telling the stories of your life

At Bruce Ewing Landscaping we believe that every project should tell the story of your lifescape. From outdoor living spaces and custom stone work to beautiful beds of flowers, our goal is to represent who you are. Your outdoor space is an extension of your home. We have taken simple grassy lawns and transformed them into stunning spaces where memories are made for a lifetime. Below are several of our favorite Lifescape stories that we’ve told over the years. We think you are going to like them as much as we do.

the home of barbara baekgaard

Landscaping this new home was not the first project that we have completed for the homeowner. We have worked for Barb for over 20 years and know what she likes and what she expects. This was the first time we had started with a blank slate. Barb was incredibly hands off on this project. She was busy with other endeavors and running her business. It was not that she didn’t have input, we talked with her a handful of times regarding the look and design, and then we got to work making it a reality. She trusted us do the landscaping, which was really nice!

This project began late in the fall of 2017 with a deadline of the first weekend in June, 2018. She was hosting a fundraiser at her home with several hundred people in attendance. It took an incredible group effort to pull this off. We coordinated two trusted subcontractors who completed the landscape lighting and sod installations so we could focus on the final details of the planting and hardscape. There were days that last week where we had almost every employee in our company there working to finish on time. I specifically remember one day that we had so many trucks lining the street outside her home, that another customer drove by and asked if we were starting a satellite office in southwest Fort Wayne.

This home needed a fair amount of retaining and terracing due to the changes in the grade. We joked with Barb that the back yard looked like a stone quarry because that is where we stored the stone as we were using it. She was amazed at the amount of stone it took to achieve the finished look. Our goal was to keep the landscaping as simple and natural as possible with green grass and beautiful plant material. Barb also loves to cut fresh flowers for her home, so a cutting garden was a must!

We maintain the landscaping as well. From mowing, to bed maintenance, to planting flowers, to fertilizing and caring for the lawn and plants – we are on this property several times a week to ensure that it looks it’s best at all times and in all seasons.

the home of dr. steve & Heather Schimmele

The Schimmele project, as many of ours do, has evolved over 17 years. When Steve and Heather bought a house that was new to them, they wanted to upgrade the landscaping and add a patio and firepit to create an outdoor living space. A few years later, during an extensive home remodel and the addition of a pool, we were called on to blend the existing patio into the remodeled area which included an upper terrace and new pool deck. This required extensive retaining, which had to be completed prior to and during construction. As the project progressed, our access to these areas was eventually closed off. This required constant communication with both the owners and the contractor. To add the finishing touches to this new area, we reshaped the pond to allow more lawn space for their active family. A few years later, a pool house was added into a natural area, which also had to be blended to look as it was always there. Three big projects over seventeen years, but with one goal. Continuity! It should look as if it was completed at the same time.

This is also true with maintaining properties for our clients. From mowing, to bed maintenance, to planting flowers, to fertilizing and caring for the lawn and plants – we are on this property weekly to ensure that it looks it’s best at all times and in all seasons. When we complete projects for people, it is always our goal to maintain the landscape going forward. This has led to evolved projects like this and lasting relationships with our clients. Working with clients for years allows you to get a sense for their style and the look they want to achieve.

the lake home

This project originally started in 2010. We had just started working with Jim Saxton, an incredible landscape designer, and this was one of the first projects that we installed under his direction. Jim’s vision was for this home to look like it just sort of emerged out of the rock and plantings. He wanted to make sure that even though this required a huge amount of stone for the retaining, that there were still plenty of places for plants too. He did not want it look like a wall of stone.

The project evolved after a number of years as the lot next door became available. The guest house was kept and the lawn was expanded for volleyball and yard games. We added two beautiful blue stone patios and additional retaining and plantings. There are many places to relax outside at this lake house, from smaller more intimate outdoor spaces to larger patios with plenty of room for everyone. We included a colorful cutting garden with blooming flowers all summer long. There is a trellis to add another architectural aspect to the look, as well as several espaliered apple and pear trees. The original fence was changed to keep these areas private while opening them up to allow easy access to the new lawn area.

Overall, this landscape is charming and very well suited for the home and the land. Our client is thrilled with the plantings and work that we have completed. We maintain the landscaping as well. From mowing, to bed maintenance, to planting flowers, to fertilizing and caring for the lawn and plants – we are on this property weekly to ensure that it looks it’s best at all times and in all seasons.