Very busy this Friday unloading trucks filled with plants for our booked Spring planting season. We have some really exciting projects coming up, one of which will be at Monticello, the historic home of our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson. In all the hustle & bustle we take a pause to appreciate the beauty in bloom and to wish you all a very ‘hoppy’ (hopefully three day) weekend!
We advertise a lot of polished job photos, & share progress shots, but very rarely is there a candid action photo. The fellas in this picture have a combined 56 year of experience with Windridge. There is no way that it would be the outfit that it is without each of them. So today we share from left to right Paul Clarke, Jeff Thompson, & Saul Valdovinos. They hustled to finish this stunning pool project in Old Trail. It is a true testament when a homeowner will openly admit that they are going to miss them when the job is done.
Although the winter weather events we have been experiencing regularly have shifted our jobsite schedule we have continued to put in the hours. Since we do not perform snow removal the snow days have allowed us to address a few projects here at the shop.
The business property was heavily planted in Leyland Cypress decades ago. We now know that not only is this a poor tree choice (for numerous reasons) but we also have evolved with industry knowledge to avoid planting the same tree en masse. This planting practice is called a monoculture and should be avoided. Depending on the total planting area three or more mixed tree & shrub species is a preferred planting strategy. Slowly but surely we have been removing groups of these unsustainable trees from around the property.
The latest removals surround our shop. We were able to upcycle the wood chips, utilizing them in the media bed for our waste water discharge system here at the office. The chips were then covered with a layer of hardwood mulch.
It is a challenge for the average person to tell the difference between a Green Giant Arborvitae and a Leyland Cypress. The best way is to confirm with a plant professional. If this is not an option a quick way is to compare foliage. The tips of the Leyland are sharp & pointy. The tips of the foliage of the Green Giants are blunted and more open & fanlike. They also smell different and the Green Giant tends to be a darker green than the Leyland. It is easiest to compare these difference when two specimens are present on site.
We will be replanting sustainable trees in more appropriate locations on the property in the coming seasons. Implementing new biodiverse & sustainable planting techniques. Until then we are really enjoying more space for our trucks & equipment.
Seems like everyone who needed a retaining wall back in the day opted to us timber. Much like the story of the three little pigs anything made of wood is bound to fail over time. That is where we come in, and step up to the challenge of replacing that failing old timber wall with segmental retaining wall block that will stand the test of time.
The segmental block & installation also comes with a warranty which is a very attractive bonus. The walls often times can be reinstalled in the same basic footprint or reengineered to include steps, cheek walls, landings, and even a tiered system.
Over the years we have developed solid relationships with local engineers, home owner’s associations , & municipal permitting offices to make the process easy as possible. This has been especially helpful for our neighbors up on Wintergreen Mountain. With all the renovation up there we are being tapped to facilitate wall replacement frequently. Some of which do not even require engineering or permitting.
No matter if it is your second home, primary residence, or rental we are here to help.
Wow, talk about a busy season! We have been involved in all sorts of landscaping, hardscaping, & drainage improvement projects. Although we are best known for large & prestigious commercial jobs our clients are often surprised to learn that we look forward to the smaller upgrades just as much.
We just wrapped up a renovation project in Augusta County. The client had some drainage concerns which were addressed while really livening up the entrance to their home.
It was decided early on that the old step could not remain as it existed when such an upgrade was planned for the walkway. The step riser is Anchor Highland 3Pc block, in the James River blend, bordered with an XL Trapezoidal cap in Chesapeake. The tread field is filled with the walkway pavers. It transitions nicely into the patio but offers enough of a contrast to clearly define the step which is an important safety concern.
This is a custom design by Jeff Howe, utilizing Cambridge Sherwood Ledgestone 3 Pc pavers in Toffee/Onyx/Lite with a 4.5×9″ border band in Chestnut. All the pavers have a textured finish, and the best part… they come with a lifetime manufacturing warranty. We also warranty our paver installation for a period of 10 years. Seeing as Windridge has been around since 1989 that is a guarantee we can stand behind with confidence!
Work has been most steady between winter events. It has made for messy job sites and caused delivery delays. Nevertheless we are working diligently to wrap up a few hardscaping projects in preparation for warmer days ahead.
We are nearing completion of a project at a historic home in Charlottesville, replacing the existing patio with big beautiful pieces of bluestone. Our senior foreman, Jeff Thompson has been showing off his more artistic side in consideration to the orientation of the patio. Not to mention utilizing a lot of math.
It is worth mentioning that there are numerous bluestone’esque manufactured paver options to be considered as well. This makes a potential project not only a bit more affordable for those who can’t quite allocate the budget for a natural stone project, but also the fact that most of the manufactured products also come with a lifetime warranty make the option even more attractive.
Our schedule is filling in for the spring, but we would be delighted to set up a consultation with you to discuss improving your outdoor living space just in time for Summer.
The cold didn’t slow us down this week. We seized the opportunity to install a lovely patio at a new home located in Ruckersville. It is rewarding for us to assist a homeowner in adding the finishing outdoor touches to their place once the house has been constructed. (Pictured above is the finished product, below the before pic.)
The colors in this patio go perfectly with the house and we think that the job turned out looking classy. This 3 piece interlocking paver system is manufactured by Cambridge , and comes from the Sherwood Collection. The job took two days to install.
We do our utmost to streamline the product & color selection process for our clients, and are prepared to provide information that may be need for a HOA approval.
Be sure to check out our website to view other hardscaping jobs we have completed & feel free reach out to us with your patio needs.
Despite the very rainy weather this week we were able to freshen up our entrance with some super snazzy fall annuals. Over the years we have found that Violas are much hardier & robust than Pansies in our area. They are also edible & can really jazz up a dish when used as a topping for salads, or to garnish a bowl of soup. These sweet little flowers persist up until the May heat. Over the years they have crosspollinated, hybridized, & reseed themselves gingerly in the landscape.
This year is a little different as we decided to experiment with using Snap Dragons in our design and are anxious to see how the hold up to the winter weather.
All of our annuals were grown locally by our friends & neighbors at Saunders Brothers Nursery , located in Piney River. They have an incredible little Farmer’s Market that will be open to the public into December that is totally worth checking out.
Be sure to toot the horn and wave to our new garden spider when you roll by our office on 151 on your way to the market. She has set up shop amongst the annuals. We think that means she approves.
Stay heathy & keep planting.
We participate in a wide range of projects at both the residential & commercial levels. From hardscape to landscape, drainage improvements to pools, the outdoor projects that we don’t tackle are few & far between. We had the opportunity this fall to participate in a beautiful project that serves the community at large.
We were tasked with planting street trees along the Lewis & Clark road extension. This project was terrific & brings beauty to the area as well as offers ‘treemendous’ benefit to the community. The road extension created another convenient alternative for Route 29 – It connects UVA Research Park to Airport Road, Hollymead Town Center, the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO), and eventually to the larger Charlottesville community via Berkmar Drive Extended. The road extension project’s goal is to allow more convenient access to surrounding housing communities and businesses serving the north 29 corridor. It also enables additional land to be developed in the future.
We installed a total of (198) new trees, all of which are native to our region. So if you’re in the area and find yourself with a wee bit of time take a ride through. We suggest doing so in late spring when the Redbuds, Fringe Tree, Dogwoods, & Silverbells are in bloom. The Sweetbay Magnolias will offer their heavenly fragrance from late spring into early summer. Then be sure revisit late summer to see the Sourwoods blooming in full action. The fall color in 2021 will be stunning so perhaps a walk along the roads pedestrian path would be in order. We hope everyone can enjoy the trees, and are here to answer questions about them, and discuss native tree options for your home.
Every year in late August through October, hay fever sufferers everywhere have sneezing attacks caused by pollen from Ragweed. Many people often confuse Ragweed and Golden Rod and blame both for their allergic reactions. Ragweed is the culprit and not Goldenrod. Even though they both bloom at roughly the same time, they are completely different plants and look quite different.
To start, Golden Rod is a perennial and Ragweed is an annual. Their stems and leaves are dramatically different – Golden Rod has a single stem with some branches at the top, whereas Ragweed has many branches from the bottom of the plant all the way to the top. Goldenrod has single leaves and Ragweed has lobed or dissected leaves. Golden Rod flowers are bright yellow and pretty and Ragweed flowers are boring.
The biggest difference between the two and most important to allergy sufferers is the way they pollinate. Golden Rod is colorful and attractive and has heavy, sticky pollen, which is well adapted to insect pollinators, whereas Ragweed has light, wind-blown pollen. In fact, Ragweed pollen can travel hundreds of miles in the air.
Golden Rod is a wonderful native plant that has several dozen species and is not responsible for any seasonal allergies. If you have Ragweed on your property and suffer from it, remove it, but plant and enjoy the beautiful Goldenrod in your gardens.
