DON'T FORGET TO LOOK UP

TAKING DOWN  HUGE WHITE PINES,,,

...THAT DOMINATED THE LANDSCAPE...

...AND WERE REPLACED BY AN EXPENSIVE FORMAL PLANTING...

...ONLY TO EX;POSE  THIS UGLY HIGH TENSION ELECTRIC LINE

...WHICH NOW DOMINATES THE PROPERTY

Friday, 8:30 AM.  15 degrees F at the ferry dock, 14 on the back porch.  Wind NNW, mostly calm with light gusts.  The sky is overcast, with dark clouds, the humidity 71%.  The barometer has begun to fall gently, now at 30.7".  The high today will be in the mid-20's. rising on the weekend to around 30, with partly cloudy skies.
   This is the story of a landscape design that did not accomplish what it set out to do  because the designer either did not actually visit the site or did so and did not look up. To look up is as fundamental to good design as to look all around (creating focal points, capturing distant views and all the rest).
   This 1920's cottage was pleasantly updated and added to about twenty years ago, but when it was originally built it had a row of small white pine trees planted across ts front lawn, perhaps they were meant to be kept pruned as a hedge, or perhaps no thought was given to their eventual size, but over almost a century they became very large, dominating the property.  Perhaps they threatened the foundation of the house, or perhaps they clogged the sewer lateral, or perhaps the owner was afraid of them falling on the house (there are many legitimate reasons for cutting down large trees) but they were healthy, beautiful and  gave a particular woodsy character to the property.
   In any case, much to my surprise one day they were being cut down; a massive, expensive undertaking, which changed entirely the esthetics of the property.  Which is where the landscaping comes in, which was professionally designed and obviously expensive,  with formal placement of flowering crab trees surrounded by shrubs and ornamental grasses. all within a stone border.  Frankly, the cottage was better served by the original pine trees.  But that's just my opinion and not a criticism.
   It took several days with a crew and heavy equipment to cut down, chip and dispose of the trees and grind out the stumps, which I estimate cost at least $5,000.  The design and installation of the new landscape took a crew of two, sometimes three workers three days to accomplish, probably another  $10,000 at least. That's a very conservative total estimate of $15,000 .   Now after it is all done, stand in place and look up.
   A heavy electric cable, formerly hidden by and within the huge pine trees, drapes across the front of the entire property, and would be doubly expensive to bury now that the landscaping is completed on the front lawn.  And now the owners, who live elsewhere, will need a professional gardener to maintain the expensive new plantings.
   When designing or redesigning a landscape, don't forget to look up.