BROADVIEW MID-CENTURY

BROADVIEW MID-CENTURY MAKEOVER

A mid-century modern home with loads of potential, ready to be updated in a big way! 

All that existed was an uneven flagstone pathway, three mountain hemlocks, two vine maples and a lot of weeds (See Before and After page).  I knew instantly, I wanted to keep the hemlocks and use them for the basis of the design, a “modern mountain theme”.  The weeds could go.

Our first goal was to change the entry experience.  In place of the flagstone path we installed a series of concrete pads that zig zag around a large steel planter installed slightly askew from front door.  The planter, holding its new red leaf maple, now works double duty by providing screening for the front deck and a welcome diversion from the once direct path to the front door.  And about that front door… the original – dated wood, topped with a half-moon cut-out, was replaced with a modern door with frosted glass panels in a vibrant citrus shade of yellow.  The front door acts as a touchstone for the chartreuse plantings that play off it throughout the garden.

A problem area to the right of entry, known to collected water during heavy rains, was transformed into a focal point and feature by installing a second steel planter that captures water from the rain chain and diverts it through a spout it into a rain garden.  Blue Arrow juncus, with its rust tinged seed heads echo’s the color of the steel and flourishes year-round in the planter.

A rectangular address panel was installed at the front of the entry path to balance the visual weight of the geometric shapes on either side of the path.

Crushed granite paths mimic a mountain trail, breaking off on either side of the concrete entry path. One meanders through the hemlocks, mixed ornamental grasses and Ivory Halo dogwood to the driveway, the other under a canopy on vine maples to the side yard.

With it’s low-maintenance mix of evergreen plantings including, heaths, euphorbia’s and grasses paired with seasonal pops of color from hydrangeas, black-eyed Susan’s and asters, it’s a true multi-season landscape.  I jokingly dub it, “the garden that keeps on giving”.