The Grass Gauchos, LLC. – Alec Whitman & Landon Roberts

Burlington, VT  

S. Hero Courtyard & Drive

Merit Award

The owners of this property built a cottage here three years ago for summer visits until recently relocating permanently from their native Germany.  Winter showed them they needed to make some changes to the landscape!  The existing condition was a simple gravel driveway with an island bed featuring a 5-ton boulder as a centerpiece.  The area was poorly graded with water collecting in front of the garage and freezing in the winter.  The clients wanted to pave the driveway and entrance to correct the drainage and avoid dragging mud and gravel into their home, as their garage was detached.

The project involved about 7000 square feet of pavers and large planting beds of Hydrangea across the front of the house.  The courtyard bed features a crabapple underplanted with Vinca. The courtyard bed is raised to accommodate shallow ledge in the area.