Three C's Landscaping has been an industry-leading design-build and maintenance firm in the Detroit area since 1972. It specializes in residential landscape architecture, custom masonry, ornamental ironwork, horticulture and plant health care, lighting, irrigation, and maintenance of properties throughout Michigan. Its core market is Grosse Pointes, a collection of five historic towns situated on the shores of Lake St. Claire, near Detroit's East Side, that feature hundreds of historic homes and estates from the Roaring 1920s.

Photos: George Dzaristos

 

Estate Grounds Facelift, Detroit, Mich.
The homeowners, who had recently purchased this historic Tudor mansion built in Detroit in the 1920s, decided a renovation of the property was in order. All the exterior garden walls and piers were torn down and rebuilt using the existing wall stones, blended with hand-selected new stones when there wasn't enough reusable material. All of the bluestone patios and walkways were uplifted, bases repaired and bluestone reset in the original unique pattern. New wrought iron gates and limestone balustrades complement the historic architecture of the home.

Auto Court Upgrade, Detroit, Mich.
The timeless appeal of brick in a simple herringbone pattern offers an elegant entrance to this century-old English Tudor home. The homeowner desired an auto court entrance grand enough for several cars to park, but carefully woven into the fabric of the estate's historic brick garden walls and classic mature evergreen plantings. A blend of brick colors was created to match the house brick, and the resulting driveway and auto court seamlessly marries the house with its surroundings.

Project 3: Detroit, Mich.
This simple and elegant terrace space, though relatively small, provides a quiet and relaxing space to enjoy a meal outside with friends and family. Soft bluestone hues complement the architectural details on the home, and a simple plant palette featuring shades of green and contrasting leaf textures help set the melancholy tone. Flowers from the cool side of the color wheel enhance the dark areas of the planting without being overpowering. The homeowner's choice of furniture perfectly sets the focus of the scene.

Project 4: Detroit, Mich.
This particular homeowner created a new bluestone pool deck and copingstone around the existing pool, in order to complement the warm brick tones and eclectic nature of this 1920's-era estate. The resulting bluestone pool deck and coping is a combination of ashlar pattern and irregular bluestone. Complimentary Pennsylvania fieldstone outcroppings create a small waterfall into the pool that features a favorite sculpture from the homeowner's private collection. Custom fitting and bull-nosing each piece demanded a great deal of handwork. In the front auto court, a brick planter featuring a limestone urn anchors the center point of granite-block inlaid pavers and curbing, expertly constructed with minimal damage to the extensive root system of a majestic, centuries-old beech tree.