A long road to completion

One woman’s dream becomes a reality despite a tight budget

By Gail Park

The Times, Jan 29, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Gail Park / Times Newspapers

Rylan Phillips puts on the finishing touches to the native Oregon rock wall. Brian Phillips covers the wall to protect the new concrete from getting wet.

Susan Fergus and Russell Pinching are eager to see how their garden will look this year. The grass is green and buds are sprouting on their new bushes. This spring will be the first time they can fully enjoy their new front yard. Their granddaughter has already enjoyed sledding down its gentle slope.

For months Fergus envisioned her front yard looking different.

She imagined it more welcoming. She pictured lovely plants and flowers. Tired of the juniper that encompassed her entire front yard the retired Beaverton School District teacher took action.

“Our neighbors have commented on how pleased they are with our finished yard,” says Pinching, Fergus’ “significant other.” “One neighbor said, ‘I’ve lived here 40 years, and I’m glad to see that eyesore gone’.”

Fergus hired a team to remove the sea of prickly growth that had hidden her Raleighwood home. The wild growth devoured a stairway that leads from the street to the house. The huge bed of juniper did nothing for the home’s appearance. Only the roof peered over the top of the heap of green. The overgrown foliage blocked a territorial view and swallowed up their granddaughter’s play space.

“Some homeowners who have been in their home for a long time have the desire to change their landscape but don’t know what they want or how to go about it,” says Hillsdale landscape contractor Rylan Phillips. “Winter is the right time for them to search for their vision and involve a contractor who can help spark some excitement. It’s a collaborative effort.”

“The beautiful yard is the result of hours of conversation with Rylan,” says Pinching. “It’s Susan’s vision in tandem with Rylan.”

Over the course of a year Fergus’ vision blossomed. Sections of the juniper began to disappear in the summer of 2007. Early planning and choosing a specific time for each phase helped keep down expenses.

“We kept within our budget except for an extra $200 to customize the sprinkler system,” says Fergus.

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