By Chris Warren & Monica Mullens, Inspirations Magazine
As a master gardener, Gretchen Pugsley knows a lot about plants. But even a certified green thumb sometimes needs help in the yard (a comforting fact for the rest of us). Pugsley and her husband, Charles, wanted to update their front yard while making it as low maintenance as possible. After two designers from other companies didn’t work out, the Pugsleys found Jamey Gutierrez, a senior landscape designer with English Gardens. “We were impressed with Jamey immediately,” Pugsley says. “She brought up things we hadn’t even thought about. One of the first things she asked was, do you have allergies?”
Landscaping is about more than just vegetation, and Gutierrez’s first task was to connect the Pugsleys’ front porch with their new concrete driveway. “I wanted to give them a safer and more inviting walkway,” says Gutierrez. In addition to bordering each side of the driveway with bricks — giving the appearance that the driveway and walkway were planned simultaneously — Gutierrez used a slate inlay to add visual interest. Perhaps the most creative touch was using bricks with varying colors, which have the added benefit of looking extra vibrant after a good rain. “Gretchen gets compliments all the time, even from the UPS guy,” Gutierrez says. Often, good landscaping is as much about subtraction as addition. For Pugsley, that meant getting rid of a couple of problem trees that had outlasted their appeal. “They were wonderful early on, but I couldn’t see anything but branches,” she says. “I wanted to look out and see something blooming outside my windows.” Gutierrez planted a serviceberry tree in front of the house, which yields both visibility and a sense of privacy. “It’s an open tree, so they can see through it,” Gutierrez says. Next, she planted the hedges — ‘Green Velvet’ boxwood, and behind those, ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas that produce large white blooms from May to September. The two varieties present a double-layered look while maintaining crisp lines, which Gutierrez softened by using a curved bed edge.
The simple design required a total of just eight plant varieties. The landscape includes ‘Vanderwolf’s pine’, ‘Sum and Substance’ hostas, ‘Grosse Fontaine’ grass, and a long-blooming plant, perennial geranium ‘Rozanne’. “I wanted to give them a maximum amount of color and texture with little care,” Gutierrez explains. After completing the plantings, Gutierrez brought in some large accent boulders, which she incorporated throughout the hedge to break up its straight lines. “They’re angular, with lots of different colors. Even though they’re a natural product, they have a lot of blues and greens and pinks in them.” The choice surprised Pugsley at first, but she’s pleased with the result. “I wasn’t interested in rocks,” she says. “But she picked out great ones. Sometimes you just need someone to show you or tell you what works.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge for Gutierrez was that the Pugsleys had to wait several months to see everything in full bloom, since the project was completed in the fall. “In a sense they had to trust me,” she says. “But Gretchen is a Master Gardener, so she knew it would come to life.” One thing Gutierrez didn’t have to wait long for was recognition: the project won a Gold Award from the Michigan Green Industry Association in 2009. For Pugsley, the enjoyment she gets from her new yard is more gratifying than any award. “All the plants are doing well, and we are so happy with them,” she says.
© 2022 English Gardens, a Michigan Nursery and Landscaping Center. All Rights Reserved.
English Gardens Detroit MI area nurseries & garden centers are not only the areas largest garden nurseries, but they offer the largest selection of products and services found anywhere in the Clinton Twp., Dearborn Heights, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, Eastpointe, and Plymouth Ann Arbor Michigan regions providing full service garden centers, full service landscaping and landscape design, seasonal holiday stores including their enchanting Christmas Stores, the largest selection of Patio Furniture in Michigan, and most locations even offer a full service in house florist for flower arrangements for every day as well as those special occasions such as wedding flowers, event flowers, sympathy and funeral flower arrangements, prom flowers, and more!
Our nurseries and garden centers have the areas largest selection of plants, flowers, shrubs, annuals, perennials, and patio furniture. Garden supplies are in abundance, with everything from garden tools and accessories, to garden and potting soil, mulches, bagged garden stone, pots and so much more. We have everything you need for your outdoor gardening needs.
Landscaping? Count on the professional landscape contractors and designers at English Gardens to Make Your Property Beautiful! We offer both DIY landscaping assistance and full service landscape design and construction with our in house landscaping company.
Our floral designers can create perfect floral arrangements for weddings, events, funerals, proms and the like. Make the moment beautiful.
Our Christmas Stores in addition to being one of the areas best holiday experiences, are filled with live and life-like artificial Christmas trees, including flocked artificial Christmas trees, and those sometimes hard to come by 9 foot flocked artificial Christmas trees, as well as a large, ready to take home inventory, of 3 foot artificial Christmas trees, 4 foot artificial Christmas trees, 5 foot artificial Christmas trees, 7.5 foot artificial Christmas trees, 9 foot artificial Christmas trees and 12 foot artificial Christmas trees, and all of the other holiday items you need like Christmas lights, decorations, Christmas wreaths & garland of all types, and unique gifts. Make the Holiday beautiful!
English Gardens store by store offerings in the Clinton Twp., Dearborn Heights, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, Eastpointe, and Plymouth Ann Arbor Michigan areas;
Be sure to visit any one of our Garden Centers for the largest selection of products and services the area has to offer. If you have any questions please call one of our stores directly in Clinton Twp., Dearborn Heights, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, Eastpointe, and Plymouth Ann Arbor Michigan for friendly, prompt help.
Address
44850 Garfield Rd. at Hall Rd.
Clinton Twp., Michigan 48038
Phone Numbers
Phone: (586) 286-6100
Fax: (586) 286-0033
Address
22650 Ford Rd. at Outer Dr.
Dearborn Heights, Michigan 48127
Phone Numbers
Nursery: (313) 278-4433
Florist: (313) 565-8133
Fax: (313) 278-0459
Address
22501 Kelly Rd. at Nine Mile Rd.
Eastpointe, Michigan
Phone Numbers
Phone: (586) 771-4200
Fax: (586) 771-4894
Address
9900 Ann Arbor Road W.
Plymouth, Michigan
Phone Numbers
Phone: (734) 453-5500
Address
4901 Coolidge Hwy,
Royal Oak, Michigan
Phone Numbers
Phone: (248) 280-9500
Fax: (248) 280-2688
Address
6370 Orchard Lake Rd. at Maple
West Bloomfield Township, Michigan
Phone Numbers
Phone: (248) 851-7506
Fax: (248) 539-4738
Patio Furniture from English Gardens of Michigan
Patio Lounge Chairs
Patio Furniture Showrooms
Bistro Sets
Outdoor Dining Sets
Outdoor Sectionals
Don’t forget to come visit our enchanted Christmas Stores! We have by far the areas largest display of pre-lit and unlit Christmas trees, both Live and Artificial Life-Like Christmas trees in all sizes and varieties, the areas largest selection of Christmas lights in a variety of lengths, sizes, bulb types including energy efficient, and long lasting ,state of the art, LED Christmas lights, Christmas Garland, Christmas wreaths, Christmas decorations, and that perfect gift for that special someone!
Make Christmas Beautiful! Come to English Gardens This Christmas, It’s Fun For The Whole Family!
When it comes to the holidays other than Christmas, you won’t be disappointed, From July 4th, to Labor Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mothers and Fathers Day and more, you guessed it, you can count on English Gardens to Make the Holiday Beautiful!
Make the Holidays Beautiful! Come to English Gardens!
At the end of the day, we all enjoy putting a smile on our, and other’s faces, come to English Gardens at any one of our convenient locations and Make Today Beautiful!
Make Today Beautiful! Come to English Gardens!
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