LOCATION: Emigrant, Mont.
COMPANY: Blanchford Landscape Group
This client approached Blanchford Landscape Group asking for an outdoor space that felt grounded and connected with the natural landscape. A wildfire in the early 2000s wiped out an existing forest. The clients wanted this project to address the risk of future wildfires.
Blanchford Landscape Group added about an acre of topsoil to the site to help mitigate the soil disruption from the home’s construction. Crews planted grass species to match the meadows that emerged following the wildfire and added Douglas fir, Aspen and Rocky Mountain juniper trees. Andy Blanchford, president and CEO of Blanchford Landscape Group says the arid site makes tree establishment difficult, and the account management team works with clients to determine what plant material works best on the site.
Crews also installed a driveway, boulders, four flagstone patios, stepping stone slabs, stone stairs, a fire feature, outdoor lighting and an irrigation system. The stone features are designed to appear as part of the site’s natural surroundings, Blanchford says. He estimates the project utilized more than 300 tons of stone.
“It’s really integrated into the site,” he says. “It’s sunken down into it, so you feel like you’re just part of the place. Everything just looks pretty understated, although there was a lot of thought and intention that went into it.”
The high elevation makes water availability a challenge for the design team. Crews created a series of cisterns to store water to assist in the establishment of new plantings and to mitigate wildfire risks.
The project earned Blanchford Landscape Group a Silver Award from the 2022 National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Awards of Excellence program.
(Photo: Mike Miville/MM Visuals)
The client wanted all hardscaping elements, including the four patios, connecting walkways, retaining ledge walls and wildflower meadows, to feel as though they were a part of nature.
(Photo: Mike Miville/MM Visuals)
A bird’s-eye view of the property.
(Photo: Mike Miville/MM Visuals)
Locally-sourced limestone details highlight this lounging patio.
(Photo: Mike Miville/MM Visuals)
Blanchford Landscape Design installed a gas fire pit and reclaimed boulder stadium seating and a retaining wall to create a natural feel.
(Photo: Mike Miville/MM Visuals)
Reclaimed boulders serve as steps to the hot tub patio.
(Photo: Mike Miville/MM Visuals)
Black clay containers feature reclaimed meadow grasses and mountain views to the southeast.
(Photo: Mike Miville/MM Visuals)
Seats in the lounging patio feature mountain views to the northeast.