Morris Health & Life / June 2010 / Backyard bliss

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Backyard bliss

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Sure, Stonehenge and the Garden of Versailles are wows, but you're only there temporarily. The paradise you create on your own property is  yours to enjoy whenever.

A VIEW FROM THE TOP

Ordinarily, it would be this Kinnelon yard's spectacular vistas that first caught visitors' eyes. But commanding equal-if not more-attention here is the breathtaking 950-square-foot, infinity-edge, Roman-shaped pool created by Cipriano Landscape Design in Ramsey. "The goal was to visually tie the property in with the rest of the valley," notes president Chris Cipriano.

Sparing no luxury, the homeowners chose intricate iridescent glass tiles set in a Grecian key pattern; large, antiqued planters from Longshadow; a Wisconsin limestone patio; a glass-tile spa; and a stone gazebo. But the area is perhaps most striking at night, thanks to whimsical fiber-optic lighting. Explains Cipriano: "Deck jets shoot illuminated water into the pool from the corners, and floor lights at the bottom of the pool appear like little stars."

WALK THIS WAY

When a steep 15-foot slope prevented Rockaway homeowners from reaching the top of their scenic property, they called on CLC Landscape Design Inc. in Ringwood to work a little magic. The result? This winding grand staircase made of Karney bluestone.

"Instead of going straight up the slope, we gave the staircase a gentle S-shape set in clusters of three of four steps at a time so people would pause along the way," says CLC owner and landscape designer Rich Cording. That allows them time to enjoy the abundance of colorful plantings Cording installed around the steps, including catmint, brown-eyed Susans, Russian sage, pink carpet roses and blue lyme grasses. "The homeowners are avid gardeners, so they're thrilled that they can now access all these plants on what used to be a dangerous incline," adds Cording.

The steps also offer pretty valley vistas. "They've transformed an unusable area into the homeowners' favorite spot," says Cording.

PARADISE FOUND

"We were trying to bring the nature that surrounds the property right up to the edge of the pool," says Michael Hartman, landscape designer for Jacobsen Landscape Design and Construction in Midland Park, of this woodsy Kinnelon space.

"To achieve that vision, Hartman opted for an irregular-shaped pool by G&G Custom Pools in Haskell, featuring a snapped bluestone Jacuzzi and moss rock waterfall. “It looks more like a pond than a pool," says the designer. A multitoned quartzite stone patio helps keep surfaces cool, while boulders placed among perennials on the yard's sloped areas add a feeling of rugged charm.

Along the edges of the property, the designer incorporated eastern redbud, summersweet, native rhododendron and serviceberry-all "plants you would expect to see while walking through the woods of northern New Jersey." These selections complement the mature trees and shrubs that surround the proper- ty, making for an idyllic, natural haven. Another plus to choosing indigenous flora: They'll eventually require little or no irrigation. "Once they get their first flush of roots out they should be all right with the seasonal rainfall," says Hartman.