Crafting the Classic Cedar Pergola -Notching the Post
The corner of a L-Shaped Arbor.
Pergolas and Arbors add so much beauty and style to your outdoor living space. With their overhead plane they create the feeling of being in a room. Yes, you guessed it… an outdoor room! Many materials are available to construct pergolas. Stone, concrete, metal, vinyl to name a few… but, we love the look of wood. And our favorite wood to work with is Real Cedar. The beautiful color and natural decay resistance of cedar make our first choice and recommendation.
When constructing a pergola or arbor the joinery is of utmost importance. A strong construction can provide years of worry free outdoor living. In crafting our Classic Cedar Pergola and Arbors we notch the top of the post for the strongest connection. This allows the cross members to rest on the post to carry the load and not the fasteners. The over sized carriage bolts keep the joint nice and tight.
Classic Cedar Pergola – Watch Video on notching the post.
The completed assembly of a Classic Cedar Pergola.
Using a wood chisel to finish cleaning out the notch of a Real Cedar post for a Custom Classic Cedar Pergola.
The Workshop at The Gardens offers Landscape Design Services specializing in creating and enhancing your outdoor living space. The Workshop is located just eight miles north of Northfield on MN State Highway 3. We have been there since 1926.
Beautiful outdoor living space… Paver Patio Sidewalk
The small boulder wall creates a grade change along with the chilton flagging for the patio create a more relaxed and informal feel to this room under the deck. The sweet hammock goes along way in making this an awesome oasis.
“Outdoor Bonus Room” ~ An often over looked space in the landscape that can provide a great return on design value is the space under the deck! If you are building a new deck or have an existing deck the area under it will need to be considered. Most of the time it is covered with rock or mulch and left alone. If you plan to complete yourself or hire a design professional make sure you consider a couple of factors: Head room – 7′ is a good minimum height for useable space; Drainage – always make sure you create a positive flow away from the house; Planting Soil – if you plan on gardening you will need to amend the soil and work to negate the compaction due to deck construction. When working on your landscape master plan make sure to create an “Outdoor Bonus Room” under the deck. Cheers!
Incorporating the space under the deck can make the maintenance that much easier. The space can be delightful and pleasing to look at as part of the landscape.
Interlocking concrete pavers used for the patio under this deck make the space extremely functional. The above decking provides shade and a great place to take a break during gardening.
The custom made trellis and the planting bed further create the feeling of an outdoor garden room under the deck.
The space under the deck can become some of the most beautiful space in the yard. The perfect place to add a place to sit and relax. On a hot day this shade garden under the deck is just an awesome spot to take a break.
Gardening under the deck… sure! it’s aperfect place for a shade garden! This deck is on the side of the house and makes a wonderful place for a secrete garden. A perfect place to get away from it all and just relax.
“Make It a Focal Point” ~ Creative Landscape Design Ideas
Turning a challenging aspect of a landscape into a focal point of a design is often time very rewarding. The end result often times looks like it was meant to be, we love when that happens.
Have you ever found yourself standing in the middle of your yard or garden saying something like, “I know what I want but I don’t know how to put it all together and what do I do with THAT!” All yards or landscapes have what can be perceived as difficulties, obstacles or challenges. When you embrace and look to enhance these challenges, that is when a landscape design become incredibly special.
The glass is always half full and filling for a landscape designer when visiting a potential site for the first time. Take for example the project in the accompanying images. The original grade for the backyard was one big slope that made the desired use a bit challenging. The natural stone retaining wall was extended out nearly 30 feet from the home and included the stone steps to create two level garden areas. The cedar arbor added at the top of the steps extenuated the transition between the upper vegetable garden and the lower flower garden. The lower garden then became host for the paver patio and outdoor dinning area. The large retaining wall allowed for the grading to be more level and conducive for each activity.
The cedar arbor at the top of the steps creates a beautiful frame of the lower flower garden.
With the natural stone retaining wall extended further into the yard the lower flower garden hosts a beautiful paver patio. The space easily flow from one to another.
Don’t be afraid to bring in a professional landscape designer to help work through difficulties in your landscape. They can bring fresh eyes and have years of experience in dealing with challenging sites. But, remember this is their career and have dedicated their life honing their skills. Make sure to duly compensate them for their ‘ideas’ and knowledge. Taking difficult obstacles and turning them into beautiful landscapes and gardens is always a rewarding journey.
In Redoux Home’s June/July 2012 issue, landscape designer Glenn Switzer shares his thoughts with Elizabeth Child during a Q & A. Check out the article…. page 25 and make sure to click full screen for easy reading, enjoy!
Redoux Home is delightful home and garden lifestyle magazine originated in Northfield, Minnesota.
Landscape Designer Glenn! Switzer was honored with the “Judges Choice Award” at the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA) Landscape Gala 2012
March 10, 2012 – The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis – Minneapolis, MN
Judges Choice Award Winner Pictured: Debbie Lonnee, Bailey Nurseries, Inc. MNLA President Glenn! Switzer, Switzer’s Nursery & Landscaping, Inc. Rick Tesch, Creative Habitats, MNLA Landscape Awards Committee Chair Bob Fitch, MNLA Executive Director
The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association gathered Saturday Night to recognize the Landscape Award Winners for 2012. Glenn! Switzer, Sr. Landscape Designer at Switzer’s Nursery and Landscaping, received the “Judges Choice Award” in the category of Landscape Design. The “Judges Choice Award” is selected from all of the Landscape Design Awarded projects as the judges’ favorite project. The winning project is a Balinese inspired landscape design tailored for outdoor living in Minnesota. The water feature with two waterfalls and a long rectilinear pond, reminiscent of a Balinese plunge pool, is the focal point in the design. Three distinct outdoor rooms make up the project; The Outdoor Dining Room, The Outdoor Living Room, and the Garden Room.
MNLA 2012 Grand Honor Award & Judges Choice Award for landscape design ~ Award Winning Minnesota Landscape Design insired by Bali
The MNLA Landscape Award program gives their members a chance to showcase their talents. Award applications are submitted in the fall of the year for judging. The MNLA describes the award process as, “A panel of professionals in landscape education, landscape architecture, and horticulture juries the MNLA Landscape Awards. Judges evaluate the entries and, when warranted, grant Grand Honor Awards or Merit Awards. The panel assesses a landscape plan, digital photos, a written narrative and a performance chart for each entry. The type, size, and cost of the project are not the criteria for judging. Quality of the design, installation, or management, plus materials, and workmanship are factors considered by the judges.”
Outdoor Living in Minnesota ~ The Outdoor Living Room
The MNLA further explains the Grand Honor Award, “MNLA’s Landscape Awards Program honors companies for superior performance in the fields of landscape design, installation and management. A Grand Honor Award is the highest level of recognition given to those companies and projects that exemplify outstanding values. These projects showcase the best work of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association.”
The 2012 Grand Honor and Merit Award recipients were announced in January. During the Minnesota Green Expo held at the Minneapolis Convention Center in early January each award winner gave a short presentation about their project. A slide show of before, during, and completed photos for each project was part of the presentation.
MNLA Landscape Gala 2012 – The Awards
The 2012 Landscape Gala was held at The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis. It was a chance for the landscape professionals of the MNLA to share in the accomplishments of the past and get excited for the upcoming season. Each Landscape Award winner was presented with a plaque for their accomplishment. The excitement of the evening culminated with the announcement of the “Judges Choice Award.” Glenn! was honored to have been selected as a Grand Honor Award recipient and humbled to have had his project selected as the favorite project of the judges. Glenn! simply said, “Wow!! This is pretty cool… thank you.”
“The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) is an international organization founded in 1989. Our mission is to advance the profession of landscape design and to promote the recognition of landscape designers as qualified and dedicated professionals. APLD members adhere to a code of professional standards, encourage continuing education, and stay up to date about new developments and latest trends throughout the field.” …from the APLD Website
Standards of Practice
All APLD members agree to the standards of practice listed below:
Advance landscape design through continuing professional education and the exchange of knowledge with colleagues.
Utilize personal knowledge and skills for the greatest good of clients.
Be truthful in oral or written statements about the services we offer clients.
Encourage practices that protect the environment and discourage damage to our natural resources.
Be loyal to clients or employers and faithfully perform assigned tasks.
Avoid uninformed opinions on any issues relating to landscape design.
Avoid unfounded statements or criticism of colleagues for personal gain.
Encourage participation in public service activities to educate the public about good landscape design and sound horticultural practices.
Conduct all matters relating to landscape design activities, business operations, and civic responsibilities in a way that promotes the status of landscape design as a respected profession.
The Workshop at The Gardens offers Landscape Design Services specializing in creating and enhancing your outdoor living space. The Workshop is located just eight miles north of Northfield on MN State Highway 3. We have been there since 1926.
Beautiful outdoor living space… Natural Stone Work & Cedar Pergolas
Switzer’s Nursery & Landscaping is a Full Service Design/Build Landscape company specializing in creating and enhancing your outdoor living space. Switzer’s is located just eight miles north of Northfield on MN State Highway 3. We have been there since 1926.
Switzer’s Nursery & Landscaping is a Full Service Design/Build Landscape company specializing in creating and enhancing your outdoor living space. Switzer’s is located just eight miles north of Northfield on MN State Highway 3. We have been there since 1926.
Creating beautiful outdoor spaces with custom made cedar pergolas and fences.
