Landscaping in Indiana Township

Indiana Township sits next to Fox Chapel and shares much of its character — large, wooded, private properties set well back from the road.

Deer pressure here is about as strong as it gets in Allegheny County. Planting that would be unremarkable elsewhere becomes a feeding station, so species selection is deliberate from the first drawing and anything vulnerable is protected through the years it takes to establish.

Canopy is the other constant. Shade decides where turf is realistic, root competition decides how beds are prepared, and the mature specimens themselves are usually the best thing on the property to design around.

Because houses sit well back, lighting here does a different job than it does on a suburban lot. It is as much about getting people from the car to the door as it is about how the place looks from the street.