posts by Pete Cadieux

Below are blog posts by Pete Cadieux. Not what you're looking for? Use the site navigation to learn more about a Blade of Grass and our landscaping services.

This Duxbury landscape pairs a stone pool terrace with layered coastal planting while preserving open water views.

Coastal Landscaping in Massachusetts: Designing for Salt, Wind, and Sandy Soil

Massachusetts coastal properties offer remarkable opportunities for landscape design. Salt, wind, soil, and shoreline conditions shape how we approach planting, outdoor living, construction, and long-term care.

Grass, Clover, or Both? Finding the Right Balance

Clover can be a useful addition to a Massachusetts lawn, but replacing grass involves more than choosing a different seed. Here’s how to weigh appearance, everyday use, seasonal performance, and long-term care.

Acton, MA - A stone retaining wall leans outward, indicating movement and possible structural failure.

Acton, MA – Our Retaining Wall Is Starting to Lean. How Worried Should I Be?

A leaning stone wall can signal drainage, soil pressure, or foundation trouble. See how our masonry expert approached the problem at this Acton property.

A flowering dogwood stretches across the garden in a cloud of crisp white blooms, bringing graceful structure and a luminous spring accent.

Three Ornamental Trees That Bring Four-Season Interest to Boston Landscapes

Ornamental trees can solve a surprising number of landscape challenges, from adding curb appeal and seasonal bloom to creating structure, shade, privacy, and winter interest. Explore three distinctive trees that bring lasting beauty and four-season value to Boston-area gardens.

A gently curving stone path leads through layered garden plantings, showing how circulation can feel natural while still giving the landscape clear structure.

Why Reclaimed Stone Works So Well in Boston-Area Landscapes

Reclaimed stone brings age, texture, durability, and New England character to residential landscapes. Learn why Boston-area homeowners use reclaimed stone for walls, steps, paths, patios, and garden details that feel established from the start.

A drone captures a bird’s-eye view of the property, helping landscape designers study circulation, scale, grading, and the relationship between built and planted spaces.

Droning On: Getting Started with Landscape Aerial Photography

As landscape architects and designers, a view from above is one of the only ways that we can see the finished landscape from the same perspective that we’re designing it, from a top-down plan view.

Viburnum glows with clusters of red berries and richly changing foliage, adding layered color and texture to the fall garden.

Design Ideas: Best Fall Plants for New England Gardens

Autumn is truly when New England shines. So many quintessential pieces of the area’s identity come out in fall: apple picking, the Patriots, and of course the amazing foliage transformations. But changing leaves aren’t the only source of color in the fall garden. Here are a few of my favorite ways to brighten the landscape in autumn.

Three ornamental shrubs combine contrasting foliage, form, and seasonal interest to bring structure and variety to the garden.

Design Ideas: Three Flowering Shrubs for Garden Structure

There are countless shrubs to choose from, with more being developed yearly by plant breeders. It’s tempting to fall for the newest or shiniest variety, but it’s wise to build the structure of your garden with tried and true performers. For me, there are three flowering shrubs that stand out amongst the landscape, as it were.

posts by Pete Cadieux

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