Historic Bell Tower Moved to Museum

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Sep 30, 2019

Museum New Home of Historic Bell Tower

Recently, we were honoured to participate in the re-establishment of a beautiful and historical bell tower at the Stratford-Perth Museum. This bell originally adorned the Stratford Post Office (currently the site of Memorial Park, adjacent to Pazzo) from 1884 until 1960, when the entire building was deemed “surplus”.

Since then, the 996-pound bell has been in the museum’s possession, moving with them during each and every relocation. This year John Kastner, the museum’s General Manager harnessed the support of several local businesses, to restore the bell and build it a beautiful new home, just outside of the museum’s main entrance, on the east side of the building.

Thanks to John and all of the businesses involved, the bell now can be viewed by the public in its new surroundings which blend seamlessly into the Museum’s existing landscape and exterior decor.

Intricate Labyrinth, Stone Walkway, and Water Feature

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Aug 23, 2019

Intricate Labyrinth, Stone Walkway & Patio

Stone labyrinth, patio, and walkway by A Touch of Dutch Stratford

Project Year: 2016
Budget Range: $70,000+
Location: Stratford, Ontario

This large, unique project was completed in the fall of 2016 and included a detailed stone labyrinth, interlocking brick walkway and patio, a calming pondless stream, and a wide array of native perennials.

This project included the following elements:

Labyrinth
Stone Walkway
Pondless stream
Armour Stone
Terraced flower bed
Raised patio
Native plants
Trafalgar Pavers (Permacon)
Rosemount Pavers (Permacon)

Labyrinth
Stone Walkway
Pondless stream

Armour Stone
Terraced flower bed
Raised patio

Native plants
Trafalgar Pavers (Permacon)
Rosemount Pavers (Permacon)

Perennial gardens with interlocking brick walkway by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Armour stone creates terraced flower beds

Natural stone pathway and shade-tolerant native plants in perennial garden

Pondless stream with natural stone and stone garden pathway by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Natural stone pondless stream by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Interlocking brick walkway by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Terraced flower beds by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Interlocking brick path leading through perennial beds to garden shed

Terraced armour stone flower beds by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Pondless stream by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Terraced flower bed and raised stone patio by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Pondless stream and raised stone patio by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Pondless stream using natural river rock by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Sitting area beside Stone Labyrinth by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Stone Labyrinth by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping

Adding Curb Appeal to a New Home

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Jul 25, 2019

Adding a Curb Appeal to a New Home

Hardscaping and softscaping walkway permacon pavers chisel steps perennials Project Year: 2016
Budget Range: $10,000 – $15,000
Location: Tavistock, Ontario

Our clients had recently moved into a beautiful, new home and wanted to create a decorative flower bed around the flag post they had installed in the front yard. Their new home was on a busy street and so of course they wanted to add landscaping that would enhance their home’s curb appeal.

In the flower bed surrounding the flagpole, we planted groups of ornamental grasses, Black-Eyed Susan (“Rudbeckia”), Purple Cone Flower (“Echinacea”), and some mounding evergreen shrubs.

We were also asked to create a beautiful but practical landing for front step that would compliment their home. So, we added chisel steps from Ed’s Concrete to the front porch and used Terramo Pavers from Permacon to create a beautiful walkway.

Adding Low-Maintenance, Colourful Gardens Around Pool

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Jul 24, 2019

Adding Low-Maintenance, Colourful Gardens Around Pool

Adding a low-maintenance but colourful garden to pool area Project Year: 2012
Budget Range: < $5,000
Location: Stratford, Ontario

Our client wanted to add lots of colour to pool area. However they also wanted low-maintenance landscaping.

As such, we added added large, natural stone (supplied by the customer). In addition we planted lots of perennials in different sizes and shapes and with different peak blooming times so that there are different items of visual interest at different times throughout the season.

Perennials used include ornamental grasses, Coral Bells (Heuchera), and Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera).

Adding a low-maintenance but colourful garden to pool area

Adding Privacy & Visual Interest to Corner Lot

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Jun 10, 2019

Adding Privacy to a Corner Lot Backyard Oasis

Raised flower bed with perennial flowers, shrubs and trees Project Year: 2018
Budget Range: $50,000+
Location: Stratford, Ontario

Our client wanted to improve the curb appeal of their corner property. But because corner lots are generally exposed to neighbourhood traffic on two sides, they also wanted to add beautiful and effective privacy measures.

The goal was to create a backyard oasis including a sitting space whose privacy could be achieved without having to use a solid fence line. The client also wanted to experience the soothing sounds of a waterfall without the maintenance of a pond.

We added a raised flower bed with armour stone retaining wall with a stepping stone walkway alongside and a variety of trees, shrubs and plants to soften the overall appearance.

The new raised stone patio surrounds the home and adds more seating space that’s made private using sections of fence panels and shrubs along the side of the property. And the oasis was completed with a gurgling, pondless waterfall that can be heard from the patio.

The home’s appearance has been improved on all sides, but the view from the street has now been obscured, significantly increasing privacy and enjoyment of the homeowner’s backyard.

This project included the following elements: