The Cherry on Top of your Backyard
Personalized touch to compliment another Sierra backyard.
There is something special about a well planned backyard. Sharing meals with family at an expandable teak dining table set on a flagstone patio. Do you love an outdoor living space that extends the usefulness of your home? Walking along with the butterflies as they dance between the perennials that soften the natural stonework. Roasting s’mores in a campground like fire pit, surrounded by lazy Adirondack chairs. Listening to the relaxing babble of a pondless water feature. It’s our core belief that creating these spaces brings the healing power of nature closer to us. At Sierra Landscape Management, we take pride in building nature-inspired backyards all over in New Jersey.
But sometimes we, as homeowners, need that cherry on top of our backyard cake. We want that distinctive touch of something that incorporates personality into the backyard. Something you won’t necessarily find in nature. Or in other backyards for that matter. It’s what brings you joy, triggers memories, or even introduces whimsy. It’s your own decor. But I’m not going to start with what might be an obvious choice; the garden gnome. These guys are way too popular and have been around since the late 1700s. Not unique. I want to talk about YOU-nique. (I know. Groan.)
Maybe it ties into a pastime you really enjoy. One of my neighbors has an old ski lift chair in their yard. They do a great job decorating it throughout the year. In the winter, they’ll put Christmas lights on it. In the summer, it’s surrounded by a colorful explosion of flowers. And why not? Show passers-by that you really enjoy the ski slopes, that you laugh at the black diamond, and that you’re a great candidate for knee replacement surgery.
I am probably considered to be an outlier. My oddball hobby has bled over into my backyard. I have two traffic signals adorning each end of my little slice of heaven. One is a standard traffic signal and the other is a re-creation of a 1960s three-way red-green signal that would’ve been found in New York. Thankfully, my wife tolerates the urban statues. Again, it’s one of those things that people can’t help but ask about. Plus, I get to decorate it around Christmas. You know how the song goes. I’ll give you a minute to figure that one out.
Many others take a far more artistic approach to their backyard personality. The talent among local artists in New Jersey contains a virtually unlimited catalog of modern, industrial, retro, and natural materials to appeal to anyone’s taste. For example, if metal is your thing, Darryl Haley and Elizabeth Carol Winchester of Metal Elementz in Watertown, NJ create nature-inspired garden art that mixes the elements of hard and soft – industrial and natural. And guys like Brett McLain over at Freehand Custom Carvings, create incredible animal sculptures from huge pieces of wood. I’m sure many of us have seen what was once a tree marked for removal, has been turned into a work of art. The imagination, time, and energy that goes into turning a tree trunk into an adorable bear amazes me.
But out of all of the extravagant or odd pieces that you could put in your outdoor living space that say, “This is mine”, sometimes simple is the way to go. Chris Kalaskey has a gift for making beautifully basic, custom wood signs. He gets the wood from the trees around his home. His attention to detail in wood burning, touches of paint, and appropriate imagery enhance a simple slice of hemlock and exudes a calm and serene statement. You might have seen his work on one of our projects near you.
Whatever you do or want to do to your backyard, make it a place that gives you joy. Adding your own personal touch can be the foundation for creating that longing feeling of home. Nature is there to take you the rest of the way to provide you with a reminder to relax and rejuvenate. Every year, we see nature’s cycle and should be reminded to stop and smell the roses. Or go skiing. Or make a campfire for s’mores. Or watch a traffic signal cycle? (Or not.) But if you think your backyard needs attention, see what Sierra Landscape Management has done for others. If you would like to help make your dreams of a nature-inspired backyard become a reality, call us today so we can discuss the possibilities.
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