Steve Snedeker’s Landscaping and Gardening Blog

I guess it’s obvious which is the “Before Picture”.  Nor is the “After Picture” completely finished at the time of these pictures.  Yet, I feel this look includes the scale of the project and also deals with exactly what sort of preparation goes into projects such as these.  This was a backyard of a home with a fabulous 270 degree view of Reno, Nevada. Reno’s skyline downtown and most of the surrounding mountains, including the Sierra Nevadas are included in this breath-taking property’s views. 

What were doing in the ‘before’ picture above were the basic excavations.  As I hope is obvious, the excavations were on two levels.  It is easy to see the cut just off the lawn; Kenny and Romero are standing and wasting time appropriately, just above the cut.  What may be less obvious is the cut in the foreground, which was far more deep and every bit as challenging. Once done, we were able to add about a foot of base material as a structural support for the walls which were erected above it.  We packed it densely, then began with our first course of modular wall blocks along a straight line, both in grade and in length. Naturally, after a certain portion of the wall was built, free-standing, we added drain rock behind and a tube draining the collected water and disposing of it off the sides.  This took care of the ever-important hydrostatic pressure which forces many walls out of shape.

We finished the walls and backfilled, compacted numerous times, then began the detail work.  The upper wall did have 2 - 16 foot wide waterfalls, both faced with a beautiful copper tile.  As the water spills over the edge of the tiling, the color comes out magnificently.  In the above picture, we had yet to add the tiles.

The paving area was fairly huge, with small amounts of grass surrounding it.  Lighting was distributed throughout the brick paver patio, inset into the bricks, providing some secure footing when the crowds convened.

 Here are 2 looks at the aforementioned site.  One can see why the view is valuable in this one.  It truly is breathtaking.  These both are pictures of the neighbor’s work, who decided to commence with his own version of the project next door. We therefore exrended the wall along the same identical axes.  What is shown here are the steps leading to and from the neighbor’s upper and lower patios.  The camera is looking Westward in this picture.

The other shot is along the perimeter wall and provides the view of the city and Eastern mountain range, looking South.

And here is a Winter look at the finished product, stricly dealing with the falls system.  As mentioned, there is an identical set of falls exactly like this, separated by the stairs leading up to the lawn area. We set lights inside the falls, 3 at the bottom of each set, turning the sheet effect into a positively phosphorescent waterall at night. A closer look, by clicking the image reveals the strikingly interesting copper-colored slate material we used, as well as a carved figurine imbedded in the center.

This was a pretty elaborate enterprise, taking over a month to construct. The result was pretty amazing, really.

Here is another before and after series.  This ‘before’ picture takes place after some work has already been completed, yet it also shows much of the process itself of grade-changing wall-making.  The goal during changing grades is to lessen the severity of the slope sufficienetly to allow for some form of activity to more comfortably take place, whether it be human activity or that of landscaping, simply made to enhance the plants’ abilities to survive as well to provide a general horticultural ambience. In this case, it also presented a structural sense of interest - and an attention-getting slice of beauty unconsidered from the top, looking down.

Now, when they look out, they see a civilized terraced atmosphere, more restful and far more interesting than staring at a hill leading up to the road.  The entire effect reduces the view to a more personal perspective and the plantings serve to deter the road noise from irritating the senses as well as become increasing more beautiful as the flowers develop and the years go by.

This is of course, another view of the before and after series featured above.  This is the central set of stairs leading up to the road.  We opted to make it rather busy, curling as it does upwards and sticking close by the upper wall.  The steps themselves were coinstructed out of the same wall bricks as the make up of the wall itself, but capped by the coping stones, or “caps”, shown running along the top of the walls.

This also ranks among my all-time favorite projects.  The view from the kitchen and sitting room windows has enough angle to it to reveal a lake to the lower right of this photo.  Thus, on a dialy basis, you get the sense of looking from water into water, just at different levels.  There a few interesting surprises to this water feature, especially inasmuch as it cascades down into what becomes another but more naturalistic series of falls into a small pool at the bottom, complete with another, more private patio.

The view here is pretty spectacular though, isn’t it?  This home has the perch to allow this dynamite view of Reno, Nevada in the distance.  Needless to say, there is more to see, not possible to catch in one mere photo.  The view spans about 240 degrees, across the valley onto the mountains leading to Virginia City to the East and to the Sierra Nevada’s to the West. When the fireworks go off in Reno at July 4th, Bo and Sandy entertain a huge party who can watch them go off at the various locations they do, simultaneously. The view is refreshing and expansive, sometimes breath-taking when the big Western Sky has clouds and thunderstorm action.  The sunrises are worth the price of the lot as well.

The photo and post following this one will show in more detail the view back towards this gorgeous house.  We used a fairly pricey brick paver for this project and I have to believe it was a totally correct choice.  Rustic yet colorful, the curving lines allowed by the antiqued edges meant a sinewy and involving complexity that also captures the eye.

Here is some detail around this backwards gander at the Infinity Edge pool as it abuts the patio.  Notice the cantilevered protruding curve into the pond itself.  It goes out about 3 feet, suspended over the water, hiding this big spotlight underneath which delivers and incredibly deep Azure Blue color at night.  The richness of the water feature’s night color is a major feature of this entire place.

The patio itself is huge, a bit more than 1,000 square feet.  As well, as mentioned in the prior post, the sights and sounds of water are everpresent as the water from this pool cascades over the infinity edge into a catch basin, then is centralized into the beginnings of a series of waterfalls like a creek below the edge.  It ends in another pond, hard by a patio where the homeowners like to  relax, 16 feet below the rest of the property and where they often enjoy a book or some wine, away from it all.

We made a very conscious effort to put the level of water less than an inch below the suspended pavers shown here.  It gives a shimmering feel to it all, especially at night, and it keeps the water level as close as possible to the actual level of the patio itself.  I felt this made the entire water edifice more inviting and sumptuous in general.

Here’s an interesting place shown here just after completion from a house we did in Portland, Oregon.  The family there had that most interesting cat sculpture which I really liked, even as common as it is. For some reason, the placidity of this small sculpture fit in so well.  The rounded mounding looks great and the low-lying plants surrounding this cute cat won’t get large enough to hide it, either, for the most part. Plus its grey tone is color-nuetral so it fits well within the riot of color later when everything blooms. The thing is, a sculpture such as this just adds an element to any garden.  In this case, its simplicity and rounded form augment a similar geological sensibility.

The plants selected here are all shade tolerant, naturally, and a few were actually selected for their scent.  There’s a rosemary one cannot really see and a few Artemesia varieties which almost always produce a tangy smell.  Needless to say, at least regarding my work and preferences, lavender will be there somewhere. Nor is this a particularly deeply-shaded spot.  Notice the dappled sunlight, enhanced owing to the thinning of branches in the birch trees behind nd above.  Some sun is almost always preferable to none at all and gives just a bit of pizzaz to almost any flowering species.

The Rhodedrendrons are magnificent bloomers, as always, and this particular variety savors the deeper shade elements. For a small bed, this little item has always been one of my favorites, especially since it is pretty much the fiorst thing someone sees when they enter the back yard from the gate behind from where this picture was taken.  Serene and shady, this one was a real neat spot.