Straight lines do not occur naturally in the landscape. This is an ongoing challenge for the landscape professional faced with the task of installing and maintaining angular and rectilinear landscape designs. Often these designs are used in maintenance strips and walking paths, but also accentuate contemporary structures and formal gardens. For the landscape professional, this challenge extends beyond the installation and can become a long-term maintenance issue. For the designer and the property owner, the challenge is to select products that achieve the designer’s intent at installation and sustain it over time against damage from power maintenance equipment and the eroding forces of nature.

Often inter-locking pavers are used in these situations because they lend themselves to hard structural edges that can be easily maintained. When properly restrained, pavers provide a beautiful and long-lasting effect. It is when the landscape design introduces new materials that do not naturally create straight lines, that a challenge is created for the landscape contractor. These materials include stone, decomposed aggregate, mulch, asphalt and countless others. These materials are often utilized for natural walking paths, bikeways, drives and maintenance strips, as well as landscape forms.

The more common challenge of straight lines occurs in maintenance areas along buildings, fence lines and parking areas. These landscape features can consume valuable installation time and quickly detract from the overall look of the project if incorrect materials are used.

Using a traditional metal landscape edging that is designed to be flexible, maintaining these lines proves to be a painstaking effort. Permaloc, with its long-standing reputation as being the expert for edging and restraints, has developed and manufactures a product called PermaStrip. This is an aluminum landscape edging specifically designed for straight runs in the landscape. PermaStrip uses an L-shaped design that makes this product incredibly rigid, saving time during installation and insuring long-term performance. PermaStrip allows you to save money on labor, improve the quality and look of the project, and deliver on time, while the facility owner receives a product that will maintain the design intent for years to come.

Unique products like those manufactured by Permaloc can save time, money, and add to the overall quality of the project. When you encounter unique applications, there is often a supplier that manufactures a product specifically designed for that application. Don’t waste time and money trying to make a product work that wasn’t designed for your exact application. Use the internet, trade magazines, your local distributor, or word-of-mouth through your friends and contacts in the industry. Somewhere out there is a company making exactly the right product or tool for exactly what you are doing.

The newly opened National September 11 Memorial is located at the site of the former World Trade Center complex, and occupies approximately half of the 16-acre site. The 9/11 Memorial features two enormous waterfalls and reflecting pools, each about an acre in size, set within the footprints of the original twin towers. The Memorial Plaza is one of the most eco-friendly plazas ever constructed. More than 400 trees are planned for the plaza, surrounding the Memorial’s two massive reflecting pools. Its design conveys a spirit of hope and renewal, and creates a contemplative space separate from the usual sights and sounds of a bustling metropolis.

Swamp white oak trees create a rustling canopy of leaves over the plaza. This grove of trees bring green rebirth in the spring, provide cooling shade in the summer and show seasonal color in fall. A small clearing in the grove, known as the Memorial Glade, designates a space for gatherings and special ceremonies.

The memorial was designed by Michael Arad, a partner at Handel Architects, and Peter Walker of the landscape architecture firm Peter Walker and Partners.

Permaloc was extremely honored to be selected as the landscape edging for the site by Peter Walker and Partners. Our CleanLine aluminum landscape edging product is used throughout the site to separate various areas of the landscape and hardscapes.