Begin a landscape design with Field after October 1, 2011 and we will contribute 100% of the design fee to Tree Trust.

The first design meeting must take place after Oct. 1st, 2011.   Field determines the design fee in the initial meeting.  Design fees range from $300–$1,000 depending on the scope of the project.  Designs include: Initial consultation; First design meeting with completed design and pictures to illustrate design concepts; Final design with updates based on feedback from the first design.

Field supports Tree Trust’s Youth Conservation Corps – a program providing first-job experiences to local youth through major landscaping projects around the Twin Cities. Call 612.789.9381 or email us at fieldoutdoor@gmail.com to schedule a consultation.

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It’s time for the second installment in the transformation of my front slope.  If you remember back to my Field Notes post in May, I introduced you “Mt. Davenport”, my Southwest Minneapolis front yard slope.  Failing turf and unsafe mowing conditions had become a serious problem for me and my husband.  We decided to bring in Field Outdoor Spaces to help us create a space that was beautiful, functional, and safe.  In this segment, designer, Shannon O’Halloran discusses her design process for the hardscape portion of  the plan.  Enjoy!  ~ Ann Davenport

By Shannon O’Halloran

There are many steep front slopes around the Minneapolis area.  The biggest hazard and maintenance issue is mowing the grass on the hill and keeping the turf alive.  This is a challenge because of the speed at which water runs off the slope eroding the hillside.  The question becomes this, if you remove the turf can you keep the erosion of the hillside from continuing?   Will you be creating a larger maintenance issue?  I believe the time spent on maintenance will be the same as if you mowed the turf on the hillside but it will be far less dangerous.  Picking plants that will hold the soil on the hillside will help with erosion.  Creating a design which incorporates rock outcroppings and small walls will slow down the water runoff and allow larger shrubs and trees to be planted, creating visual interest and layers of plant material on the hill.

Including the house in the design process is an important factor.  The materials selected can complement the house color and style.  In the case of the Davenport’s front slope hardscape design, a light wallstone was chosen to match the stone around the entrance of the house.  Large boulders were selected to compliment the blue-gray house color, and an accent of wallstone to match the house color.  This combination of material and color really brings the house into the landscape.

In creating a design for the slope, the rock walls and outcroppings were placed to create planting pockets that move the eye around the landscape.  A boulder “goat path” was included up the slope to increase accessibility to plant material thereby making weeding, watering, and general maintenance on the hill that much easier.

In order to help address issues of runoff and redirect some of the water which historically ran across the top area of the yard and down the slope, a space for a small rain garden was included in the design.  Water from the downspout on the corner of the house is directed into the rain garden where it can infiltrate back into the ground.  The old sidewalk is replaced with flagstone steppers and a bridge over the rain garden allows for continued access around the house.  The second downspout on the front of the house was retrofitted with an oak rain barrel which collects additional runoff from the roof which can easily be used to water plants.

In a future segment, I’ll address the design plan for the remaining area at the top of the slope and foundation plantings.

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By Ann Davenport

Slopes are one of the most common landscaping problems and can be one of the most difficult to deal with.  Often times, grass doesn’t grow well on a slope, sloughing off allowing the soil below to erode away.  Water infiltration varies meaning the area at the top may be dry while the bottom can become waterlogged.  Steep slopes can also pose a safety hazard in that they can be difficult and dangerous to mow.

My property in Southwest Minneapolis boasts one of those “mountain-like” front slopes.  When my husband and I first moved into the house 6 years ago, the grass on the slope seemed to be holding its own but it quickly began to deteriorate.  Today it is easy to see where the grass has died and water running down the slope has eroded some of the soil in those areas.  And trying to mow this beast is a task unto itself!  We practically have to tether ourselves to the house and “lower” one person down with the mower while the other acts as a counter weight!  Although I’m sure it’s entertaining for the neighbors, it isn’t exactly the safest practice.

So, after several years of muttering about “doing something with that darn hill” we decided to requisition the help of our friendly neighborhood landscape design/build company (a.k.a. my awesome employers), Field Outdoor Spaces, Inc.

After some discussion with Jason & Shannon, it was decided that this project would be nice case study for our “Solutions for the Urban Landscape” blog series.  In the coming months we will present the process of landscaping my front slope from start to finish.  We’ll include information on the design process, plant & hardscape selection, installation, and of course the final product.  Stay tuned as we move forward in transforming this problem area into a useable urban landscape.

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The Minnesota Nursery and Landscaped Association has given Field Outdoor Spaces the 2011 Merit Award for full yard residential landscape design.  We are excited and honored to have won.  The project was installed in phases beginning in 2006 and finishing in 2010.  It is rare that we have the opportunity to be part of a project in which the entire landscape, as well as the exterior of the house is renewed.  We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this project and made it shine.A very special thanks goes out to the home owners who were incredibly receptive to new ideas and went the extra mile to add special touches and plant material of their own to make the landscape even better.An indispensable contributor to the project was Colette and Co.  Their design changes on the house fit seamlessly into the landscaped making the amazing two story porch the perfect focal point for the backyard. Check out some additional photos at the Garden Minnesota website.

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We are proud to announce that Field Outdoor Spaces was awarded a 2010 MNLA Merit Award for our annual bedding plant management and garden maintenance at Oakridge Golf Club located in Hopkins, MN. We are going on our fifth year of partnership installing and maintaining the club’s annual flower beds. This is the second year in a row that we have won an award for commercial garden maintenance.

Last fall, we submitted our entry for the landscape management award to MNLA (Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association). Part of the award criteria was based on the submission of twenty digital photos taken throughout the season and a written description about each photo. Please visit the website www.gardenminnesota.com to check out our work under ‘Award Winning Landscapes’ and ‘Merit Award 2010.’ Pictures of the gardens will also be displayed through March at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, MN.

Preparation for the annual installation begins in January with new designs and preparing the plant order. Around May 15^th, our crews install the annuals. Colorful seasonal plantings are found in high traffic areas with bold bursts of color that greet club members. Our annuals are found around the tee boxes, under trees, and in areas where members and their families frequent, such as the pool and tennis court areas. In a typical year we install over 250 flats of annuals at the club, including simple bedding plants like zinnias and petunias as well as specialty plants like cannas, purple fountain grass and house ferns. After installation, we are at the course every Monday to dead-head, remove dead or underperforming plants, and weed every week.

We are honored to have won such a distinguished award. Our company, along with other award winners, will be recognized at a dinner hosted by MNLA in March.

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The garden at Highpoint Center for Printmaking is now complete. The design of the garden has been a collaborative, evolving process between sculptor Kinji Akagawa and Field owner Jason Rathe, with brainstorming sessions with Highpoint’s Cole Rogers and the architects from James Dayton Design. Further credit goes to the crews from Highpoint and Field who helped dig through ridiculously hard dirt and endure baking sun to complete this beautiful space.The design changed greatly from the original concept based on budget constraints and a mid-design realization that the area was going to be flat rather than sloped. The garden is designed to be a visual counterpart to the exciting building renovation completed by James Dayton Design (whose work includes the super-cool Macphail Center for Music building in Minneapolis).The garden is visible from inside the Center as well as from the parking lot. One view, out a large picture window, is dominated in the foreground by a Volkswagen-size rock nestled into an ipe deck with a pagoda dogwood framing the left side. Kinji sculpted a bird-bath in the huge rock where, incredibly, birds flocked within hours of completion.

The main gargantuan rocks had to be installed with a clam truck. While the clam truck made the installation possible, the process had to be done carefully on new concrete sidewalks. But the unexpected replacement of two concrete sections allowed the concrete contractor, Jon Pietig, to add his own touch to the project, embedding two flagstone steppers leading into the garden path.Part of the design challenge of the project was bringing elements together whose synergies aren’t readily apparent: Japanese garden elements with Minnesota native plants and a rain garden. Some elements melded easily – the rain channel leading from the downspout to the rain garden allowed us to install a cool cut-stone bridge – a strong Japanese element. A stepping stone path leads through the garden to a long, architectural ipe deck in the back. The areas between and around the stepping stones are planted with ground-hugging natives pussy toes (Antennaria neglecta) and long-leaf bluet (Houstonia longifolia) as well as creeping thyme and vinca vine. The native plant material was all obtained from Out Back Nursery in Hastings and Landscape Alternatives Nursery in Scandia.

Other interesting elements include three stone benches flanked by stone columns and a calming gray trap gravel area resembling a small, dark pond. Native plants are arranged around the gravel “pond.” The plant communities in the garden and in the perimeter plantings around the parking lot include lots of little blue stem grass punctuated with mid-height flowering plants like blazing star, foxglove penstemon, prairie phlox, and marsh milkweed.  A grouping of chokecherries at the corner are already laden with clusters of fruit – ready for birds to harvest. Tall shrubs along the perimeter include staghorn sumac, fragrant sumac and nannyberry viburnum as well as the native groundcover shrub – dwarf bush honeysuckle.A big thanks to everyone who helped in the design and installation of the garden and to Highpoint and Cole Rogers for giving us the opportunity to work on the garden. I will be thrilled to observe the garden for years to come as it matures over time and dynamically changes through the season.

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The picture to the left shows an evolving project in south Minneapolis we worked on two years ago. Even within this narrow space two distinct spaces are created with the wallstone wall and there is always something warm and inviting about clay pavers – here in a circular patio with soldier course. I couldn’t resist taking this picture showing the space starting to get that “lived-in” look.

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As part of Earth Day, Field volunteered time to do some neighborhood clean-up. Unfortunately, our efforts were somewhat stymied because the park we were assigned to clean-up was nabbed by other garbage-pickers due to a large turn-out last weekend. So we sufficed with walking around the neighborhood cleaning up litter on the streets. We collected about 10 bags of garbage.Collecting garbage makes you ponder the “littering events.” Did it come from a tipped garbage can or someone casting a cup from a car? Somethings, like beer bottles and Taco Bell cups are easy to explain. But there were things hard to explain – a pile of fruit in the back alley, whole plastic bags of assorted litter, tens of clothes hangers. This might be an idea for an indie film.

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Well, its official: spring has arrived. We were able to get a crew out on Thursday and two crews out on Friday starting on garden clean-ups. Its exciting to start a new season. We have a GREAT group of employees and, as always, great clients who provide us the opportunity to beautify their landscapes and gardens.

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The MNLA awarded Field a Grand Honor Award in the category of Commercial Management at the 2008 MNLA Awards Night in February. The MNLA website displays the awards and a handful of pictures. The award was given for the work we’ve done over the past four years at the corporation Beckman Coulter. Beckman was our first client and tipped the scales on whether we were going to start a company, so the award is especially meaningful.We need to thank the management at Beckman for the incredible value they put on the everyday work experience of their employees. The multi-building site has a memorial rose garden where employees stroll during lunch time and take calls under rose bedecked arbors, a dramatic waterfall outside a main entrance, and perennial gardens surrounding every building that we fill with seasonal color. It is not only a great place for Beckman employees, it is also one of our favorite places to work, because of the wonderful flowers and wildlife (butterflies, sphinx moths, snakes, hummingbirds) the gardens entice.

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