Wisconsin Landscape Company Helps with "Extreme Makeover"

The Bruce Co. teamed up with Veridian Homes to donate the landscape design, materials, and installation of a Richland Center, Wis. home’s landscaping, and was recently featured on the program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” 

The landscape was designed to compliment the country feel of the home’s design and to take advantage of the scenic views. Many old fashioned country farm flowers were used in the design; such as peonies, daylilies, hollyhocks, hydrangeas, roses and bridalwreath spirea.  

Before the demolition began, the existing plants around the home salvaged, taken off site, cleaned up and replanted in a new bed-- the “Mom’s Garden” four days later.  A Crabapple tree planted four years before, in memory of the children’s father, was also incorporated in the landscape plan.

The landscape contained features such as boulder walls, a pondless water feature which can be heard and seen from the screen porch and deck, and a paver patio. Unilock donated “Brussels” pavers, and they were used to create walks which lead you from the garage or driveway to the front entrance.  The Brussels paver patio provides space for grilling and close enjoyment of the pondless water feature. 

Foundation and island beds were planted with nursery stock from The Bruce Co. and Hoffie Nursery. The plants were mulched with recycled wood from the original home that had been processed and colored by Second Season Recycling. 

Long Sod Farms donated 12,000 sqaure feet of sod. Red B Compost Blanket Seeding was installed in the remaining area of the lawn. Tall Grass Restoration did the clean up on the edges of the property to provide a view to the pond. They also restored an area by installing 7,000 prairie and meadow plugs.

A custom cedar arbor was built by Corning Construction to be used as the entrance to the perennial garden. Rain barrels built in northern Wisconsin by Rain Water Green were installed at the two downspouts around the garage. Low voltage path and up lighting features were installed with the help of John Deere Landscape and Vista. Chilton flagstone steppers from Halquist Stone Company were used for the path that leads through the arbor entrance to the perennial garden, to the vegetable garden, and then to “Mom’s garden”.

Four mature shade and ornamental trees were mechanically spaded around the home to complete the landscape transformation by making it appear as if the trees had been growing around the home for years instead of the incredible 51 hours it took to complete the makeover. Annual flowers from Orchids Garden Center & Nursery were installed at the front walk along with salvaged hanging baskets that hung on Shelly’s shepherd’s hook. 

The Bruce Co. supplied tropical house plants inside the home for the final green touch.  A heart shaped plant hanger from her old home had been placed at the front of the new paver walk, so it would feel familiar from the moment that they first viewed their home following the famous “Move that bus!” scene.

With the help of 64 Bruce Co. employees, who worked in shifts around the clock, along side gardeners from Richland County, and various friends, the gorgeous landscape was completed ahead of schedule. Because it was vital that the family felt this was their home, The Bruce Co. spent extra time on the details, like the placement of the flower hangers, the bird feeders, the bird houses, the “Mom’s garden,” and the path that leads to the horse pasture. 
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