PROJECT PROFILE BY HANNAH GOOCH
A Great Project for
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
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o do great work, you have to enjoy the work you do. Rebecca Rose, plant health care specialist and division head at Great Outdoors, knows this and has applied it to her job for nearly 40 years. Rose got her start in the green industry by running a landscaping business while she was in high school. Since its small beginning in 1983, Great Outdoors has grown to 30 employees and provides service in lawn care, garden design, installation, design/build, drainage, snow removal and more. While the company puts its best effort into every project, there is one project that shines brighter than the rest: the Sanitate/Middleton project.
30 GREEN INDUSTRY PROS
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“We have been working on the Sanitate/Middleton home and gardens for more than 20 years,” Rose says. “In 2006, we were awarded a Gold Award for our work from the Michigan Green Industry Association.” Set on more than 3 acres, the property hosts the client’s home, offices and a pond. “Our goal was to create an oasis that would serve our client for many years,” Rose says. “This was our first project working with landscape architect Allison Arscott. She used a variety of plants, created specialty gardens and designed pathways and plantings that allowed our client to enjoy their stroll to the office as much as their walk around the pond.”
MAY/JUNE 2022
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www.greenindustrypros.com
The manmade pond was a focal point for the property that featured custom stone work by stone mason Tony Zilli. The pond itself was dug by Peter Stone in the early stages of the project. The pond came with minor obstacles, though, as critters found the pond to be as ideal as the clients did. “Challenges over the years are mostly due to the wildlife there,” Rose says. “It’s a really beautiful pond, and the neighborhood deer visit every day. So do the raccoons, skunks, muskrats and especially groundhogs.” Even so, the wildlife seemed to only add to overall aesthetic of the landscape. Rose’s favorite part of the project was the stone wall completed in 2017.
