Landscape Architect Articles

Creating the Firefly Forest07-09-24 | Feature

Creating the Firefly Forest

Salt Lake City, UT
by Ty D. Rosser & Valentina Hurtado, Landscape Lighting Pro. - Tim Boone, Boone Photography

This residence, located at the bench of the Wasatch Mountains outside of Salt Lake City, was illuminated by Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah (LLP), which handled the lighting design and installation. The company worked in conjunction with design/build company Pendelton Landscape whose goal for the surrounding landscape was to make it feel as if this modern mountain home was simply nestled into the existing mountainside. The putting green in the front yard spans approximately 3,500 square feet and features seven holes with two sand traps. The area is lit using down-lighting techniques. Directional fixtures with glare shields are mounted up high in the trees and off the home's architecture to throw a splash of light down over the space. This effort encompassed six of the lighting design firm's own down light fixtures. In addition, smart controls are used to turn the putting green lights on and off. The physical distance between the low voltage transformers made smart control communications a challenge. Landscape Lighting Pro's solution was to use Lutron RA2 Smart Controls in the transformers and at key bridging points throughout the property. The flagstone walkway that leads down to the putting green is lit with LLP's own path lights.

In both the front and back of the property, as seen here, are thousands of tons of 8-12' granite boulders that already existed on site. This endemic granite was lifted, rolled, and manipulated to create a hardscape that reflects the naturally occurring boulder arrangements across the surrounding mountain side. To help the landscape blend into the mountain side, Pendelton Design brought in native cultivars including Big Tooth Maples and White Furs. LLP used up lights and wash lights to accent these trees throughout the backyard landscape.

The pond and water feature feeding into it, off the south side of the back patio, encompass approximately 8,000 gallons. Underwater lights illuminate the pond and accent other aspects of the water feature. Directly behind the pond is a custom 35'-linear fire feature burner.

In addition to the granite boulders that were repurposed into the landscape after the home's foundation was dug out, an additional 400 tons of gray surface boulders were also imported to help sculp the water features, including this tiered waterfall, into arrangements that would mimic a stream that would naturally be seen carving its way down the mountain side.

Specimen Japanese Maples were selected a year ahead of the landscape's build phase. Pendelton Design flew out to Oregon with the homeowners to hand pick the trees that would make their way back to Utah. This maple sits at the very heart of the landscape and is adorned with ornamental pendent lights hanging from its branches to help showcase this centerpiece. Even in an extremely dry climate like the high Utah desert, these cultivars can thrive because of an intricate misting system that creates a suitable microclimate through out the landscape.

The fire feature near the center of the patio is a custom piece created from the same stone as the decorative sitting boulders surrounding it. The bowl was hewed out of the stone and has a gas burner positioned in it.

Further up the hillside behind the art studio are numerous pockets of special effects lights along the pathways. They mimic the soft flashing dimming pulses of fireflies. In addition to being softly down lit, the sculpture, which was fashioned by the homeowner, is illuminated from within using a protected LED Bi-Pin.

In the forest behind the studio is a bubbling fountain, which flows over into a small stream that follows the path back down to the main water feature. The pathway and fountain are both down lit.

The homeowner's art studio, known as Firefly Forest Doors, which creates doors that are intended to symbolize life's most significant passages, features a heavy steel door with a laser-cut image depicting a coniferous forest with a firefly. At night the door is accented using two directional up lights flanking it from either side.

This sculpture created by the homeowner mimics the natural rock around it and has a gem heart floating in the hollow opening at its center. A Brilliance Mini Beam fixture produces a glowing affect within the heart. The fixture was placed in such a way that you see the effect the light creates but not the source.

Looking out into the back patio from the interior, the 25'- wide glass door retracts to help open the indoor environment up to the outdoor living space. One design goal was for the landscape illumination to connect the interior and exterior spaces by using soft, ambient task lighting effects.

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When Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah first partnered with Pendleton Design to illuminate a distinctive mountain home near Salt Lake City, it became obvious these devoted residents were clients who had a dream they wanted brought to life.

A Commitment from the Homeowners
Robyn, a thoughtful and whimsical creative, and her golf-enthusiast husband, Lance, were extremely dedicated to the design of their landscape lighting. Keith Rosser, owner of Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah and the lead lighting designer, said that "A client who trusts your design expertise is one thing. A client who isn't interested in being involved in the process is another. Robyn was fully invested. She wanted to enhance their outdoor space with light, and we could see from the beginning the love and commitment she had for her property."

Rosser explained, "They made us feel like guests, not contractors - they invited us to be part of this project after reviewing a lot of other options. We always felt like we were working alongside them, not just doing our work and coming back at the end for approval."

Jeremy Pendleton, the owner of Pendleton Design and the creative mind behind this landscape design and build, said "I felt a lot of artistic freedom while working on the project. Robyn is quite the artist and working with her, well, wasn't work. It was a blank canvas to paint together. Robyn and Lance gave me their full trust. As a result, the project became something I was excited to revisit with them each day throughout the entire process. Their trust and dedication to their landscape allowed us to create something truly unique."

Setting the Stage
Robyn and Lance's open-concept home sits nestled deep in the bench of the Wasatch Mountains and opens up to acres of wandering wooded landscape.

Their landscape features putting greens, water features, winding pathways, trees, seating areas, and outdoor art sculptures.

From the beginning, Robyn had a vision. As she explains, it was "always about creating an experience first. With my landscape, it was, how does stepping into this part of the forest make someone feel? I wanted our outdoor lighting to create a moment of magic and delight for anyone who steps into the forest."
Robyn knew Landscape Lighting Pro was who she wanted to work with.

"Other contractors I spoke to were speaking a completely different language - they were providing a service, and that's where it stopped. I knew immediately that Keith got it. I saw a sparkle in his eye, an excitement about what I'd created in our landscape. I sensed he knew how to take something that's already wonderful and make it even more extraordinary with light."

The Process
The lighting installation took about three weeks. Once we knew the vision for their entire property, we divided the sprawling landscape into eight zones and completed them one by one. We wanted to create a smooth, cohesive design where the eye can travel from one point of visual interest to another, with soft light in between.
The lighting had to create intrigue and mystery without complete dark spots that could make it feel scary, like something is lurking in the dark. Creating art with light was what added all the special touches.

Highlighting the Details
Robyn is a talented artist and has created many large art installations that take pride of place throughout the landscape. Strategically placed accent lighting adds delight to the landscape and shows off these unique art pieces.

Robyn's passion for her firefly forest doors was what inspired her "firefly lights" - twinkling lights attached to individual scrub oak branches, fading in and out like a real firefly.

"When I moved out of the West later in life, I saw one for the first time, and they bring me comfort and hope," she recounts. "I have a very special connection with fireflies - my first encounter with them was while living in the south. To me, they seemed magical and left me feeling a sense of wonder and awe. When Keith found out I love them, he worked with my husband to surprise me with twinkling lights in the trees that look just like fireflies. It felt like they were waiting for me, inviting me deeper into the forest. For me, they are the special touch that only Keith could provide. They're so personal and meaningful to me."

Special Landscape Features
"We have a Japanese maple we refer to as our 'Storybook Tree' because it has this wide-spreading canopy with twisted branches," Robyn says. "You can tuck yourself underneath to sit, read, and dream. Hanging copper, Starlighter lanterns with whimsical pinholes let light through. These lanterns are so dreamy: perfectly placed, subtle, and so whimsical."

Lance loves golf so much that his putting green is in the front yard! We added subtle lighting that's still bright enough for him to practice his short game at 2 a.m. if he gets the urge to grab his clubs.

Managing the Illumination
It was important for Robyn and Lance that their entire landscape's lighting could be controlled from the convenience of their smartphones. The path lights, downlights, up lights, and water-featured lights are all operated as independent zones - including dimmer features - to create different moods depending on the situation.

In all, the controls are broken up into eight zones including the front putting green and the firefly lights in pockets throughout the forest. Each zone can be programmed with astronomical functions and dimming abilities. As it gets later in the night the lights will automatically dim down with certain zones shutting off entirely.

Some zones (like those illuminating the putting green) serve as auxiliary lighting that is turned on and off as needed.

Recounting the Results
Outdoor living with magical lighting was exactly what we envisioned when working on the Firefly Forest.

Robyn adds, "Our house itself is amazing, but it's the outside that makes where we live magical. It's where we go to destress and decompress from the world. It's a healing space, and we invite people who need it to come over and be in it whenever they need it. We agree with Maya Angelou: 'People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.' With Keith's help, we have created an extraordinary experience for ourselves and for those who visit."

It's not every day you have a client whose vision and expectations for their outdoor living experience align with yours. Creating a space that enhanced Robyn, Lance, and their guests' experience with their landscape was an honor. For Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah, it was a privilege to be a part of this project.

TEAM LIST
Landscape Lighting Firm - Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah
Lighting Designer - Keith Rosser
Landscape Design/Build Company - Pendleton Design
Architect: Upwall Design