Long Island Masterpiece

1 Nov, 2007 By: Bridget White Livescapes

When Barry Block landed the contract for the Montauk project, he knew it would be a design challenge. First, the project requirements were sizeable: an entry focal point, a backyard spa, additional parking and complete landscaping over large front and back yards. Second, the site was limited by severe grade changes, frequent salt fogs and fairly heavy deer pressure. Finally, though large, there was a strict budget, and the owners were interested in controlling costs whenever possible. Since he couldn't just throw money at the problems, Block had to develop creative ways to preserve his design vision while addressing the challenges presented.

Ultimately, Block's ability to stick with the spirit of the proposed design while cutting at least $100,000 in costs and adding additional color was what sealed the deal. "One of the owners loves red and wanted to use it in the landscape," explains Block. "I had to come up with ways to splash red as an accent in places to satisfy her desire without sacrificing the color palate I had selected: greens, textures, blues, whites and lavender."

Beating Out the Locals

Thanks to lots of pesky four-legged local residents plus the salty environment, selecting even the basic plant material, not to mention the necessary splashes of color, was no easy task. Block maintains a list of more than 1,000 plants he has used in past projects, but that list was whittled down to practically nothing for this project.

"Out of about 1,000 plants, I was down to 50 or less," laments Block. "In terms of color arrangement, I had to decide what was left that we could choose from with confidence and from those what made the best arrangement in terms of sequence, color and bloom time."

Working much like an architect, layering the design with height, growth habit, texture and finally color, Block designed large swaths of annual, perennial and native color to garner the most impact from the tender plants that were used.

Since, as Block advises, "deer-tolerant" only holds true if there is limited to moderate deer pressure, he tried to skirt the problem by isolating tender plants to containers. Large containers placed near the front door and around the spa area are not only focal points that satisfy the owner's love of color, they are a great deer deterrent. Some of the large containers are tall enough to be less appealing to deer, and all are near the house in open areas seldom frequented by deer.

Growing into the Design

Several years after the initial installation, the Montauk design continues to change and evolve. Partially this is the result of expected plant maturation, but some of changes stem from Block's ongoing efforts to add color and perfect the design.

"Along the way, while we're maintaining and adding to the design, we're creating new spaces and adding more colors," says Block "especially the touches of red that the owner loves, to create good, colorful views."

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