A Yard That Has Everything

Design by David Robbins, CLC Landscape Design
Photography by Kim Ballard
Text by Darius Amos

A genie to grant your every wish? That’s the stuff of fairy tales. In real life, getting what you want on your property takes time and careful planning. That’s what a young husband and wife realized when they asked Ringwood-based CLC Landscape Design to redo their Waldwick backyard.

The job, which took about a month to complete and won a New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association Award of Excellence, wasn’t impossible, but checking off everything on the homeowners’ wish list was a challenge. “They wanted all the bells and whistles,” recalls CLC owner Rich Cording Sr., “and the yard wasn’t very big, just an average-sized yard. But you can achieve almost anything in any size yard with a good design.”

CLC landscape architect/designer David Robbins and project manager Alex Kuzmik worked with the homeowners to come up with a plan to improve the usefulness and aesthetics of the space. The transformation began with an upgrade to the old deck and the addition of a kitchen area featuring a grill with stone siding, all by Eastern Outdoor Furnishings in Totowa.

A Solo Stove firepit is the focal point of the sitting lounge, in view of the lawn and swing set where the children play.

Two sets of stairs lead down from the deck to different “zones” in the yard, says Cording. The first area is a sitting lounge, made with a decorative pea-gravel base, a Solo Stove firepit, six Adirondack chairs and 12 large stepstones. Bright annuals and perennials and other shrubbery flank the space and create an intimate vibe.

“People love the aesthetic of a firepit, and the roses and hydrangeas bring a lot of summer color to the yard while really separating the areas,” says Cording.

A second staircase gives easy access from the deck to the entertaining area, where a concrete paver patio was installed to hold an Eastern Outdoor Furnishings fire table, couches and a wall-mounted television. For more rest and relaxation, a hot tub was placed about an arm’s length away from the couches.

The swing set was relocated to that spot to make room for an illuminated, four-hole putting green—a special request made by the husband.

“They can come out here, sit by the fire and enjoy the space all year long,” says the design exec.

A third distinct zone was built just steps from the entertaining area, this one specially requested by the man of the house. “The kids’ old play area was relocated to make way for a putting green for everyone to use,” says Cording, adding that CLC completed the base prep for the golf zone while Morris & Bergen Irrigation in Wayne handled the installation.

Though the putting green is made with synthetic turf, the rest of yard is filled with lush plants and real grass for the couple’s young children to enjoy. Giant green arborvitae trees were planted along the property’s perimeter and will grow quickly for privacy. Other ornamental shrubs and trees, such as Japanese maple, were added to provide pops of color.

“The layered plantings create more focal points and accentuate the outdoor living spaces,” says Cording. “The ‘before’ was just an old deck and patio and a lot of grass. They really wanted to create destination points in the backyard with two firepits, a hot tub and putting green. When you first look at it you think, ‘That’s a lot, but let me think about it.’ Working with the homeowners, we were able maximize space and give them everything they wanted.”

A concrete paver patio, a hot tub and Eastern Outdoor Furnishings’s fire table, couches and shade structure provide hours of relaxation in the alfresco living room and entertainment space.