Minimalist Landscape Design Tsukiyama Earth Mounding Front Yard TERRAFIRMA Ann Arbor

Taming the Wild

Recently, we embarked on a design & installation to tame the front landscaping of a Mid-Century Modern classic, designed by local treasured architect, David Osler. With backyard treehouse views into Nichols Arboretum, Landscape Designer, Bill Lytle honed in on the calming beauty of a Japanese garden, emphasizing Tsukiyama earth mounding. This technique, which involves sculpting gentle, rolling hills to reflect natural landscapes, brings a new dimension of tranquility and depth to the space.

Our crews cleared, regraded and installed curated plantings, anchored with fieldstone outcroppings to create harmony with this Ann Arbor hillside architectural treasure.

Tsukiyama Earth Mounding Landscape Architect TERRAFIRMA Ann Arbor David Osler House

Project Details

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Services Provided:

Landscape Architecture
Permeable Walkways
Retaining Wall Installation
Low-Maintenance Landscaping
Grading

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

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By integrating a minimalist planting aesthetic and organic, dissolving lines, we achieved a seamless fusion of serenity with modern sophistication. The transformed entryway now greets visitors with unfolding views that perfectly complements the home’s treehouse views into Nichols Arboretum.

Evergreen junipers maintain structure all year while ornamental grasses give movement and seasonal interest. In the coming years, the Japanese Forest Grass and sedum groundcover will blanket the rolling hills, creating a lush carpet of color with textural contrast.

PROJECT PHOTOS

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Fieldstone outcroppings ground the design as an anchoring element. The gravel entry path directs the eye to the home’s entrance, naturally slowing user’s stride from the preceding city pace while naturally mitigating stormwater.

sango kaku japanese maple fall color landscape fall color Ann Arbor TERRAFIRMA

In Autumn, the ‘Sango Kaku’ Japanese Maple radiates vibrant fall color. The dark screen doors further aggrandize the spectrum of rich reds, oranges and yellows of the island planting.

Contemporary Retaining Wall Hinoki Cypress Hillside Landscape TERRAFIRMA

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Serene Landscape Ann Arbor Design Installation Planting Grading TERRAFIRMA Japanese Garden

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Walking stones direct the eye to borrowed views, creating mystery while inviting movement to view The Arb’s spectacular tree canopy.

Pfitzer Juniper Japanese Forest Grass Front Landscape Design Installation Ann Arbor

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Groundcover alternative sedum michigan ann arbor TERRAFIRMA Landscape

‘Immergrunchen’, in German, literally means evergreen. Working in miniature, the freshly planted ‘Immergrunchen’ sedum hybridum will soon fill in, creating compact, textural ribbons of green. Excellent for drought tolerance and erosion control on the newly shaped mounding hills.