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Landscape Design With a New Fence

Bob discusses landscaping with Joanne Smallwood, landscape architect. A new wooden fence is also installed.

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Landscape Design With a New Fence

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" The guiding idea was to keep it with a Florida feel right?"

" Right Bob."

" So tell me a little bit about the picket fences, is this a Florida touch?"

" Yes, it is, this helps---- the fence is brought out from the side of the building, so the architecture is extended into the side----"

" Yeah."

" and this is something that we've done in Florida many years ago----"

" and we did today to also to integrate the architecture into the side."

" Now did you design the fence itself?"

" Yes we did Bob. We brought out, you can see that the members on the [unk] the horizontal siding that we brought that detail out to repeat itself in the fence. "

" Sure, let us talk with Chris, the carpenter who is putting it together for a minute. Hi Chris!"

" Hi Bob! How are you?"

" It's a nice job you're doing here. Tell me a little bit about how you're building it."

" Well, it's a pretty simple design. Actually we put the 4 x 4 in the ground. We put on our rails on the outside. We actually screw [unk]----"

" The horizontal [unk]."

" galvanize screws, correct."

" Okay."

" We put 2 x4 on top----"

" and then we came down with 2 x 2 that are [unk] lateral over across."

" Right [unk]."

" And then everything like in here we used the galvanize screws, and then we started putting the picket himself on the face."

" Yeah."

" Everyone from a 1 x 4 to a 2 x 2 to make it go like in-and-out kind of deal undulating finger we're talking about."

" Yeah."

" And what we're trying to is we try to keep this long point, which is the peak at this 1 x 4----"

" and a straight level lines all the way across the whole fence. "

" Yeah."

" And then the long point of the 2 x 2 picket we keep with the shoulder."

" Yeah."

" So, that is also [unk]. So, we have working with it actually 3/4-inch different height variation across the whole fence---- "

" Yeah."

" as what is using here, this gate block."

" Right over here, he's using a little gauge right?"

" That's a 3/4 height difference and also as for the fence. "

" Yeah."

" So, gauge that makes it go on pretty smooth."

" what kind of wood is it?"

" Western red cedar."

" I'll be around for a long time."

" Sure you will."

" Thanks Chris."

" You're welcome."

" [unk] you've managed to salvage a lot of the vegetation that was here though?"

" Yes. We've save something wonderful old orchids on the maybe table tongs."

" These table tongs were on the property."

" Yes these were on the property and so as this orchid tree Bob."

" But then you brought in some new plants."

" Yes we've brought in the table tongs here Bob to tell you with the existing table tongs, and you can they've weave in and out as a tapestry with the fence pointing in the middle of the planting."

" I gotta ask you, it's such an impressive 20-foot tall tree. What should cost this to put one in?"

" Approximately to bring it in and planted we've a 150 dollars approximate cost."

" 150 dollars is almost to throw away. It's unbelievable that you can do it for so little money. What a mess we got here though huh?"

" Yeah, this is really quite good, quite as swamp. We're not used to this normal four days of rainfall we've have and as you can see, had to stop the irrigation system because we're underwater here just a few hours ago."

" Yeah. The men that were putting in the sprinkler system got rained out three days ago. The sod farms stopped cutting two days ago, so today we don't have any sod to look at."

" Right exactly, and this is gonna be the wonderful side of space."

" What's the nature of this soil I mean it is such mucky stuff it just, you know, goes right through your fingers. And this doesn't drain very well?"

" Yeah this is a low part of old maples and I'm pushing out now that required to build a lot and we're building it the old [unk] grade----"

" At the old grade, right."

" and water cable is very high."

" Yeah, so we're putting in some specimen plantings over here and you know what I like is that the use of just kind of spray paint to create your outline of the, what is it the planting [unk]?"

" Right, the planning better is designed with a spray paint so we can layout the plants, and your bed lines are very important just as they undulate in and out is the hard line of the fence. "

" What do you call these little blue flowers?"

" This is a blue flowering lumbago. It's native to Florida, very old plant that's been around for a long time----"

" so historically it has value for the cottage as well. What are these here?"

" These are the [unk] , which is a very adorable hardy plant that has a whitish yellow pinkish flower."

" Okay, so that we will have a lot of lush stuff going right up to the fence. "

" -That's right"

" Yeah."

" This is a very important element in the design Bob. This is a Clusia rosea and as you can see it's taller and it's gonna be the link that connects the hardness line of the building with the soft line of the planning and then get repeat the hard line of the fence [unk]."

" Now, they've dug a hole, but it's full of water."

" Right, this is [unk] the high water cable on the low ground level, and [unk]----"

" The can't plant in there can't----"

" No, we're gonna have to hold off the planting here because we can't plant water because the plant can't breath."

" Yeah. If you put [unk] drown the plant they'd be dead in the week, right?"

" Right, right. It requires oxygen like people do"

" Right normally, do you dig a hole like we do back in New England twice the size of the root ball?"

" We dig in here slightly larger than the root ball because we don't use a lot of amendments like they made there up north [unk]----"

" [unk]pots you don't need it."

" No, because we don't need with our soils or plant materials are adapted to the soil----"

" because it reach enough."

" just to fertilize it. Then of course we saved this wonderful row of palm that was probably planted when the house was new----"

" Yes."

" and our carpenter has built new steps, but then this is part of your design here?"

" Yes, this is the keystone paver that we're using throughout and it is actually a simulated paver from the original up keystone that was used years ago. Now, it's almost nonexistent and very costly."

" Yeah, they used to quarry keystone wet and it's basically a kind of a coral product right?"

" Right. And the simulation has the imprints of the actual coral animal in it, so it looks like the real thing. And the wonderful -news is as they give you've got to learn of slightly no good looks, but you can't keep pointing. We like to leave it a little bit----"

" Yeah."

" because it's natural."

" Yeah, but it is manmade?"

" That is manmade."

" Although it looks natural. How do you install it?"

" Uhm, using a white Portland cement is the base because it becomes a hard set rather than just the sand-based."

" Yeah."

" And you can see them they're secured along the edge."

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