BEATRICE, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For many families, summer is the best time of year to enjoy backyard life. Whether it’s grilling on the patio, games on the lawn or time spent at the lake, now is the time to make the most of outdoor living with family and friends.
Professional landscape designer, Jane Waldrop, has been helping clients design and build their own dream yards for more than 30 years.
“The elements that make up a dream yard are as unique as the homeowners themselves,” Waldrop said. “Each project reflects the owners’ personalities and how they chose to live life outdoors.”
As host of the Exmark Original Series, Dream Yards, Waldrop visits dream yards across the southeast United States to profile the owners and see how each has created their own unique outdoor living space.
In a new episode, Waldrop travels 20 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama, to the town of Trusswood, to tour the McSweeney family’s beautiful lakeside property. Situated on the point of a local lake, the property offers stunning views and the tranquility that comes from being surrounded by water.
Waldrop said it didn’t take long to understand the features and amenities that drew the McSweeney family to the property.
“We saw this point and decided it’d be a great place to build the house,” Rod McSweeney said. “We have so many things we like to do in the outdoors. Our kids like to canoe. We’re avid fishermen and we have a water dog, so he loves to swim.”
McSweeney said the property is the perfect place for his family to have seclusion.
“We can sit on the back porch in our pajamas in the morning and have coffee, and really have a unique and isolated place that we just love so much,” he said.
The ability to incorporate existing natural resources into the design and function of the McSweeney’s outdoor living space was a huge bonus in helping to create a unique, user-friendly dream yard.
“When we first looked at this lot, we really liked the big limestone seam that runs down the left side of the property,” McSweeney said. “It lent itself to a lot of neat landscaping. The butterfly bushes we have are just a really great environment for them, and the backyard is so large that we can have our dogs run all over the place and have a great time without being so confined.”
McSweeney confessed that he and his wife are landscape fanatics, so they love all the different flowers and plants, many of which are perennials to reduce maintenance needs. He also works with a landscape maintenance contractor to help his family make their backyard dreams reality.
“If you notice, the landscaping is really nice and well kept,” McSweeney said. “Quality Creative Landscaping is our landscaping team, and they use Exmark mowers exclusively. So, we’re really proud of that group and how they’ve taken care of the place. The lawn’s always perfectly mowed.”
Visit Exmark.com/Backyard to watch the entire Dream Yards episode, along with tips to help you create the yard of your dreams.
About Exmark
Exmark Manufacturing was incorporated in May 1982 as an independent manufacturer of professional turf care equipment. Today, it is the leading manufacturer of commercial mowers and equipment for the landscape professional. Exmark mowers are trusted 2-to-1 over the next best-selling brand of zero-turn mowers by landscape professionals. In addition to designing, building and marketing quality turf care equipment, Exmark’s goal is total customer satisfaction. All Exmark products are designed to help customers increase productivity while delivering unmatched quality. Products are sold to distributors and dealers who share the company’s commitment to customer service and quality products. Learn more at Exmark.com.
About Backyard Life
With a focus on giving home and acreage owners tips and know-how to make the most of their outdoor experience and live more life outdoors, Backyard Life is a unique one-of-a-kind multimedia destination. Content focuses on lawn-and-garden, outdoor cooking and living, and rural lifestyles. Learn more at Exmark.com/Backyard.