Here is a video showing the construction of a large waterfall we recently constructed for our clients in Asheville, NC.
Enjoy!
Tag: landscape design
Building a Fairy Home
When designing a landscape it’s always good to stop and think about some options to make your garden unique.
We built a series of dry stacked stone retaining walls for our client in Asheville recently. In the landscape design process we decided to add a really cool feature into the walls. A little fairy grotto was the idea. Our clients came up with the idea originally. I have seen similar ideas in other walls, but have yet had the opportunity to install one. We thought it was a great idea, for a small statue or maybe a spot for a candle to brighten the feature at night.
So we made a space for the little fairy nooks (3 of them in the finished wall) and began building. We installed some small stone arches that were dry laid into the wall, using only friction to hold them together and some wood support that we removed after we were done.
The stone arch is an ancient technique that I have yet to master.
The history of the arch dates back to ancient Italy where the Etruscan people built unimaginable stone arches as gates to the city. The Romans learned from them and perfected the craft.
To bring a little bit of this ancient art into our modern landscape design brings me great joy.
I love dreaming of new and old techniques to install into the features we create for our clients.
We will move forward, building and learning. Mastering techniques as the Romans did from the Etruscans.
Maybe one day in the future our children will pass on some pass on some skill to another generation to come, that will create a legacy of artistic craftsmanship for future builders.
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Asheville Landscape Design
Almost finished with this design work for our clients in Asheville.
I really enjoy doing landscape design. Can’t wait to install the features we designed for this project.
This project includes approx. 3000 square feet of brick pavers, a fire pit and seat wall. Retaining walls and boulder accents. Trees and hedging, with a complete irrigation system install and a full landscape around the newly built house.
Check back soon for more info.
Living Waters Landscaping
828-301-8017
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Asheville Landscaping: Water Feature Fun!
I love building ponds and waterfalls. I enjoy every part of creating water features from design to finish.
Today I wanted to post about adding fun design features to water features. There are many ways to make your pond, stream or waterfall beautiful & functional.
A few things I like to put into water features are:
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| ‘Old World’ Stone Bridge over Stream |
Bridges, statuary, aquatic lighting, decks and sometimes some wood, like a dry log you might have found in the mountains around Asheville.
A bridge is always a great water feature if it works in layout for your yard or garden. We have used stone, wood and metal to breach a gurgling stream or tranquil pond.
Another great landscaping water feature is a statue that is placed correctly. This is a simple way to add a lot character to your landscape.
Remember to try and carry a theme when you are choosing a statue. In the picture below, we chose a small stone Pagoda to accent the waterfall. This was in keeping with the Japanese garden we were creating.
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| Hillside Pond with ‘Wine Deck’ |
Another fun landscaping idea to add to your water feature is a deck. It gives a great place for relaxing by a waterfall or watching the fish frolic in the pond. I like the look and feel of adding different elements to the garden. Mixing wood, stone, water, and earth together make a feature or garden that is both functional and artistic.
Don’t forget the aquatic and landscape lighting when planning your water feature. Aquatic lighting is always one of my favorite parts of the job. I like to get creative and put lights in little nooks and under little streams in the falls. LED lights work great for pond and waterfall lighting because they are more energy efficient and they last much longer than halogen bulbs.
More fun landscaping water features ideas soon to come!!
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| Japanese Garden |
www.livingwaterslandscaping.com
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Asheville Landscaping: Flagstone Patio Update
We had kind of a slow week with truck maintenance and sourcing the right materials for our clients patio in Asheville.
Today we got the edging done for the patio. We specialize in dry laid patios like this one will be. However, we will occasionally mortar in the edging of a dry laid patio. This particular project will have a 3 ft brick skirt. With a tumbled Kentucky grey stone in the center.
The mortared edging for this feature will keep the dry laid brick and stone from eventually migrating outward. It is not always needed to have a mortared edge. A heavy stone edge or a plastic/ metal pre-fab edge would also work.
However, for this patio we decided that a mortared edge would be the best fit and the longest lasting edge. We tend to over-build our features a bit sometimes.
We also prepared the base material for the patio as you can see here. We use a 3/4 drain rock for the base with a screed of 3/8 crushed stone for leveling. This is not always a standard practice for ft laid patios. However, we have found it to be superior to the traditional sand and road bond installation. The gravel allows for a stronger and free draining base.
We also attempted to install this large stepper that will be the entry stone in the patio. However, at nearly 5pm on a Friday, we decided to wait for fresh Monday morning energy!
Check back for more updates.
Living Waters Landscaping
828-301-8017
#ashevillelandscaping
#flagstonepatios
Living Waters Landscaping LLC 