Landscaping, furnishings reshape outdoor spaces

Increasingly, homeowners who get tired of the views outside their windows don't move to new houses they change the view to suit them. Reshaping outdoor spaces has become more fashionable in the Ozarks.

"I think it's a higher level of aesthetics," said Frank Zanaboni Jr., landscape architect for Butler, Rosenbury & Partners. People see more landscape design or redesign happening, and they want to do something like that for themselves, he said.

For homeowners, having a game plan for landscaping is essential. Zanaboni said assessing how a yard will be used over time, especially if children are involved, is important. People should consider both the physical and visual uses of their property, he added, to develop the yard "to its highest potential."

Capturing a video image of the area to be changed and then manipulating it through specific landscaping software is how Steve Dorrell, owner of Ozarks Outdoor Nursery, assists his clients. He meets with property owners to determine what their objectives are and what they want the changes to achieve. He then makes a scale drawing and fine tunes the ideas with the owners.

Altering the property according to an owner's tastes involves the brawn of both machines and employees. Moving earth, shifting boulders or planting sizable trees requires considerable skill and equipment, said Dick Carson, owner of Carson's Nurseries.

Moving a 30-foot tall tree from his nursery's 45-acre home along the James River and replanting it in someone's back yard is done with increasing frequency.

"Larger, mature trees are in high demand right now," Carson said. "There's a shortage of them across the nation." The cost for an older tree depends on the variety and can run $350 to $500. Planting fees are extra and depend on the machinery needed to put the tree in the ground. The tree may also require additional earth to supplement the scant Ozarks topsoil. In the end, a large tree brings a dramatic change. "It's a pretty major adventure, but when you get a 25- to 30-foot tree just instantly, it's amazing," he said.

What's added to an outdoor space has to be considered in terms of the client's interaction with it, too. Certain features like artificial ponds, waterfalls, or high-care plants like roses require regular attention. For ease of care, Zanaboni said, his designs often "focus on something that's low maintenance ... (not) a headache to take care of."

Beyond the purely aesthetic reward of landscaping, many homeowners entertain guests outdoors. For these people accessories make their open-air spaces more functional. Outdoor fireplaces and refrigerators, creative lighting for night use and utilitarian furniture turn yards into highly usable seasonal spaces, said Greg Nutting, general manager of Maschino's Home Expressions. Sundials, birdbaths, lawn ornaments and "garden angels" add personal decorative touches to complement a yard, he said.

A bit of personality can also be expressed in the type of plants a person has in his or her yard. One of the most unusual trees Carson ever planted for a local client is a blue weeping redwood. The tree, a member of the sequoia family, thrives in the northwestern region of the United States. Carson imported five into the area. "I think they're all still alive," he added. "I see the Ozarks as one of the most challenging areas in the whole country," Zanaboni said. He added that he likes to see property owners "accentuate some of the key elements of their yard or of their home or of their lifestyle" when they revise their exterior spaces. The local geography often presents "older trees or some neat outdoor retaining wall" that can be sensibly incorporated into a landscape plan, he added.

Geology and soil conditions aside, local weather also affects what's feasible in landscaping. Sometimes people want to use more temperate-type plants than the region will support in the long run, Zanaboni said.