Landscape Management

FOLIO
A SCRAPBOOK OF DESIGN/BUILD OVERHAULS
THE MISSION
A quarter-ac re property
transforms into an English
garden oasis — all while ¹“upcycling,” or incorporating
existing elements in new
ways and spaces.
PROJECT_PORT
›
Upcycled elegance

Barry Block, owner and principal designer of East Moriches, NY-based Barry Block Landscape Design & Contracting, was brought in to enhance and expand upon the builder’s “landscape package” at a newly constructed post-modern home in nearby Amagansett. In fact, construction was still being completed as he began his work.

The classic Hamptons-style home was a weekend retreat for the New York City-based clients. With a budget less than $50,000, Block was ready to design around their must-haves.

“Our clients wanted to screen out unwanted views from all four sides of the property, create an outside room that would reflect back into the living spaces within the home, and provide year-round interest, with the main focus on summer seasonal color — which is when the house would be used the most,” he explains. “In addition, our clients desired ornamental grasses, hydrangeas and boxwoods, as well as an English garden style theme.”

To soften the home’s exterior and tie in all the fixed features on the site — driveway, pool house and retaining walls — Block used a plant palette dominated by lavender, pink, blue and white. Railroad tie retaining walls were constructed along the entire back and sides of the property to maintain the grade.

While the original landscape package had to be completely redone and/or transplanted, Block notes that all the material was salvaged and put to good use.