Award Winning Landscapes: Come on in

1 May, 2008 By: Michael Seuffert Landscape Management

Scattered throughout a 6-acre lakefront property in Malakoff, TX, is a series of statues that represent an invitation to the community. On a grassy field looking out over the lake, "Kite Kids" begs visitors to run and play on the open field. "Breezy," a little girl basking in the wind surrounded by a colorful perennial bed, beckons boats to the shore. Two Native Americans climb the side of a mountain in "The Ascent," leading the way up a path you can climb too.

Placed at the outermost point of the property, the "Breezy" statue is used by boaters as a navigational tool.

But the invitations to play, relax or explore go far beyond the statues. The family that owns the land on Cedar Creek Lake wanted the entire property to be an open and welcome place where everyone is invited to walk the grounds, enjoy the scenery and leave behind day-to-day worries.

Featuring the family's lake house, auto court, heavily wooded areas, huge flower beds and walking paths, the landscape design contractor — Jason Osterberger Designs — succeeded in creating a series of outdoor garden rooms that are more characteristic of a public park than a private residence.

Streams and waterfalls were created to contain the water runoff on the property.

"The family's clear vision for how they wanted this property to evolve drove the design process," says Jason Osterberger, company owner. "The owners are really big into giving back and community involvement. They love to walk and talk with the people who visit the property, and it was up to us to make that property a place worth coming to."

For carving out this community getaway, and giving the family and friends a place to relax and enjoy nature, Jason Osterberger Designs took home 1st Place in the 2007 Texas Excellence in Landscaping Awards.

The stone and wood entryway leads into an auto court, large enough to handle parties and small gatherings.

Getting on scale

The estate sits at the end of a cul-de-sac of a gated community overlooking Cedar Creek Lake. With the lot so heavily wooded, Osterberger came in looking to really make an impact. With such a large property, and a large lake house as a centerpiece, that started simply by making everything bigger.

Beds and pathways are lined with color, creating "ribbons of interest" that lead you from one garden room to another.

"The house is just over-the-top wonderful but the continuity between the house and landscape wasn't there," Osterberger says. "They didn't have the same scale. The landscaping was too understated."

Osterberger blew out the landscape beds and filled them with color and texture. A huge stone and wooden entryway marks the entrance onto the property. Columns line the paths of Belguard Pavers that lead around the property. The entryway was realigned to provide a view of the lake, rather than leading straight toward the house. And another huge sculpture, a piece done by Glenna Goodacre of children at camp raising a flag, became the centerpiece of the auto court.

Perennial color mixed with seasonal color and flowering plant material makes for an explosion of visual sensation year-round.

The first phase of the project took close to six months to complete, with an average of six to 12 employees working on the property at any given time. Though for some especially tricky work, like moving about 60 three-ton boulders into place, there might have been 25 to 30 people on the worksite at once.

The project has been going for more than four years now, and the homeowners are constantly finding new pieces they want to add and new areas to extend enhancements. There are also seasonal color changes for all of the landscaped beds. For the owner's annual Spring Fling party, more than 11,000 tulips and 3,000 daffodils are planted. And for the family barbecue held over the Fourth of July, 8,000 caladiums are blooming.

"The details of the project are what I really enjoy," Osterberger says. "Getting to go outside of the typical box of planting and hardscapes and being able to find these great art pieces. Matching the colors of boulders to the rocks around the home. It's so much fun. Like a little kid, each day I got to go out and play in the gardens."

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