying. But what bothered the homeowners most was the abundance of slopes too steep to mow, a backyard with not enough hard surface for the kids to play hockey and basketball, and flowerbeds full of weeds. The intent of the design was to add living area, play area and entertaining area.
Before	After
Construction began in March 2004 and the planting was finished in March 2005. Blasig Landscape Design & Construction was in charge of all aspects of the design and construction. The family now has the refuge they wanted: 50′ x 20′ swimming pool, hot tub, patio large enough for hockey and basketball, upper deck with a view, outdoor shower to make dirty kids easier to deal with, waterfall for sheer pleasure, and hundreds of square feet of granite retaining walls and paver steps.

www.careys.ca

Located in Parksville, this 1-acre property is a lovely waterfront setting that looks onto the Georgia Strait and across to the Sunshine Coast. An 80′ x 5-8′ Ocean Pearl ledge stone retaining wall is the predominant feature as you walk down to the beach. This retaining wall stabilizes the bank and made it possible to build a large main patio. The patio is 45′ x 16′ and contains an outdoor kitchen, a spa, gas fire pit, and an area in which ten people can comfortably dine.
Before	After
Pennsylvania blue flagstone makes up the patio surface and is repeated in the capping for the retaining walls, and kitchen counter top. The garden area is a mixed planting. Foliage is an important element in this subtle garden. No synthetic fertilizers or herbicides were used during construction, and existing top soil was preserved and re-used.

Tel. 604-985-0092

After

Floating GreenSymmetry and structure are the key design elements of this formal garden on the West Vancouver waterfront. The clients established from the onset that their goal was to achieve a garden that set itself apart, but in an understated manner. The driveway and drive gates especially set the tone of this wonderful site, guiding one past the Knot Garden, Beech Arbour and container of cascading white roses. The driveway serves as the main entry and much thought was put into achieving a unique surface with an old-world feel. The driveway gates reflect a French nuance and elegance. A stellar group of professionals brought this beautiful home and garden to fruition. Down To Earth was constantly challenged and excited about the possibilities for innovation that this project presented and they are looking forward to further development of this garden in the years to come.

www.canadianlandscaping.com

The Great Canadian Landscaping Company and 2T Construction were contacted by the clients to create a new and unique outdoor living space. When they arrived at the site, they found a large open bocce lawn with a single industrial street lamp in the rear. Through the process of their meetings, the clients emphasized that they wanted to have various areas to entertain and a unique area to relax after a long day at work.
Before	After
Within their backyard they wanted to incorporate a semi-covered eating area, a large pond and water feature, a raised seating area with a natural gas fireplace, raised garden beds, a new lawn, irrigation system and accent lighting throughout. The front yard was reworked to include a more welcoming entrance walkway and stairs (as opposed to entering off the driveway), new stone facing on lower and upper floors as well as multi-tiered basalt walls to create terraced gardens and lawn. This was quite a dramatic change as it once was a single-level lawn, garden and driveway.

www.pacificalandscapes.com

A private and tranquil oasis has been nestled into a corner of this piece of property. The challenge was to successfully incorporate an extensive wish list into such a small space. Some of the individual features include: covered service patio for barbequing, semi-floating entertaining patio, raised basalt planters, dry stream bed, stone path, Koi pond, waterfall, two stream systems, and dense ornamental plantings. One of the main solutions was the design of the lower patio space. The overall design was curvilinear in shape, allowing additional features and focal points to flow along its perimeter.
Before	After
Additionally, the patio was suspended over the large pond, allowing the entertaining area to expand out into the landscape. This feature allows the client and guests to be immersed in the lush surrounding, and provides unrestricted viewing of the multiple focal points such as waterfalls and streams that are directed toward the viewing area.

www.pinklotus.ca

The desire for a private, beautiful space with a long wish list, but a tight budget made this project challenging creatively. Pink Lotus designed a two-level space with an inviting area to relax and stargaze. Although small in size the height and clear roof add to the spaciousness, while the copper gutters & rain chains transform this structure from ordinary to outstanding. Torches and fireballs were added to the pathways adding ambience and direct the flow of traffic.
Before	After
A visual delight was created with a variety of colourful plants. Instant privacy was achieved with large bamboos, and the gentle rustling of the leaves is very soothing to the clients. The family dog gives new meaning to dog days of summer as she stretches out in the Teahouse. By transforming this garden from doggie domain to urban oasis, Pink Lotus shows that good things definitely come in small packages!

www.serenitylandscapes.ca

After

Serenity Landscapes & S.B. HouseSmart This is a full construction project, started in March 2006 and finished August 2006. The client wanted a pond running through his yard and a West Coast feel. The landscape and the full renovation inside the house were planned to match each other perfectly, so that the lines between in and out are blurred. Serenity Landscapes wanted the landscape to have a consistent energy feng shui, so that the energy from the water will flow through the whole yard. Much of the work was done with minimal machinery, such as the handmade stone benches, collected driftwood, birdhouses made from 100-year-old barn wood. Serenity dug up the drainage and re-installed it according to today’s standards, and installed custom irrigation with rain sensors to minimize wasted water. The double waterfall has two valves which control the sound and volume of water. There are over 40 low-voltage lights placed around the house, hidden where possible inside wood and rock, all set to timers to save energy. The plants were all hand-picked and a simple planting pattern was used to keep with a West Coast feel. All parts of this landscape flow together, with no aspects that seem awkward or out of place.

www.watermarkgardens.com Watermark Gardens is a three-time Award of Excellence winner.

After

The clients, an architect of national stature and an avid gardener, asked Watermark Gardens to help the family realize their vision of a contemporary front garden for their home. The architect sketched and constructed a scale model of some of the elements they were considering, including changes in levels, space for entertaining and for solitude, a ‘waterwall’ focal point, a steel post and cable fence, surfaces of concrete and stone, and specimen planting, all in a very modern style. The gardener was looking forward to us preparing the garden beds for her to create her year-round masterpiece. Working closely with the clients, Watermark massaged the landscape plan, suggested and sourced materials, helped work out construction details, and completed the installation. Given the limited area of the garden and its very public frontage, there was little room for error in calculation. The resulting garden is simple and elegant, a striking complement to the Craftsman-style house and the neighbourhood.

After

The clients were in the middle of major renovations to their home and wanted a beautiful garden to complement their new house interior. The outdoor space, approximately 9,000 square feet, was to include areas for a wide variety of activities, including entertaining for both large and smaller groups, dining, relaxing, and children’s play. The clients were very open to any and all ideas Watermark Gardens could come up with. Watermark’s design for a series of individual gardens on different levels included a formal front entry to the property, a classical raised parterre garden, a large open lawn area for children’s play, a sunken stone patio, a large deck off of the kitchen, a large patio for dining and entertaining, and a large custom spa on a raised terrace. Each area was designed to have its own character, while being linked visually and physically by low rustic stone walls, stone walkways and generous planting.

After

Watermark Gardens was invited to take on the installation of the landscaping of this Point Grey residential renovation project. A landscape concept plan and a limited number of construction drawings for the property had been produced by the architect and garden designer, but many of the actual details had not been worked out. The property is just under an acre in size and the design included a swimming pool, custom spa, driveway and porte-cochere area, patio, parterre gardens, timber arbours, planting, lighting, and irrigation, all to be installed to exacting standards to match the quality of the house construction. The style of both the house and landscape was to be of an elegantly understated country estate that had been established in the area for years. Watermark worked closely with the clients, the general contractor, the architect and the garden consultant to achieve this goal.

See also: Landscape Awards of Excellence – Landscape Maintenance winners