Specimen Trees in the Landscape

Specimen Trees in the Landscape

With any planting design, you have multiple layers to work with. One layer is the ceiling or canopy (this layer also can contain your wall) of which your trees are a part of. Next you have the understory or subcanopy of which your smaller trees and shrubs are contained in and one of the final layers is the floor containing perennials.  When I work with the ceiling/canopy/wall layer of a design, the placement of a beautiful specimen tree is crucial to adding the "wow" factor to the final product. One of my main ways of adding the "wow" factor to a design is by choosing certain specimen trees that can hold their own no matter what the season.

Acer griseum

Paperbark Maple

This is an uncommon plant in american gardens due to propagation issues, but in a winter landscape, it has few peers. The rich cinnamon to reddish brown exfoliating bark commands center stage, especially when framed by snow. It is a small tree, ranging from oval to rounded in outline. Bluish green leaves turn brilliant red in fall. When it comes to specimen trees, no finer tree could be recommended.

Cedurus atlantica

Atlas Cedar

Atop the class of evergreens is the magnificent Atlas Cedar. In youth, the habit is pyramidal and sparsely branched. With age the tree becomes denser with broadly horizontal branches, giving the Atlas a grand and noble appearance. It is tolerant of acid and alkaline soil conditions and once established it is quite tolerant of heat and dry soils. When planted in a crowd, this form shouts for attention. 

Crataegus viridis 'Winter King'

Winter King Green Hawthorn

No other hawthorn selection has received as much attention as "Winter King'. The beautiful rounded habit, almost vase-shaped branching structure, and distinct gray-green stems provide ideal architecture. The lustrous dark green foliage, white flowers and red fruit are outstanding. It is an excellent choice as a small ornamental tree or for use against an evergreen background.



 

Stewartia pseudocamellia

Japanese Stewartia

If you are and avid gardener and have never seen one of these trees before, upon seeing this, you will have one in your landscape shortly. Flowers and fall foliage can be memorable, but the exquisite lightning-bolt pattern of the exfoliating bark is the real show, bringing pizazz to the winter garden. In youth it is pyramidal-oval, then becoming more open and rounded with maturity. White Flowers open in July adding more interest to an already superb specimen.

 

For help choosing specimen trees for your Landscape...

Contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, also visit our contact page or visit our website

Favorite Summer Flowering Perennials

In almost every planting design I put together, I try to incorporate my top five summer flowering perennials. Four of the five thrive in full sun to part shade conditions, leaving the astilbe to control the shade.

Enjoy! 

Aquilegia caerulea

Rocky Mountain Columbine

Columbines thrive in full sun or partial shade with rich, average to light, evenly moist, well-drained soil. Plants in full sun bloom more and are more compact than those grown in shade, but in hot climates dappled shade or afternoon shade provides essential heat protection. The only down fall to this beautiful perennial is that they are not long lived. 2-4 years is about average, although they can last much longer in good conditions.

Astilbe hybrid

Hybrid Astilbe

Astilbe prefer rich, constantly moist, well-drained soil. Partial shade is best. A site with sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon is ideal. Astilbes should be fertilized annually in spring by top-dressing with compost or a balanced organic fertilizer.

Campanula persicifolia

Peach-leaved Bellflower

Bellflowers generally thrive in full sun to partial shade and average to rich soil that is moist but well drained. Most bellflowers do not tolerate heat well and grow best in areas where temperatures routinely dip below 70 degrees at night in summer. This genus contains over 300 species with flowers shades ranging from blue, lavender, purple and white. To extend the bloom period, deadhead and water deeply during dry spells.

Iris Sibirica

Siberian Iris

Named for the Greek goddess Iris who rode to earth on a rainbow, Iris is a vast genus containing roughly 300 species along with thousands of cultivars. The Siberian Iris grow well in full sun to light shade and evenly moist, well drained or constantly wet soil. They also grow with up to 2 inches of standing water. When the plants become over crowded, divide them in early spring or early fall.

Platycodon grandiflorus

Balloon Flower

The Balloon flower is a dependable, clump forming perennial with inflated flower buds that split open into broad, shallow, bell-shaped flowers. They love full sun or light shade and average to rich well-drained soil. By deadheading spent blooms, the plant will continue to bloom all summer long. 

For help choosing perennials for your Landscape...

Contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, also visit our contact page or visit our website

Irregular Bluestone Patio Installation. Lexington, MA.

Irregular Bluestone Patio Installation. Lexington, MA.

This was a very unique, challenging and enjoyable project to work on. The goal was to create a large enough patio on which a hot tub now resides while using a natural uncut stone product. We were able to achieve this by using a broken bluestone product.

The irregular bluestone pieces range is size from 6" lengths to 4' lengths. The most challenging part of installing a patio with this type of stone is that each stone must be installed/leveled individually.

 Another challenge was the drastic grade change of the location in which we were to build the bluestone patio.

The solution was to build a two tier landscape timber wall with a planting area contained between both walls.

 Probably the most unique as well as challenging part to the project was how to get the material to the job site in the first place. The only access to the site was through the basement of the home or down a 15 step exterior staircase from first floor level. Not to mention that the first floor level is also down a 15 step exterior staircase from the driveway. 

 We created a small path/equipment trail that began from up at street level and meandered its way down through the woods to the projects location. From start to finish, the project took around 3 weeks to complete and all were very happy with the outcome. 

For help designing & building your Landscape...

Contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, also visit our contact page or visit our website

Our Services

WikWorks,Inc. is a Landscape Contractor servicing the greater Boston, MA area. We are a Landscape Design, Build then Maintain Company dedicated to the enhancement of the New England environment.

Let's talk about design & build process. Whether the ideas for your dream landscape are ornate and complex or quite modest, we can guide you through the process from start to finish. In our first meeting, we get to know you as well as all the ideas and thoughts that you may have for your landscape. We then get to know the space, what is located in it (plants, soil conditions, moisture levels and light conditions) and what may or may not work in the area. The design process then begins and we start creating your dream landscape. When the design process is completed, your dream landscape is presented in 2D & 3D form.

Now the Build process. Once your dream landscape plans have been accepted, the build process begins. We give you a start and completion date and weather permitting, we have your project completed within the allotted time. The question is, what do we build. Well, here we go, just to name a few:

1. Property Regrading
2. Lawn Installations
1. Hydroseed, Sod and Hand seeded Lawns
3. Plant Installations
4. Hardscape Installations
1. Walls - Stone, Brick, Timber & Concrete
2. Stairs, Walkways & Patios - Brick & Concrete Pavers and Stone
3. Fences - Iron, Vinyl and Wood
4. Wood Structures - Arbors, Pergolas an Trellis'
5. Water Features
1. Fountains, Ponds and Waterfalls
6. Irrigation Installation
7. Landscape Lighting

 So, whether it is

Brick

Block

 Stone

 Soil

 Wood

 or Water.....

If you can dream it. We can design, build then maintain it.

For help designing & building your Landscape...

Contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, also visit our contact page or visit our website



Work with the Earth

Our company slogan, "Work with the Earth", can be viewed on all our equipment and employee uniforms.  When I came up with the slogan for my company, I came to the realization that my whole goal for WikWorks,Inc. was to be a company that strives to "work with" all the site conditions of a clients landscape. The first step we take in evaluating a landscape project is establishing the sites strengths and limitations. If the chosen location is one of low light, then plants requiring minimal amounts of sun light will thrive. However, if the area contains both shaded and full sun conditions, then your plant options have increased drastically. Plants always need to be located in an area which meets their light requirements, making it very important to understand your plants. Seeing that we are located in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area, all our project locations receive plenty of moisture due to the fact that we are in a region considered to be somewhat of a "rain forest" with high amounts of moisture each year. Although varying light and moisture conditions can be considered limiting factors to a landscape project, they also can be considered strengths when the appropriate plants are chosen. The next step is to examine all existing plants. Are any of the plants struggling to survive, do they require excessive maintenance? If a plant has outgrown the site or they suffer from insect attacks or disease, it is best to remove entirely.  We then evaluate the existing non plant conditions of the site. Are there problem areas causing drainage issues? Are there steep slopes? Are the existing hardscapes functional? Are there areas for relaxing and for outdoor activities? All of these observations help in the success and satisfaction of each landscape project. This analysis helps us in selecting plants and non plant features that will "Work with" the current conditions of the landscape projects chosen location. Get to know your soil, its texture, soil structure, drainage/water holding capacity, ph levels and fertility. Understand the sites fertilization requirements, temperature ranges, light and shade levels, microclimates and more. Whether it be grading and drainage issues, varying ph levels in the soil, light conditions, moisture conditions, accessibility and so forth, our goal is to "Work with the Earth" and not against it. We approach every job, no matter how different they all may be, with this slogan in mind.  

For help Working with your Earth?

Contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, also visit our contact page or visit our website

Landscape Lighting Installation. Greater Boston, MA

WikWorks,Inc is adding a new service this upcoming season: Landscape Lighting. We an create a beautiful lighting design for your property, using some very unique fixtures that will add visual interest and value to your property. Whether it be by uplighting or down lighting....... 

 pathway lighting, niche lighting or in-ground lighting...................

 We can light up your landscape by adding visual interest and showcasing its beauty throughout the evening hours.



Need help designing your landscape lighting?

Contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, also visit our contact page or visit our website

Landscape Design Project - Reading, MA

I spent today working on this Landscape Design Project for a potential client of mine located in Reading, MA. They were looking for a landscape with plenty of color and ease of maintenance.  I always tell potential clients that all landscapes need to be maintained properly and there really is no "maintenance free" landscape. My goal in this design was to choose 15 plant species and create a bold statement with so few plants. In some designs, my plant lists can be quite large, but on this one I chose to be more minimalistic when it came to choosing my plants. Am I minimalistic when it comes to creating/designing planting areas? Well, I would have to say "No." My philosophy regarding planting design is to pack plants in, thus creating a swath of beautiful colors and textures. I use plants together that will grow close to each other without harming those around them. Some plants have root systems that can be very vigorous and can overwhelm other plants near by. These root systems can knot up, around and through other plant species while simultaneously sucking all the needed moisture and nutrients away. So, you really need to know all aspects of the plants you are designing with in order to create that "perfect" landscape. 

Need help designing your landscape?

Contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, also visit our contact page or visit our website

Kingston Backyard Landscape Design Project - Kingston, MA

This project, located in Kingston, MA, was designed and built for a new client of ours that we met through our donation to "Say it with Flowers."

After meeting with the client, and coming up with a list of items to have in the design, we then began the process of putting together a plan. We came up with an initial design and after 3 revisions we finalized the drawing (as seen above) and began the installation.

The client was looking for a patio, raised garden beds and a "green" screen to border their neighbors property which is on the right of the above photo. We designed and installed planting beds that will give the client color year round. One of the main design elements in the planting beds are perennials. We use a variety of perennials that begin flowering in early spring and wrap up by late fall. The goal is that something must always be flowering.

 Planting beds were added in front of the gas tank in order to help mask it, without hindering access.

The above view is facing the neighbors property, which is the location where the "green" screen was to be located. The "green" screen planting bed was made up of 3 deciduous flowering trees, 4 evergreens (Hinoki Falsecypress an awesome underused shrub) and a variety of perennials. 

    

The Patio we installed was a circular design kit by Cambridge Paving Stone in a Toffee/Onyx color. The dimensions of the patio is a 14' diameter circle. When we finished the job, the steps off the back porch had not been installed yet, so thus the reason for a patio to "no where." The raised garden beds are 16" off the ground, giving the client the ability to sit on the edge while gardening or weeding. 

To contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, visit our contact page or visit our website

Boston Courtyard Landscape Design Project - Back Bay: Boston, MA

This is a job we did in Boston's back bay for two clients of mine, Chris and Alex. We came up with a very simplistic patio, planting and fountain design. The design allowed for a large paved area for seating, planting beds that could be added to over time and a restored fountain from the early 1900's.

First, we restored the fountain and moved it from its former central location to the back left corner of the courtyard, allowing for more usable seating space. We then installed a biomorphic patio using red clay brick pavers that complemented the homes existing brick.

The existing slate patio (as seen below) was set in dirt which made the space unusable in any form of damp or wet weather. Chris & Alex had a great space, it just needed some tlc to bring their courtyard up to par. The most unique part of this job was that all work was done by hand, using shovels and wheelbarrows. All material, whether coming in or out, had to be wheeled up or down 10 steps and brought through a narrow alley way into the courtyard.

We installed the main body of pavers using a herringbone pattern and a curved border. We do not use plastic edging to hold our patio or walkway borders because I believe it detracts from the end product. We prefer to mix up concrete and run it tapered along the edge of the patio or walkway always keeping the concrete height below the brick which allows us to solidify the edge while also keeping the concrete hidden.

The restored Fountain from the 1900's came out quite nicely and ties in well with the brick courtyard.

To contact Ryan Wikman, the owner of WikWorks, Inc, visit our contact page or visit our website.