Newly terraced slope stabilizes hillside. Natural stone steps make it accessible. Our first landscape design project in Bergen County, New Jersey was a complex storm restoration project on a steep slope overlooking a river. During Hurricane Ida, historic rainfall collapsed the side yard slope just feet from the house.  Existing retaining walls began to collapse, and the once navigable slope …

First year garden terraces in September. Native perennials for pollinators bloom for weeks. Newly planted garden terraces with a mixture of native perennials and annual vegetables. Buying a home comes with the remnants of the previous owners’ personality – the good, the bad, and the different. In this case, an above ground pool was put in by the previous owner …

In at least five states in the country, a movement to protect native bees by refraining from mowing lawns for the month of May is gaining momentum. The movement started in Britain in 2019, and in Wisconsin in 2020. A New York Times feature this year about Wisconsin’s program brought attention to the matter and several states including in Connecticut adopted their own No Mow May programs.  Two researchers at Wisconsin’s Lawrence University …

Rounding out spot number two in our countdown of the Best Landscape Designs of 2021 is this stunning woodland, lakeside estate in Cold Spring, NY. GJL was tasked with designing a Landscape Master Plan to accommodate several buildings on site: main house, guest house and boat house. Phase one was to construct new natural stone masonry staircases and two new …

Sometimes the most impactful designs are simple in nature. With proper planning, timing and execution this project stayed uncomplicated, yet delivered beautiful results – just in time to enjoy in the spring warmth! The key was to begin the process in early winter, when Green Jay’s Design Team had ample time to analyze the site and complete the residential design. …