Stone + Flora series: Sustainability By now most of us have heard or read about sustainability perhaps hundreds of times. But ask yourself or another person what sustainability means and a concise response will be unlikely. We generally know what it means but we have difficulty articulating it. My distilled definition is that sustainability is the core of ecological balance based on our use and re-use of natural resources. Our current and future existence is dependent on the stability and health of our natural environment. Sustainability is the continuation of natural systems without ..read more

Design Takes Time Each design firm in the green industry has the opportunity to operate in a way that makes their landscape design process unique. We’re always interested to hear from those who’ve done business with a landscape designer. It allows the opportunity to reflect on our process and provides a conduit for change. Rather than take you through the entire design process, we thought we’d illustrate some of our responsibilities in photos of recent projects. Every day, we’re reminded that designing landscapes involves more than drawing pretty pictures in a studio. Allow us to highlight som ..read more

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Ecological Landscape Alliance – 26th Annual Eco-Marketplace Earlier this month, Zachary Berger Associates had the opportunity to sit in on several lectures at the Ecological Landscape Alliance’s annual gathering. The show featured some of the most forward leaning thinkers in the green industry. As the UVM Place Program states: An ecological landscape consists of a mosaic of natural communities – associations of plants and animals and their related processes and interactions. Considering this, how does a designer go about achieving an eco-friendly landscape? Generally speaking, a designer’s ..read more

ZBA becomes Lamoille Valley’s only Certified Erosion Control Specialist Last week, design associate Ronny Stelly completed the Vermont Natural Shore Land Erosion Control course. This course allows us to design with key principles for shore land protection, with a focus on best management practices for development. Professionals who complete the course are trained to provide lake-friendly shore land management solutions. Group Presentations at the VT DEC Natural Shoreland Erosion Control course Background A focus on reducing erosion in the landscape is a fairly new agenda item for the Vermont ..read more

Bluestone and granite patio with native granite fieldstone fire pit – Zachary Berger AssociatesHot Tubs, Fire Pits + Patios: Sensible Investments for the Northeast Garden It’s been said that New Englanders have a knack for being practical. The fact that hot tubs, fire pits + patios are the most popular New England landscape trends may prove this point. These design requests are directly tied to the challenging environments that we inhabit here in the Northeast. We should first point out that our definition of a “sensible investment” may not be everyone elses! Prior to making the leap to instal ..read more

Larry Weaner headlines VNLA Summer Trade Show Fairfax, Vermont This year’s VNLA Summer Trade show was held at Fairfax Perennial Farm. Owners Hannah and Dana Decker were kind enough to host this event at their nursery operation in Fairfax, Vermont. The drive along Brick Church Road with its open fields provided plenty of foreshadowing into the day’s topic of meadow design. As you can see in the photo to the right, this was a highly anticipated event. The VNLA meetings hardly disappoint and always seem to include speakers who are great educators. Another sunny summer day in Vermont set a more ..read more

Designed patio and sitting area in Stowe, Vermont Vermont – Spring 2019 Entering our 10th year of designing Vermont landscapes and our 6th year of focus in the Lamoille Valley, we’ve continued to invest in the local press in search of new clients. Often, it takes several showings before your brand can be recognized and remain on the minds of the public audience. Our steadfast marketing approach seems to finally be paying off . Stowe Reporter Recent ad spot in Burlington Area Newspaper Group Cultivating relationships has helped us get the best customer service from ad agencies. When the Stowe R ..read more

Spring’s Early Arrival – Champlain Valley Expo Right about the time of year when Vermonters have had enough Winter, that’s when the Vermont Flower Show comes to the rescue. This year, we attended our very first exhibit and joined the army of volunteers who are largely responsible for this highly successful event. Just how successful is the Vermont Flower Show? The Vermont Chamber of Commerce calls it a top 10 event for Winter. Suffice to say, we were highly curious to see what all the fuss was about. Upon arriving, I just couldn’t believe the sheer scale of this event. Annually held inside the ..read more

Ichi-Go Ichi-E by Daniel Winterbottom Green Works: Formula for Success Sometimes you just have to keep going with what got you there. This year’s VNLA Green Works Winter Meeting very much played on that ideology. From the way business was conducted over the past year to how the awards program was scheduled, VNLA has certainly stuck to the script. Keynnote Speaker: Daniel Winterbottom 2019 VNLA Greenworks Winter Meeting Moreover, Green Works Winter meetings can best be summarized by having a keynote speaker, awards ceremony and lectures. (and yes, more tacos) This may seem a bit boring to endur ..read more