Landscape design & build for New Canaan

New Canaan landscapes are overwhelmingly traditional, calling upon classic elements of the English Colonial style, including hedges, symmetrical evergreen accents, and, importantly, large lawns. Flowers are presented with restraint – large blocks of white are more common than mixed displays of bolder color. Green dominates the scene. Elements of the natural landscape mingle with designed features – regional maples, birches, oaks, and other trees make for excellent specimens.

Landscape designs in New Canaan embrace outdoor living, frequently featuring outdoor kitchens and dining, as well as flexible lounge spaces, designed to adapt to a variety of uses and group sizes.

Swimming pools are a popular request to manage those muggy summers, as are pergolas and canopy trees, which make the most of shade and breezes to keep you enjoying your time outside.

Surprisingly, fire pits and hot tubs – also popular landscape elements – are also great amenities for beating the heat, offering a fun activity for a cool outdoor evening. Both work double-duty, providing a heat source to keep you outside even when the weather turns cold.

No matter where you live, native plants are a great idea. Having evolved to thrive in the local climate, native plants typically require fewer inputs of water, fertilizer, and maintenance than species introduced from elsewhere. This translates great plant performance with less expense and fuss for homeowners.

At the same time, native plants offer unbeatable habitat value for local wildlife, and help designed landscapes feel connected to the broader regional landscape.

Evergreen hedges are a staple in New Canaan landscapes – low hedges near the home as a part of foundation planting, tall hedges around the perimeter to ensure privacy. Boxwoods are the classic low option, but hollies, including the native Ilex glabra, are popular choices as well.

Maples grow abundantly in Connecticut, New Canaan included, and make for fabulous specimen trees that link designed landscapes to the regional plant community.

Hemerocallis is a classic floral selection, though the eastern purple coneflower, blue-stemmed goldenrod, and New England aster are all excellent native alternatives.

Climate tolerance is the primary concern when selecting plants for a New Canaan landscape. Plants must be able to tolerate the significant swing from summer heat and humidity to winter chill and snow. Deciduous and herbaceous plants are common within these conditions.

Don’t forget to consider winter interest. Look for plants that bloom late in the fall and early in the spring. Incorporate trees and shrubs with colorful or architectural branches. Be considerate with placement of evergreens such that they can command the scene when other plants are in winter dormancy.

Now! Any time of year is great to begin work on a landscape project.