Rum River Valley Residence
Pruning of trees and replacement of the scrubby groundplane with native and ornamental shade-loving plants re-establishes the beauty of the forest.
Treeline worked with the family for three days, through the Planning for Outdoor Living process, which led to the creation of a master plan that addresses a mostly inhospitable (due to insects) but beautiful forest environment. The solution was to analyze key views from the home -- from dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, and screened porch -- and to draw a series of visual outdoor rooms that would extend those spaces into the landscape.
The owners have eclectic tastes and travel extensively. The outdoor gardens, therefore, reflect a variety of desired styles while finding commonality through consistency in plantings (which also address the heavily shaded site) and a winding stone pathway.
Subsequent work has included detailed design of the Zen Viewing Garden, Native Viewing Garden, Forest Entry, and Sedge Gardens, assistance with plant selection and purchasing, and materials research and sourcing. Planning for Outdoor Living has given the owners the flexibility to tackle a portion of the project at a time, and to proceed economically by performing work themselves. The master plan guides detailed design and construction.