Awards & Recognitions

The primary challenge was to reduce the WOW or impact from the entrance to encourage the general public to drive on by. This was achieved by lighting the back side of the trees and reducing the accent lights around the entry, however, as you crest the driveway the entire beauty of the property opens up and lays out before you. From the house and also as you leave the lights guide your eyes to parts of the landscape not easily noticed in the daylight.

The second challenge was this customer wanted all main wiring in conduit and this all had to be installed before the landscape was installed. Trying to run oversized conduits to each section of the yard with only a vague idea of how many lights would eventually need to be installed two years later was challenging.

The third challenge was knowing when to stop and not overdue the lighting with literally hundreds of items that “could” be lighted and knowing when to say no especially with no lighting budget. Lighting too much and highlighting everything would almost be as dangerous as not lighting anything. Yours is the decision if we chose wisely enough.

Three years ago one of our clients decided that no amount of time was going to fix the eyesore that had become the cornerstone of our small community’s downtown. He set out with a lofty vision to transform this apparently simple downtown corner into an internationally relevant cultural learning center that could export our town’s rich culture to the rest of the world.

When we were asked to become a part of this project we realized that the scope of work would have to become much larger and would not only include the initial removal of necessary plants for construction and protection of the remaining landscape during the renovation, but we would have to remain on board this project for a minimum of three years to guide the landscape through its growing pains to reach our desired vision for the property. We committed to do this at no charge and now we could set out to re-create realistically plausible settings around the museum.

Some of these settings included changing an ore cart setup to show it dumping a load of granite rip rap, which in times past could have been gold ore, and planting new shrubs around the life size bronze centerpiece. This sculpture was inspired by a painting which is currently on display in the museum and we wanted to recreate that painting around the sculpture. We planted grasses and creosote to mirror the painting which now gives visitors the sense of continuity between museum buildings.

I believe that through this style of imagination and detail we can enhance our landscapes to serve as both a visual softening tool and an entrance to our buildings.

Our objective with this very unique John Coleman sculpture setting was to remove the “stagnant” feel of a museum or gallery and incorporate an overwhelming sense of realism. This sculpture of Gall, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse looking over the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876 demanded a final setting that was not only plausible, but also able to survive our intense seasonal weather. We achieved this by placing the sculpture on a bluff of sandstone surrounded by a mixture of blue grama, creosote, and Jojoba. These specific species were chosen for their textures, color and credible realism. Along with the plants lichen covered sandstone was chosen to complement the colors of the bronze sculpture with that of its surrounding setting. The final touch of adding a meandering creek became necessary to soften the unyielding feel of the surrounding sandstone and to soothe and relax the casual observer from the dominating intensity that this sculpture delivers.

This children’s garden was deigned to be a quiet place to read classic stories to the grandkids. From the funny named plants like wooly butterfly bush(Pic 004), to the levels of French and English lavender, (Pic 004) the concept was to incorporate the old world fairytale land into a quaint enclosed secret garden off the master bedroom. The desire was to have a sunken “room” surrounded by seat walls (Pic 005) of varying heights so the grandkids, as they grew up, would still feel they were welcome and each child had their chosen “favorite” spot. As you can see throughout the pictures there are many fairytale animals (Pic 008) that have been incorporated into the landscape design. As this garden has matured over the past several years we believe we have achieved our vision, but only the reaction on the child’s face during the next story time will tell us if we have succeeded.

This project was designed to address the concerns of integrating an ornate Tuscan style house into the natural Sonoran Desert which surrounds it. The client’s foremost concern was to preserve the “rustic desert” feel from a distance while complementing, with lush landscaping, the area that surrounds the house. The initial phases were designed to add structural support and a sound footprint for the concrete paver driveway, while the final phases were added to enhance the beauty of the landscape. Throughout this project our continuing challenge was to harmonize the up close and personal feel that accompanied this style of the house with a simple and yet almost undisturbed desert which surrounded the project. Protecting the surrounding desert was of particular importance because one wrong move with a piece of equipment would have caused irrevocable damage, and the ground could never be returned to its original state. Our client, who is local custom homebuilder, was so encouraged by what can be done with segmental retaining wall blocks that he has gone on to incorporate them in his future projects. We believe these creative uses of segmental retaining walls, such as this project, help to redefine our industry. Continuing to push the design envelope we feel that these products in our industry have only touched the tip of the iceberg on how we can creatively add structure and character to almost every project we encounter.

The ability for this house to virtually disappear at night behind it mature vegetation and extensive grading was paramount during the layout of this lighting project. The ability to independently control by wireless remote and I-phone the outside back yard, poolside patios and the entrance gives the client the flexibility to utilize the property at various hours outside of a predetermined time slot. Approaching the front door the mass plantings of hesperaloe, octopus agave, and salvia give way to the more unique individuality of specimen cacti which lie securely nestled under the majestic tree canopies. Down lighting out of these canopies, with soft blue lenses, adds the realism of a peaceful and relaxing walk in the moonlight. The attention to specific lighting details including the lack of excess light pollution becomes evident as you stroll through the softly lit walkways. As you enjoy the soft lit evening you are reminded how fewer appropriately placed fixtures really do determine the overall success of any lighting project.

Unique project in how the existing plant material was incorporated into wall planter and how the wall was finished.

Wickenburg resident Aaron Wolfe was honored recently when his company, Wickenburg Landscape & Irrigation (WLI), received two significant awards during the Interlocking Concrete and Pavement Institute's (ICPI) annual awards banquet on Nov. 7.

The banquet, held at Tempe's Regus Hayden Ferry Lakeside Center, acknowledged Arizona's finest projects of the year. With more than 200 members in attendance, the audience was shown photographs of the 54 entries through a PowerPoint presentation.

Wolfe, vice president and CEO of WLI, submitted a 7,600 square-foot pavestone driveway his company designed and installed at the home of Wickenburg resident Verne Crissman, using a pattern of fan shapes – 800 in all.

Wolfe's company not only won the award for best residential driveway but took home the grand prize for "Chapter Choice Award," the best project of the year judged on creativity, quality of workmanship, and how well the design blended into the landscape and other hardscapes (decorative block, stone, or pavers).

WLI has been encouraged to enter the project for national competition.

Wolfe, who attended the dinner with his wife Janice, was genuinely surprised when his project won.

"It was a very difficult pattern," he admitted, "and it wasn't a lot of fun, but this is one of the highest awards you can win in hardscapes. To win that award from your peers is the ultimate."

Certified as an ICPI instructor in 2002, Wolfe has recently been chosen to travel throughout the United States and Canada, teaching classes on how to install concrete pavers.

Vern Crissman was pleased with the awards.

"When people visit me, the first thing they say is 'I love your driveway,'" said Crissman. "Aaron bent over backward for me and I appreciate his honesty and creativity. He listened to what I wanted, and I'm thrilled with what he did."