Tuscan Residence, Newton, MA

CHALLENGE

Develop a landscape that compliments the Tuscan architecture of the new home while providing a series of intimate garden spaces for the client to relax and enjoy.

In addition, Symbio was tasked with accomplishing the client’s goal of preserving the existing 80-plus-year-old European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) tree and developing improvements to accommodate and house rescue animals on the property.

THE SITE

O.5 acres situated on a hill that looks out over the neighborhood. The site’s natural plinth and mature European Beech tree framed the proper location for the client’s architect to locate the new home. The rich native soil offered high organic matter and clay content, which informed our plant material selection. Careful considerations for drainage and soil amendments were incorporated into the plant healthcare program we developed for the client.

RESULT

An inviting landscape that celebrates the Tuscan architecture of the home, with proper curb appeal, successful preservation of the beech tree with inviting landscape spaces, and accommodations for the client’s rescue animal program were achieved.

The site, chosen by the client, sits elegantly above the street and allows the new home designed by the client’s architect, Christopher Russ, to sit on the site’s natural plinth to prominently look out over this lush and elegantly landscaped neighborhood in Newton, Massachusetts, some 8 miles west of Boston.

The front entry landscape establishes a proper sense of arrival to welcome visitors and greet the home’s Owner with carefully placed planting to screen and organize views toward the home’s front elevation. In addition, stone boulders with lighting, mature trees, and lush understory planting create a landscape composition that celebrates the architecture and successfully integrates the home into this mature landscape setting.

Thermaled granite entry walls flank the home’s entry tower and define the entrance drive’s edge to anchor it to the site.

Intimate garden spaces were positioned correctly to align with the home’s main living areas. These spaces include a bluestone terrace with bamboo for screening and shade garden plant material off the kitchen.

A New England fieldstone and granite fire feature extends the client’s outdoor living experience into the evening and cool fall nights for an elevated outdoor experience

A viewing garden is positioned adjacent to the main bedroom with a dwarf Japanese maple tree and evergreen planting on axis with the bedrooms windows for optimum views to blur the line between interior and exterior space.

Patrick Bolye of Arborway Tree Care was engaged to develop a plant healthcare plan to preserve and care for the existing 80-plus-year-old European Beech tree adjacent to the home.

Synthetic Turf with wood and wire fencing was selected for its durability at the rescue animal side yard. In addition, irrigation of the side yard was incorporated into the turf to cool it off when required during the hot months.