Residential Landscape Design by Anna Best

Building a Living Legacy at Crittenden Hill for Ed

Name & Location Omitted for Public Document Norkus and Linda Leighton

A Residential Landscape Design by Anna K. M. Best The Conway School, Fall Term 2012

Index of Sheets TOPOGRAPHY..............................1 SITE & GOALS...............................2 DRAINAGE & SLOPES..................3 VULNERABLE SOILS....................4 WETLANDS...................................5

VEGETATION & HABITAT..........6 VIEWS............................................7 UTILITIES.......................................8 ACCESS & USE...............................9 SUMMARY OF ANALYSES........10

DESIGN ALTERNATIVES.......11-12 FINAL MASTER PLAN...............13 FINAL GARDEN PLAN..............14 PLANTING PLANS................15-16 PLANT PALETTES..................17-18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Topographic Context A'

The property lies to the west of Shelburne Falls, a 1-mile walk to the scenic hilltown on the Deerfield River in Western Massachusetts. The 10-acre site straddles a ridge between two major hills, Goodnow Hill to the southwest and West Mountain to the northeast. As a result of this surrounding topography, the site has significant slopes but also hosts spectacular views. In addition, the clients have convenient access by car or on foot to the grocery store, restaurants, pharmacy, and other village services.

Open Land &

Watersheds

Open Land

SITE

Forest

Wind: The Bernouli Effect

Site In the Shelburne Falls Region, there is an abundance of forested land and relatively little land maintained as open. Wildlife that prefer open spaces may especially flock to the site, which resembles an open island in a sea of forest. SITE

Plan: NTS

Cold winter winds approach from the northwest. Southerly summer breezes are welcomed. As wind sweeps over the contours of the land, it funnels and intensifies in the saddle between Goodnow Hill and West Mountain. The wind also intensifies at the top of the saddle. Therefore, the ridgetop property experiences wind acceleration both horizontally and vertically.

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

Since the property straddles a ridge, it also straddles a watershed boundary. Activities on this site affect surface and groundwater quality in two watersheds, both leading to the Deerfield River. Any soil erosion from disturbed hillsides will pollute waterways with sediment, interfering with streamdwelling invertebrates and disrupting fluvial ecosystems. Any liquid hazardous material spilt could migrate into the groundwater, contaminating water wells downhill.

Design Direction • Strengthen connection with Shelburne Falls village • Protect surface and groundwater quality • Protect the clients’ home from chilling winter winds

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

TOPOGRAPHY

1/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Existing Conditions

Goals

Enhance the natural Beauty of the: Entrance Driveway Yard and gardens Grove of trees Forest edge Improve the quality of Habitat for wildlife and humans alike

En tra

From Crittenden Hill Road, a wooded, forked driveway Entrance points eastward and uphill. Guests often overlook it, and the clients find it unattractive. The steep, gravel driveway sweeps up to the house but lacks a satisfying sense of arrival.

nce

ra Ent

A Grove of trees holds a steep slope at the center of the property and grounds the open site in its forested surroundings. The clients like its old apple trees, but find its dense, scraggly growth unattractive.

Create special places for the clients to go and find a sense of Place

Big Ideas

Below and to the south lies a Meadow. With rolling topography, tall grasses, wildflowers, and mown paths, it welcomes wildlife and humans.

The handsome, secluded, 5000 square-foot House rests atop a ridge. With few plantings, it sits somewhat awkwardly, out of context. On the south side, an arbored stone patio invites rest.

Vernal Pool

A Bordering Vegetated Wetland nestles into the meadow and serves as the headwaters for an unmapped intermittent stream flowing approximately southward.

Bordering Vegetated Wetland

Lawn borders the driveway, parallels property lines, and spans from the house to the abrupt forest edges.

Forest rises from the meadow’s edge and continues to the southern property line. The forest hosts wildlife and connects the site with its forested surroundings.

Forest

Crittenden Hill Road connects Rt. 112 (to the north) to Shelburne Falls (to the south). Villagers walk this 1.2-mile, steep, gravel road for exercise.

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An old white oak with broad spreading branches, dubbed “The Great Oak,” hides deep in the forest along the banks of an unmapped intermittent stream.

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Great Oak

Abrupt Northern Lawn Forest Edge Steep forest continues north to driveway

In a basin of the meadow lies a Vernal Pool, where water lingers for much of the year, providing critical habitat to wood frogs, salamanders, and fairy shrimp.

House

Contour Interval: 1 foot Southern portion of the site was not surveyed.

Patio, Arbor, Gardens

Steep, Southern Lawn

Section A-A': Facing East

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Grove Meadow continues south

SITE & GOALS

2/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Drainage

Drainage Problems Around House

* *

Rainwater flows away from the house, keeping the basement dry. However, there are some other drainage problems around the house, as noted to the left.

* *

Drainage can be an issue on the north and east sides of the house. Ice lingers* on the stone steps, entrance walkway, and garage ramp on the north side of the house. These slippery areas could cause dangerous falls. As compared with the other roofs, roof water from on the east side of the house falls three to six feet further before striking the ground* because the ground slopes eastward. This fast water may erode the hillside. Also, snow accumulates at the eastern basement door*, making it tough to access the snow plow and other tools.

Lawn

From the house and ridge, water flows downhill to the north, northwest, west, and southeast. Water exits the property at the northwest corner and along the western boundary onto the road. The southern portion of the property was not surveyed. However, field observations and other topographic maps of the rolling terrain show that water drains south-southeast from the meadow and forest to affect the neighboring residential property.

Gardens

Legend: Drainage

Lawn

Surface Water Flow Direction

Grove

Roof Surface Flow

Water flowing into the southern meadow first flows over lawn, then through the grove, bringing with it any harmful chemicals used in the lawn or gardens. The grove vegetation filters and slows down the runoff, reducing contaminants and erosion.

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Slopes

The house sits on a ridge which runs northeast-southwest. Steep slopes of 15-30% or greater encircle the house on three sides. The house itself sits on slopes of 2-10%, and these relatively flat grades continue to the northeast forest edge.

(No Data)

Most of the driveway slopes 15%, but a few small areas slope up to 20%. The maximum slope for a driveway in this snowy region is 10% without—or 15% with—four-wheel drive. Access to the house from the road could prove difficult in winter. If disturbed by excavation or vegetation removal, these steep slopes could erode under stormwater flow. Erosion could damage the aesthetics of the land as well as the ecosystems of wetlands and waterways downstream.

House

Legend: Percent Grade 0-5 % Up to 10 %

Up to 15 % Up to 20 % Greater than 20 %

(No Data) 0 20 40

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• • • • •

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Design Direction Minimize slope disturbance Stabilize steep slopes Maintain positive drainage away from house Explore solutions to ice accumulation and roof runoff Reduce water velocity on steep slopes

SLOPES & DRAINAGE

3/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Soils Buckland Series:

• Moderately well-drained • Compact glacial deposit • Sources: dark gray schist and impure limestone • Hard layer at approx. 20" • Top 7-8": crumbly, very dark graybrown fine sandy loam • 8-20": olive brown fine sandy loam; layer of fragments of limestone • At approximately 20": hard dark gray loam; fragments of disintegrating limestone Buckland Fine Sandy Loam (BuB) • Very few stones • Permeable, except if saturated • Wet and seepy: Water moves slowly through dense substratum • Wet always in early spring, often in late spring, and sometimes in fall • Erosion* if improperly tilled

Colrain Series:

BwC CxD

MgB*

CvC

Colrain Very Stony Fine Sandy Loam (CvC) • Thinner, darker surface layer than typical in series • Stones cover up to 3% of surface • Fairly high moisture-holding capacity • Subsoil has moderately rapid to rapid permeability

Buckland Extremely Stony Fine Sandy Loam (BwC) • A minor component in NW corner

MgD*

Colrain Extremely Stony Fine Sandy Loam (CxD) • A minor component in NE corner

BuB*

Merrimac Series:

Westminster Series:

• Well-drained, slightly droughty • Deep deposits of stratified sand and gravel • Sources: granite, gneiss, quartzite • Often on glacial kames, eskers, and outwash terraces • Top 10": crumbly, very dark graybrown fine sandy loam • 10-24": brown to dark brown sandy loam, fading with depth to yellowbrown; yellow-brown coarselystratified sand & gravel, some cobbles

• Well-drained, slightly droughty • Glacial material • Sources: gray mica schist and some impure limestone • Bedrock outcrops 10-150' apart • Stones and boulders on surface • Avg. depth to bedrock 18" (0-2') • Top 4": forest litter • 4-18": thin, crumbly black loam; dark, yellow-brown loam • At 18": dark gray schist bedrock Westminster Extremely Rocky Loam (WrD) • Droughty, shallow soil • Rock outcrops <50’ apart, limiting use • Subject to severe erosion* if vegetation is removed

WrD*

Merrimac Fine Sandy Loam (MgB) • Substratum is less acid than series • Moderate moisture holding capacity • Moderately rapid to rapid permeability • Good yields for intensive farming; needs lime, fertilizer, organic matter, irrigation • Needs planting to control erosion* Merrimac Fine Sandy Loam (MgD) • Surface layer is thinner than series • Fair moisture holding capacity • Needs protection from erosion* • Otherwise same as MgB

• Well-drained • Glacial deposit • Sources: dark gray schist and impure limestone • Stones 12-24" in diameter • Boulders up to 2-5' in diameter • Top <8": crumbly, very dark graybrown fine sandy loam • 8-24": dark, yellow-brown fine sandy loam • Below 24": dark gray-brown gravelly sandy loam with lots of decomposing limestone

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Legend:

Fine Sandy Loam (MgB, MgD, BuB)

Four of the five primary soils on the site are prone to erosion*. If disturbed and left unprotected, these soils could wash away, damaging the land and contaminating waterways.

Very Stony Fine Sandy Loam (CvC) Extremely Rocky Loam (WrD) Extremely Stony Fine Sandy Loam (BwC, CxD)

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Design Direction • Avoid slope disturbance in soils prone to erosion • Vegetate soils that are prone to erosion

VULNERABLE SOILS 4/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Wetlands

The property contains two wetlands: a bordering vegetated wetland and a vernal pool. Both are important habitats and are protected by state and federal law, respectively.

Protection of Vernal Pools in Massachusetts In our state, the Wetlands Protection Act and local bylaws provide the most important protection of vernal pools. In order to enforce protection, a vernal pool must be certified by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP.) A citizen must initiate the process of vernal pool certification. First, the citizen gathers proof of the existence of a vernal pool and provides supporting data to the NHESP. Then the NHESP reviews the application and may certify the pool. Certification proves the existence of the pool. Protection is enforced when various regulations are applied during future permit reviews.

Of the two wetlands, the vernal pool is a more rare habitat. The clients have the intention to protect the vernal pool and its buffer. However, future landowners may consider habitat protection a lower priority and choose to develop the land further. Only obtaining Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) Certification will protect the vernal pool habitat into perpetuity. Certifying the vernal pool would be the environmentally responsible choice. However, the protective and restrictive setbacks may make the property more difficult to sell, should the clients or their heirs be inclined to do so. The 100-ft setback also affects the adjacent property to the east; so the clients may be wise to consult with their neighbor.

Other laws that provide some protection include the Surface Water Quality Standards, Title V of the Massachusetts Environmental Code, and the Forest Cutting Practices Act Regulations. The Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards (SWQS) prohibits discharge of solid or liquid fill into Certified Vernal Pools (CVP) because they are Outstanding Resource Waters.

Recommended Resources A Field Guide to the Animals of Vernal Pools by Leo P. Kenney & Matthew R. Burne. Available through NHESP Publications, $12.

Uncertified Vernal Pool

Wicked Big Puddles by Leo. P. Kenney

Bordering Vegetated Wetland

Vernal Pool Association: http:// vernalpool.org/vernal_1.htm Wicked Big Puddles Blog: http:// wickedbigpuddles.blogspot.com/ MassWildlife: Division of Fish and Wildlife: Vernal Pools: http://www. mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/vernal_ pools/vernal_pools.htm

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DEP Western MA Regional Office’s Vernal Pool Liason: Karen Hirschberg or Tim McKenna 436 Dwight Street Springfield, MA 01103 (413) 748-1100

This map is not a legal wetlands delineation. The wetlands and intermittent stream have not been surveyed. Have a professional wetland ecologist delineate the 0 20 40 80 100 wetlands.

Legend: Current Protection: Legally Protected Wetlands: Do not destroy or impair

FEET

The Massachusetts Environmental Title V prohibits the siting of septic systems within a setback from a CVP. A septic tank and distribution box may not be sited within fifty feet of a vernal pool, and a leach field may not be located within one hundred feet. These setbacks may be reduced if hydrogeologic data proves that the proposed septic system is hydraulically down-gradient from the CVP. The Massachusetts Forest Cutting Practices Act Regulations protect CVPs from some impacts of forestry. Within fifty feet of a CVP, no more than fifty percent of the trees may be cut. Neither trees nor tree tops may be felled within CVPs. CVPs may not be used as staging areas or skidder trails. If a vernal pool is not certified but is identified by a consulting forester, guidelines are established which are similar to the above regulations. The MFCPA may give some protection to uncertified pools; but otherwise an uncertified pool does is not protected.

Protected 100-foot buffer around Bordering Vegetated Wetland If Vernal Pool is Certified: May not site septic leach field within 100 ft of Certified Vernal Pool May not site septic tank within 50 ft of Certified Vernal Pool

www.frog-shot.com

Wood frog and spotted salamander are two obligate species of a vernal pool.

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Design Direction • Protect wetlands and their buffers from disturbance, such as mowing • Consider certification of the vernal pool

WETLANDS 5/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Vegetation

Habitat

Mixed Forests

All mature mixed forest areas on the site include: white pine, hemlock, black birch, and red oak. Only one area (FM1) includes barberry in the understory. All but two areas (FM2, FM5) include sugar maple. Individual areas also include: • FM1: White ash, beech, red maple, large white pine and small hemlock. Sparse sapling and shrub undergrowth. Sparse barberry along edge. • FM2: Dense canopy. Little undergrowth. Dense edge of shrubs and saplings, including speckled alder, common spicebush, and beech. • FM3: Understory mountain laurel. Eastern quarter is older. The western 3/4, which is forested since the 1960s, includes the ancient white oak, “Great Oak,” and many gray birch logs down. • FM4: One bigleaf linden tree. Dense sapling understory. • FM5: Yellow birch, beech. Sparse sapling understory includes striped maple and mapleleaf viburnum. Northern and eastern edges are dense with saplings. Southern and western edges are sparse. • FM6: White ash, black cherry, beech. Dense sapling understory.

FM6 FD4 FD1 FM5

Sugar Maple

Apple G G

FM1

Garden

FD3

G Sugar G Maple

FD2

Deciduous Forests The mature deciduous forest areas on the site are very diverse. No plants appear in all areas. All areas except one (FD3) include barberry and white ash. Areas also include: • FD1: Dense black birch, sugar maple, white ash, beech, red oak, red maple, and one hop hornbeam. Sparse sapling (beech) undergrowth. Many pine logs down. Sparse barberry, winged euonymus, and brambles along edge. • FD2: Sparse red maple, white ash, black cherry, black birch. Dense bramble undergrowth of Tartarian honeysuckle, prickly dewberry, rose, barberry, goldenrod, lemon balm, ferns, and grasses. New forest since 1960s. • FD3: Red oak, bigtooth aspen, shagbark hickory, beech. Dense understory of saplings, winged euonymus and witchhazel. • FD4: Sparse yellow birch, red maple, white ash, sugar maple. Sapling undergrowth includes dogwood, cherry, beech, and common spicebush. Herbaceous understory includes ferns and grasses.

FYM1

Wet Meadow

FM4

Wet Meadow

FM2

Upland Meadow

FYM2 FM3

Young Mixed Forests Young mixed forests include white pine trees and undergrowth of barberry and multiflora rose, especially at edges. Individual areas include: • FYM1: Understory of honeysuckle, prickly dewberry, blackberry, black raspberry, broadleaf or dwarf spirea, and little bittersweet and striped maple. • FYM2: Young Mixed Forest: Black cherry, gray birch, white pine. Bramble undergrowth of barberry and multiflora rose, especially along edge.

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Lamiot, from the Wikimedia Commons

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Upland Meadow Includes tall goldenrod, Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass, Timothy, red clover Wet Meadow Includes sensitive fern, Joe Pye weed, roughstemmed/late goldenrods, wild strawberry, reed canary grass, fowl bluegrass, soft rush, dark green bullrush, sedges Gardens Include: blueberry, hydrangea, daylily, butterfly bush, hosta, coral bells, spirea, coneflower, phlox, monarda, chelone, sweet William

Creating Ecotones: The edge where two habitats meet is called an ecotone. A schematic diagram of two habitats of equal area meeting to create different types of ecotones, some longer than others. Toying with different shapes of habitats could yield diverse and productive ecotones.

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

There is a wide diversity of edge between different habitat types on the property. Where multiple habitats meet, species of both habitats mingle. For instance, ground-nesting birds from the meadow may take seek berries from the woody plants in the grove. However, they may find themselves prey to a hawk perching on the limb of one of the grove’s trees. The edge where the vernal pool meets the forest is a critical pathway to protect. Wood frogs and spotted salamanders spend most of their lives in the forest, but they must reach a vernal pool to successfully breed. As the egg cases mature, forest and meadow predators await the succulent hatchlings. Bringing together these interactions is what edges are all about. One way to increase biodiversity is to broaden and undulate edges to increase their area. Plants take advantage of edges, too. The invasive Japanese barberry, multiflora rose, and Tartarian honeysuckle on the site grow especially well on sunny forest edges. If the clients implement a design with expanded edges, they may have to keep invasive species at bay or accept an inundation. Astutely, the clients allow two sixtyfoot dead white pine trees to remain standing on the northern forest edge, in vegetation area FM6. (If they fall, they are too far away to threaten the house.) Birds perch in them to get a good look around, especially raptors who keep their prey populations in check. In these precious and precarious trees, woodpeckers find softening wood full of nutritious insects, and cavity-nesting birds find shelter. Once the pines fall, they will join the multitudes of other mature white pine logs on the forest floor in area FD1 (the spoils of a chainsawhappy neighbor with an icy driveway.) The western 3/4 of area FM3 also contains many decomposing logs, but these are mature gray birches. Their demise appears to be natural: slowly drowning in hemlocks after enjoying a sunny youth occupying an old field. The decomposing wood returns bound-up nutrients to the forest soil.

Design Direction • Protect native vegetation • Treasure and expand edges • Consider methods of controlling invasive plants

VEGETATION & HABITAT 6/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Views

1: Driveway Entrance

2: Driveway

1 2

4: Hilltop View

3: Front of House

6 8 9

5: Front Yard

6: Western Yard

7: Eastern Yard

Views Legend Bland Good Best

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8: Expansive Southern View

9: South of House

10: From Grove into Meadow

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

11: Great Oak

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Design Direction • Take advantage of best views • Accentuate good views • Improve bland views.

VIEWS

7/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Utilities Underground utility locations are approximate. Call DigSafe at 811 before digging. Any telecommunications utilities are unmarked.

an Prop

Light post* 0

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Septic Leach Area

* Generator Well W ater

Fre

Ele c

ter Wa

tri ci

n rai hD

Water well protrudes from the lawn southeast of the house.

Propane line attaches to west side of house, near the northwest corner.

Electric service box lies southeast of house on forest edge.

Observations • All utilities on the property are underground. • Overhead utility wires run on poles along Crittenden Hill Road. • The pipe from the propane tank follows a bent path and enters the house at its northwest corner. • Well water and french drain water lie to the the southeast of the house. • Electricity and french drains hug the house envelope. • Electricity runs to the southwest, entering the house to the west of the south porch. A generator lies to the west, and an electric light post illuminates the northern parking area. • The septic leach area occupies much of the western yard. • No utilities occupy the south yard. Implications • The clients must take care not to disturb underground utilities. The unconventional bent path of the propane line may surprise contractors unfamiliar with the site. Mark lines before digging begins. • Before implementing a landscape design on the west side of the house, the clients may consider installing manhole access to the 42”-deep septic in order to minimize soil disturbance later. Otherwise contractors must excavate every couple of years in order to service the septic tank. • Minimize landscaping activities which require digging nearby utilities.

Generator sits to west of house. Septic tank lies belowground immediately beyond generator.

• • • •

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Directions to Clients: Call 811, and mark underground utility lines before digging. Consider installing man-hole access to the septic tank Find location of telecommunications lines and mark them on this map as a record Minimize digging activities nearby utilities

UTILITIES

8/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Special Destination Nominations

Access & Use

• Guests feel unsure of where to park due to the unconventional shape of the parking area. The clients have ample parking for their two cars and feel reluctant to reshape the area.

Four locations on the property are special. The clients may visit them more often if comfortable spaces were created to offer refuge and prospect. The Hilltop View The best view of the whole property deserves special attention. Build a sense of refuge by planting an evergreen windbreak and placing a 2-foot high, arced stone wall behind a bench.

Hilltop View

• In winter, the steep driveway proves difficult for cars without four-wheel drive. Alternative access on foot could come from the southwest corner of the lawn. • The clients use a tractor and bush hog to mow the property. In order to mow the meadow paths, they drive straight up and down some of the steepest slopes repeatedly to get around the grove, causing minor erosion. In order to navigate the steep slopes safely, the tractor pathways are time and fuel inefficient.

In the Grove Sitting on a bench with your back to the slope and gazing out from beneath an apple tree, you witness the wildlife of the meadow. By the Pool On a walk through the meadow, experience a rare critical habitat, especially on a warm April night when frogs and salamanders breed.

• Only one special destination (the south patio and porch) is regularly used. The Hilltop is accessible; however no destination attracts people there. The vernal pool and inside the grove are difficult to access due to waist-high grasses and precarious slopes, respectively. A fifth destination at the Great Oak in the southern forest is nearly inaccessible due to uneven, stony terrain and a forest understory of dense saplings, mountain laurel, and barberry.

In the Grove

The Great Oak Wonder at the history this tree has seen. A trail to this tree could keep the clients in touch with their forest as well as their open spaces.

By the Pool

Legend

• Mowing the wet areas of the meadow proves difficult in all but the driest years, such as this one. The clients report spinning the tractor wheels hub-deep in 2011.

Special Destination Nominations Frequent Vehicular Access Frequently Used Areas Tractor Access

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Great Oak

Mown Footpaths through Meadow

Mown path through the meadow

Alternative Access to Road

• • •

Footpaths Regularly Mown Lawn Annually Mown Meadow

• • The patio and the view to the south

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Design Direction Consider adding guest parking Consider alternative driveway Design for less mowing and minimize mowing on steep slopes Create a destination on the hilltop Provide access to vernal pool, grove, and Great Oak and create destinations there

ACCESS & USE

9/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Summary of Analyses Assets • Slopes provide expansive views that highlight the lay of the land. • Primary access and outdoor living tend to occur on relatively flat areas. • The clients frequently use the southern patio, which has one of the best views of the site. • Forest stabilizes many steep slopes. • Water flows away from the house, maintaining a dry basement. • Water flows south to recharge the wetlands.

Legend Special Destinations

Challenges • The clients must drive up a steep slope to access the house. To change the driveway route would be expensive and a viable alternative route has not been found. The only other access route to the road runs through the wetland buffer and requires grading erosion-prone soils. • A large area that is mowed regularly has steep slopes and soils prone to erosion. • Part of a wetland buffer is mowed regularly, and much of it is mowed annually. • Part of the septic area is steep, but may not be planted with woody plants. Blueberry shrubs in the septic leach area may interfere with the septic system. • Some special destinations are accessible, while others are not. The clients only use one regularly.

Steep, Mowed, and Erodible Steep and Mowed Drainage Watershed Boundary Lawn and Forest Legally Protected Wetlands and Buffer Meadow and Paths Primary Access Important Views Septic Leach Area Alternative Access to Road

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• •

• • •

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Design Direction: Maintain existing driveway Plant steep slopes to minimize the need to mow them, especially on erosion-prone soils Eliminate mowing in wetlands and minimize mowing in buffers Place only herbaceous plants in the septic area Bring accessibility to special destinations, and make them worth visiting

SUMMARY OF ANALYSES 10/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Three Alternative Designs

The assets and challenges of the site which arose in the summary of analyses yielded three alternative designs. Each alternative takes a different approach to solving the clients’ three thematic goals: Beauty Habitat Place

Maintenance Considerations Each alternative has a different ratio of habitats. Each habitat has its own maintenance needs. The clients shall choose which habitats they would enjoy maintaining.

Commonalities of the Alternatives Vegetate steep slopes Create special destinations Maintain existing meadow paths Maintain most of existing vegetation Increase length and width of edges Tractor accesses southern meadow on road

First Alternative A densely forested entrance and driveway open suddenly onto a broad lawn. Hilltop viewing area Shrubs and small trees connect the western edge with the eastern forest. Here plant height increases downslope, maintaining a clear sight-line south from the house. Grove viewing area

Steep slopes become shrublands. Some shrubs grow in wet meadows. Tractor access from Crittenden Hill Road eliminates the need to drive on steep slopes. Loop path to Great Oak 0

50 100 FEET

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

Maintenance Habitat Frequency Difficulty Lawn High Low Meadow Medium Low Shrubland Low High Forest Very Low High

Strengths • The curved driveway tunnel provides a dramatic sense of arrival. • A large lawn around house maintains a sense of openness. • There is a high diversity of forest edges. • The views to the south from the hilltop and house are maintained and enhanced by colorful shrublands. • Shrubs in vernal pool provide anchors for salamander egg cases. • Dense mixed forest to the west provides privacy for the home in winter. • The grove is preserved, protecting a slope. • The steepest slopes become shrublands and never require mowing. • Three special destinations invite the clients to view their habitat in different ways. Weaknesses • A large lawn requires frequent mowing and hosts little wildlife. • The dense northern forest may make the clients feel enclosed, despite the large lawn. • The driveway entrance continues to blend in with its forested surroundings, making it easy to miss. • Some forest edges remain abrupt. • Shrub areas difficult to maintain. • Shrubs and trees can be expensive. • Forest will take years to fill in. • Open land habitat is lost

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

DESIGN ALTERNATIVES 11/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

A clearing with a specimen tree invites people to enter the driveway. An allee of native trees parallels the driveway. Between the allee and the forest lies a native meadow.

Second Alternative

Hilltop viewing area Lawn surrounds the house. Viewing area beneath the sugar maple Shrubs and small trees connect the western edge with the eastern forest. One third of the grove remains, joining the western forest edge. A few specimen grove trees remain. To maintain sight-lines when the clients walk the paths, shrublands do not exceed 4 feet in height. Grove viewing area Meadow contains only herbaceous plants. Tractor access from road precludes the need to drive on steep slopes. A straight path revitalizes an abandoned stone road through an undulating forest-meadow edge.

50 100 FEET

Loop path to Great Oak

Enter driveway through forest edge.

Third Alternative

Driveway sweeps through meadow, with shrubs and small trees gradually increasing in height to the the mature forest. Hilltop viewing area A pair of specimen trees frame the arrival area. Smaller lawn surrounds the house. Meadow expands northward, wrapping close around the house. The height of shrubs and small trees increase with proximity to the mature forest edge. Steep slopes become shrublands. Grove viewing area A few shrubs move into the wet meadows. Tractor access from road Loop path to Great Oak 0

50 100 FEET

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

Strengths • Driveway entrance is open, sunny, and distinct from its surroundings. A sense of anticipation through the meadow allee precedes arrival at the house. • View from house to meadow is unobstructed by low shrubs. • A wildlife shrub corridor connects the forests. • Uniform 4-foot shrub height mimics sloping topography and allows the clients to see over the plants when they walk the paths. • Widened mixed forest to the west provides the home privacy from the road. • Habitat edges have a clean, crisp aesthetic. • Lots of land remains open habitat rather than forest. • More specimen trees decorate the property. • Four special destinations invite the clients to view their habitat differently. Weaknesses • Removal of grove trees could lead to erosion if improperly managed. • Southern tree removal is regulated within a wetland buffer. • Edges have an abrupt, unnatural aesthetic. • Uniform shrublands are difficult to maintain. • Shrubs and trees can be expensive.

Strengths • The existing mature forest remains. A gradual vertical transition from large to small woody plants broadens the undulating forest edge, creating. • Transition from grass to forest edge is broadened • Maintains a sense of openness • Reduced mowing • Expanded meadow habitat • Entrance experience is graceful and sweeping • Steep slopes never mowed • Grove is maintained • Three special destinations • The gradual forest edge is mirrored on both sides of the long, narrow property, giving a sense of place by recalling the U-shaped glacial valleys that define the Berkshire foothills region. Weaknesses • Walkability is restricted to pathways. • Entrance is less dramatic. • Trees and shrubs can be expensive. • Shrublands require difficult maintenance, especially with the presence of invasive plants like Japanese barberry. • The driveway entrance continues to blend in with its forested surroundings, making it easy for visitors to overlook.

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

DESIGN ALTERNATIVES 12/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Master Plan A Sense of Arrival

Entrance A fresh new entrance welcomes the clients home. A lone specimen tree with spectacular flower and autumn color stands as a focal point, distinctive from its forested surroundings. Three flowering shrubs echo the triangular entrance shape. A reinvigorated stone wall, backed with colorful native shrubs, announces a human touch and points up the driveway.

Dry Meadow

The gravel driveway sweeps around, flanked by meadows with grasses shifting lazily in a soft breeze. The height of the meadow and the gradual forest edge beyond obscure the house until a visitor nearly crests the ridge. As the house rises from the meadow, framed by two stately trees, you know you have arrived. Meadows

Shrublands A wide variety of native woody plants, from subshrubs to small trees, root deeply into all the steep slopes on the site. Broadening the forest edge, these soil holdfasts also invite birds, butterflies, small mammals, and large grazers into this blooming, fruiting oasis. The clients release the wetland vegetation into oldfields succession, welcoming wet-loving shrubs. Salamanders anchor their egg cases to woody stems, thus encouraging the security of their next generation. Wood frogs and fairy shrimp also benefit from the added overhead protection from predators. Gradual Forest Edge

Dry Meadow

Paths

Wet Meadow

Wet Shrubs

Small colorful shrubs rise out of the meadow. More shrubs rise taller and still taller, becoming small trees and transitioning to the mature forest edge. This gradual transition from meadow to forest provides ample habitat for animals to hide, nest, and feed in the foliage.

0 20 40

80 100

FEET

Linear perennial gardens on the north and south sides of the house echo the colonial architecture of the building. Gardens to the east and west echo the wildness of their meadow and forest edge surroundings.

The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

Paths connect special destinations throughout the site. Some provide direct routes, others switch-back down steep slopes, and still others meander lazily from here to there. A forest path leads to the Great Oak. Maintenance: Mow lawn regularly as desired. Mow meadow once every two to three years, preferably when dry. Never mow shrublands because they are located on steep slopes or protected wetlands. Cut unwanted plants manually. Place woody debris in forest to provide habitat and decompose, keeping nutrients onsite. When transplanting plant material, the clients may want to invest in a long, long hose to water plants as they establish.

House Gardens

ANNA K. M. BEST

While the southern meadow shrinks by half, a new meadow expands northward, wrapping around the house. It replaces a significant portion of lawn while maintaining a sense of open expansiveness. Butterflies, bees, small mammals, and ground-nesting birds find food and shelter in the waist-high grasses and forbs. Drifts of colorful wildflowers float beside frequently walked pathways through meadows.

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

FINAL DESIGN: MASTER PLAN 13/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Home Gardens 1

Two specimen trees, an apple and a redbud, frame the driveway at arrival to the house. Guest parking is available to the northeast of the apple tree. A rightangled, two-foot tall stone wall echoes the colonial architecture and pastoral history of the land. An arbor with climbing roses announces the path to the formal entrance. Two small flowering trees, shrubs, and an elegant vine frame the formal door.

To the west, a low wooden gate invites a transition into a meadow. Two paths divergeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one for quick access to the southern garden, and another that meanders through a blueberry patch and drifts of wildflowers. A subtle river of black-eyed Susans winds through the meadow to the west.

Hilltop Viewing Area Propane

er ow fl s d il W drift

at h

flo we rs op illt

Workshop

LR Kitchen s Culinary herb

in er

Basement access

Patio with Arbor

n ow

0 5 10

Stone steps

Raised beds

Mulch ring

le Tab

Sugar maple

20 40

Meadow

c rra

Well

w do

t pa

FEET

b ed

oh ht

ild

Meadow & Forest Edge Garden

Garage

River of flowers

ce Arbor Formal Entran

Dry Meadow

Gate

rrie

be lue

Apple tree

Driveway

l Entr ance

n law

Meadow

ed ow

Inform a

Sugar maple

G pa uest rki ng

e wall Low ston

ift

w do

Redbud tree

ge ed

Path to Meado w (10% grade)

See color illustrative on front cover.

In the sunny southern yard, a table awaits a resting gardener beneath the sugar maple. Linear raised beds with culinary herbs and perennial flowers begin the southern garden. Terraced flower and shrub beds with low, stone retaining walls hug the contours as the hill slopes to the south. The clients eat breakfast on the stone patio under a wooden pergola with blooming vines. Stone steps lead eastward from the patio, where three paths diverge.

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

A tractor path accesses the driveway to the north. A winding path on 10% grade leads down to the southern meadow. A loop path sweeps through a meadow with drifts of wildflowers, up to the hilltop viewing area. Here, tucked into an evergreen windbreak, the clients enjoy the view of West Mountain and their own meadows, forest edges, and wetlands. A forest edge and meadow garden on the east side of the house mirrors the habitat transitions created around the perimeter of the property.

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

FINAL DESIGN: GARDEN PLAN 14/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Driveway Entrance Garden

20 FEET

Driveway Entrance Garden

part shade, extremely stony fine sandy loam, likely acidic and moist

Color Code Common

Scientific

Size

Redbud

Cercis canadensis

15-30' pink flowers, yellow autumn

Red-osier dogwood

Swida sericea

6-12'

red twigs, white flowers, white berry

Dwarf Fothergilla

Fothergilla gardenii

2-3'

white flowers, red to orange autumn

Black huckleberry

Gaylussacia baccata

1-2'

red flowers, red autumn, black berry

1-2'

green foliage, gold autumn

Ferns, meadow grass various

Colors

Hilltop Viewing Area Windbreak Northwest Windbreak An evergreen windbreak to the northwest could protect the house from winter wind. Also, evergreens along the western forest edge would provide privacy from the road. Use an evergreen palette such as these windbreak species. Also consider Picea glauca, Juniperus virginiana, and Taxus canadensis. The peachy and white barks of Betula papyrifera and populifolia contrast beautifully against evergreen foliage.

Succession Plan Red spruce and balsam fir are beautiful trees and well-suited for a windbreak. However, their growth rates are medium and slow, respectively. To provide wind protection and a sense of refuge for the viewing area in the meantime, plant white pines densely (five feet on center) between the spruce and balsams. The pines will provide temporary cover to prevent weeds. Add some clumps of inland sea oats, which display wind movement. As the pines begin to crowd the spruce and balsams, harvest them for Christmas trees, fenceposts, or firewood. 0

FEET

Hilltop windbreak:

full sun, wind, dry, fine sandy loam, pH 6.2

Color Code Common

Scientific

Size

Growth Rate Foliage

Red spruce

Picea rubens

60-70'

med

evergreen

Balsam fir

Abies balsamea

45-75x20-25'

slow

evergreen

Pinus strobus

50-80x20-40'

fast

evergreen

Paper birch

Betula papyrifera

50-75'

fast

yellow autumn

Gray/white birch

Betula populifolia

60-75'

fast

yellow autumn

Lowbush blueberry

Vaccineum angustifolium

6"-2'

red autumn

Chasmanthium latifolium

2-3'

fast

green, gold

6-12'

red autumn

not shown White pine

not shown Inland sea oats

Red-osier dogwood Swida sericea

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

PLANTING PLAN

15/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Home Entrance Gardens Mowed lawn

all 2' Stone w Light post

w do

Meadow

Mowed lawn Driveway

erries

Formal Entrance

Blueb

Stone path Stepping

Arbor

stones 0 Informal Entrance

Formal Door

FEET

g ston

noff

r roof ru Gravel fo

off

r roof run

Gravel fo

Steppin

ps Stone ste

Dining

p Worksho

Stone ste

Kitchen

Shop Door

Stone Vehicle Ramp

Meadow

Living

Porch Garage

Main Door

Formal Entry Garden

moist, part shade to shade, fine sandy loam, pH 6.2

Color Code Common

Scientific

Habit

Color

Partridgeberry

Mitchella repens

2" groundcover

white flower, red berry, evergreen

Creeping dogwood

Cornus canadensis

6" groundcover

white flower, red berry

Trailing arbutus

Epigaea repens

4-6"x2' groundcover white or pale pink flower, evergreen

New Jersey tea*

Ceanothus americanus

Dwarf hinoki cypress

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana' 3'

bold green foliage

Dwarf white fir

Abies concolor 'Dwarf Globe'

dense blue-green needles

Zephrine drouhin rose**

Rosa x Zephrine Drouhin

vine

pink flower, thornless

Climbing hydrangea**

Hydrangea anomala

vine

white flower, yellow autumn

Virgin's bower

Clematis virginiana

vine

white flower, fluffy seeds

Downy serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea

15-25'

white flower, purple berry, red autumn

Paperbark aple**

Acer griseum

20-30'

red-orange exfoliating bark, scarlet autumn

or Gray/white birch

Betula populifolia

20-40'

white bark, yellow autumn

white flower

*Nitrogen fixer **Non-native Informal Entry Garden

mostly natives: moist, mostly shade, rich soil, ph 7.0

Color Code Common

Scientific

Habit

Color

Dutchman's breeches

Dicentra cucullaria

groundcover

white, yellow

Heartleaf foamflower

Tiarella cordifolia

6" groundcover

white

Cutleaf toothwort

Cardamine concatenata

<1'

white to purple

Northern maidenhair fern

Adiantum pedatum

12-18"

red fiddleheads

Eastern red columbine

Aquilegia canadensis

20-30"

red and yellow

Garland daphne**

Daphne cneorum

6-12"x2'

pink, evergreen

Climbing hydrangea**

Hydrangea anomala

clasping vine

white

**Non-native

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

PLANTING PLAN

16/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Dry Meadow Plants Common Fowl bluegrass Partridge pea

Scientific Poa palustris Chamaecrista fasciculata

Size 2-4’

Sun P S

Wet Extra Color yellow yellow

Fall color Wildlife tan butterflies, pollinators butterflies, bumble bees, native bees

Fly-away bentgrass

Agrostis scabra

3.5’

purple

tan

birds, butterflies: branded skippers, satyrs

Little bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium

18-24” S-P

blue stem

red,wht

birds, butterflies, native bees, grazers, small mammals

Autumn bentgrass Purpletop

Agrostis perennans Tridens flavus

1-3’ P 2.5-7’ P

D-M green D-M purple

tan brown

butterflies: Common wood nymph, grazers

Jerusalem artichoke

Helianthus tuberosus

6-10’ S

D-M yel,red,pnk

Indiangrass Pennsylvania sedge Switchgrass

Sorghastrum nutans Carex pensylvanica Panicum virgatum

3-8’ S-Sh D-M bluegreen 6-12” S-Sh D-M green 3-6’ S-P D-M prp,red

org,prp gold yellow

butterflies, native bees ground-feeding songbirds, grazers, butterflies

White penstemon Eastern gamagrass

Penstemon digitalis Tripsacum dactyloides

2-5’ 2-3’

D-W white M red-brown

hummingbirds, bumblebees deer, birds, butterflies: Bunchgrass Skipper

Virginia wildrye Bitter panicgrass Purple lovegrass

Elymus virginicus Panicum amarum Eragrostis spectabilis

2-4’ P 3-6’ S 8-18” S

M M M

yellow bloom green purple bloom

tan purple

birds, small mammals, butterflies birds, butterflies deer, birds, butterflies: Bunchgrass Skipper

Big bluestem

Andropogon gerardii

4-8’

S-P

blue stem

red,tan

songbirds, sparrows, sedge wren, western meadowlarks, butterflies: Common wood nymph

Canadian wildrye

Elymus canadensis

2-4’

S-P

green

birds, small mammals, butterflies: Zabulon Skipper

S-P P

deer, birds, gold finches, native bees

Wet Meadow Plants Common Switchgrass

Scientific Panicum virgatum

Size Sun Wet Extra Color Fall color Wildlife 3-6’ S-P D-M prp,red stigmas yellow ground-feeding songbirds, grazers, butterflies

Big bluestem

Andropogon gerardii

4-8’ S-P

1-5’ 2-5’ 1-3’ 1-3’ 2-4’ 1-3’ 1-3’ 2-5’ 2-5’ 1-3’ 1-3’ 3-6’ 3-10’

Fringed bromegrass Bromus ciliatus Broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana Fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus Blunt broom sedge Carex scoparia Shallow sedge Carex lurida Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale Soft rush Juncus effusus Blue vervain Verbena hastata Nodding bur marigold Bidens cernua Longhair sedge Carex comosa Hop sedge Carex lupulina Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum Giant sunflower Helianthus giganteus Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens

S-Sh P P S P P P S S S-Sh P P P S-Sh S S

blue stem

red-tan

songbirds, sparrows, sedge wren, western meadowlarks, butterflies

M green D-M yellow bloom W pale blue green M yellow bloom M, W green W green M yellow flower M-W green M-W blue flower M yellow flower green green M-W white flower M-W yellow flower W purple flower

yellow tan gold tan -

birds, deer, butterflies, native bees birds birds, small mammals, butterflies birds butterflies, native bees birds, muskrats bumble bees, butterflies: Common Buckeye ducks birds, butterflies, native bees birds, native bees butterflies: Common buckeye, Baltimore checkerspots

M-W pink flower

Hummingbirds, butterflies: Monarch, Queen Native bees waterfowl, muskrats, geese, groundnesting birds, butterflies: Dion Skipper Butterflies: Black Swallowtail; native bees; beneficial predatory insects

Swamp milkweed

Asclepias incarnata

Purplestem aster Path rush Cottongrass bulrush

Symphyotrichum puniceum S Juncus tenuis 1-2’ P Scirpus cyperinus 3-6’ S

M-W purple flower green W tufted green

Rufous bulrush Golden Alexanders

Scirpus pendulus Zizia aurea

W M

2-4’ S-P

S 1-3’ S-P

reddish bloom yellow flower

Wildflowers Common Cosmos

Sun Wet Color Common Scientific white, pink, purple New England aster Symphyotrichum novaeangliae Hairy wildrye Elymus villosus hairy Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa Blanket flower Gaillardia aristata S D red, yellow Virginia wild rye Elymus virginicus Lance-leaved coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata S-Sh D yellow Common milkweed Asclepias syriaca Sticky catchfly, wild pink Silene caroliniana P D-M pink Large blazing star Liatris scariosa Pale coneflower Echinacea pallida S D-M pink, purple Marsh blazing star Liatris spicata Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya S D-M purple, pink Orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida Bigleaf lupine Lupinus polyphyllus S-P D-M blue, purple, pink Brown eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba Bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix S-P D-M green Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis Butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa S-P D-M orange Plains coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria Wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa S-P D-M purple, pink, white Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa Black eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta S-Sh D-M yellow Pink milkweed Asclepias incarnata Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans S-Sh D-M yellow Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia lacinata Scientific Cosmos parviflorus

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Sun Wet Color P M prp, pnk P P S S S S S-P S-P S-P P S-P S-Sh

M M M M M M M M M M-W M-W M-W

yellow yellow purple purple purple yellow yellow yel,grn yel, red yellow pnk,prp yellow

PLANT PALETTE: MEADOWS 17/18

NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS DRAWING IS PART OF A STUDENT PROJECT AND IS NOT BASED ON A LEGAL SURVEY.

Shrubs for Forest Edge

*Nitrogen fixer Wildlife bumble bees most birds, most mammals, butterflies: Brown elfin

Common Dwarf bush honeysuckle Highbush blueberry

Scientific Diervilla lonicera Vaccineum corymbosum

Size Sun Wet Flower color Fall color Other color 2-3’ S-Sh D yellow yel to red 6-12’ S-P D-M white red blue berry

Winterberry Lowbush blueberry

Ilex verticillata Vaccineum angustifolium

6-10’ S-Sh D-M white 6”-2’ S-P D-W white

gold,red red

red berry blue berry

birds, butterflies most birds, most mammals, butterflies: Brown elfin

Red chokeberry Black huckleberry Sweet shrub American Spikenard Dwarf fothergilla False indigo*

Aronia arbutifolia Gaylussacia baccata Calycanthus floridus Aralia racemosa Fothergilla gardenii Amorpha fruticosa

6-10’ 1-2’ 6-12’ 3-6’ 2-3’ 6-20’

S-P S-Sh P S S-P S-P

D-W D-W M M M M

white wht,pnk deep red white white purple, blue

red red yellow org,red -

red berry blu-blk berry red-prp berry -

Buttonbush Groundnut* Elderberry Red-osier dogwood

Cephalanthus occidentalis Apios americana Sambucus racemosa Swida sericea

3-6’ Vine 6-12’ 6-12’

P-Sh Sh S-Sh S-Sh

M-W M-W M-W M-W

wht purple, blue white white

yellow red,prp

reddish fruit dark berry white berry

bluebirds, birds birds, butterflies, mammals bees, insects, butterflies: California & southern dogfaces, Silver-spotted Skipper, Gray hairstreak, Hoary edge skipper butterflies, water birds bees, butterflies hummingbirds, butterflies, native bees mammals, deer, water birds, butterflies: spring azure

Witchhazel

Hamamelis virginiana

20-30’ S-Sh M-W yellow

yellow

birds, deer, beaver, small mammals

Sheep laurel Summersweet clethra

Kalmia angustifolia Clethra alnifolia

3’x6’ 4-8’

Black chokeberry

Aronia melanocarpa

1.5-6’ S-P

birds, butterflies bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, birds, mammals bluebirds, birds

P S-P

W W

purple, red white

green yellow

white

red

black berry

Trees for Forest Edge Common Silky dogwood

Scientific Swida amomum

Flowering dogwood Serviceberry Sassafras

Benthamidia florida Amelanchier canadensis Sassafras albidium

Paw paw

Asimina triloba

Gray/white birch

Betula populifolia

Paper birch

Betula papyrifera

Honey, black locust* Gray, speckled alder* Hazel alder* Redbud Winterberry holly

Size 6-10’ x 6-10’ 15-30’ 6-20’ 30-60’ x25-30’ 15-20’

Sun Wet Flower color Fall color P-Sh M-W wht red

*Nitrogen fixer Fruit color Wildlife white birds

P-Sh D-M wht S-Sh M-W white S-Sh M yellow

red purple -

20-40’ S W-D green x10-20’ 50-75’ S-Sh M yellow

yellow

Robinia pseudoacacia

30-50’ S x20-35

D-M wht

yellow

birds, mammals, deer birds, native bees birds, butterflies: Spicebush Swallowtail, Promethea silkmoth, Pale swallowtail mammals, birds, butterflies: Zebra swallowtail, Pawpaw sphinx songbirds, ground birds, mammals, butterflies: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail songbirds, ground birds, mammals, butterflies: Luna Moth, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail honeybees, hummingbirds, birds, native bees

Alnus incana Alnus serrulata Cercis canadensis Ilex verticillata

20-35’ 15-20’ 15-30’ 6-10’

M-W M-W M D-W

minor yellow yellow, red yellow yellow

red

songbirds, waterbirds, mammals birds butterflies: Henry’s elfin birds, insects, butterflies: Henry’s elfin

S-Sh W

S-Sh S-Sh P-Sh S-Sh

ANNA K. M. BEST The Conway School

Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design

332 S. Deerfield Road | PO Box 179 | Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044, www.csld.edu Fall 2012

red red-orange red

deep purple yellow

prp-red prp, grn pink, purple white

green

NORKUS & LEIGHTON Name & Location Omitted 44 Crittenden Hill Road for Public Document Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

PLANT PALETTE: FOREST EDGE 18/18