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Scott Byron & Co. • Lake Bluff Lake View Residence

This residence sits on a 3-acre estate on the shore of Lake Michigan. Although substantial in scale, the style of the house is elegant, and the landscape reflects that classic gracefulness. Additional structures on the estate include the guest house, boat house, pool, garages with auto court, and tennis court.

Landscape elements include formal gardens for entertaining, informal spaces for private family gatherings, shade gardens, perennial gardens, annual color containers, an allee of ‘Regal Prince’ Oaks, a natural stone walk that descends 20’ to the lake, expansive lawns, arborvitae screens, and numerous deciduous and evergreen trees. Crews must be proficient at myriad landscape techniques to properly care for the variety of gardens and plant material on the site.

Boxwoods are a unifying element throughout the landscape. All shrubs are hand-pruned, and no mechanical shears are used. Formal hedges are pruned using string lines and levels to achieve a perfect flat top and sharp, angled sides. Perennial beds and the rose garden are wrapped in formal hedges. Green Velvet Boxwood ‘clouds’ are pruned in a looser, sculptural manner to provide textural interest without adding color. Boxwoods are not pruned until the new growth hardens off in early July to minimize the risk of contracting fungal infections. It takes 8 crew members a full day to complete the boxwood pruning.

Nothing obstructs the lake view or impedes the refreshing

breezes off the lake. The huge expanse of turf on the lake side is virtually level. A series of underdrains ensures proper drainage. Lawns are mowed with 21” push mowers to create the preferred narrow rows without turn lines. Turf is fertilized 5 times per season and receives 3 weed treatments. The entire site is irrigated with a combination of drip lines, spray heads and rotors in 44 zones. During the summer, turf is watered three days per week and beds are watered two days. Moisture is monitored and watering is adjusted based on weather. Crews are onsite two times per week. A 4-person crew spends one day weeding, pruning and cultivating beds. The second day is spent cutting turf. Once a month beds are raked and fluffed to keep beds looking fresh. A full tree care program includes fall root feeding, iron treatment, IPM, and pruning for the spruce, arborvitae, maples, yellow magnolia, massive 50-foot-tall beech, birch, stalk hydrangea, and oak trees. Summer annuals highlight four 4’ by 4’ containers in the front driveway and six 2’ by 2’ containers by the pool. The Client prefers a totally new look each year. This landscape was installed four years ago when the new home was constructed. The management team and crews adhere closely to the original design intent, so as the landscape grows, the site is unified throughout. The Landscape Contractor February 2021