Outdoor Atmospheres
by Katie Thomas
The solstice, an event in which a planet’s poles are most extremely inclined toward or away from the star it orbits, is the longest day of the year. Or the shortest. In the summertime, the solstice occurs in June in the earth’s northern hemisphere, giving us the longest day of the year and the shortest night. For Geoff Hammond, owner of Solstice Landscaping in Bozeman, all summer days are long – long but rewarding.
Since founding Solstice Landscaping in 2002, Hammond has built one of southwest Montana’s most creative and innovative full-service landscaping companies. Offering landscape design, outdoor living space design and installation (hardscaping), and garden maintenance, Solstice Landscaping provides their services to high-end residential and commercial sites in Gallatin, Park, and Madison Counties with an eye toward sustainability, style, and function. Solstice specializes in the installation and maintenance of outdoor living spaces, and their award-winning canvasses of live art can be seen in Bozeman, Big Sky, and other locations throughout the region.
Hammond moved to Bozeman in 1997 to attend Montana State University, where he graduated with a degree in English literature. “I was landscaping in the summers, and I found a real passion for the work,” says Hammond. “Instead of continuing my education after graduating, I decided to take a break from academics by getting my hands dirty working on my own. And it was that decision, lots of hard work, and a committed staff that has led Solstice to become the company it is today.”
When asked about the name Solstice, Hammond explains, “Our business is very intertwined with the seasonality of things, the rhythms of the growth cycle. The solstice determines all that, so the name encompasses our connection to the land and the seasons.” He and his wife, Grace, who is Solstice’s Co-owner and Finance and Administration Manager, have grown Solstice Landscaping over the past 22 years and counting.
“Errol really brings things from the initial client contact through the entire project. He meets the clients onsite, figures out what their vision is, and is able to craft a design and put it on paper. Then he actually implements it out in the field and makes it real.”
–Geoff Hammond, Owner, Solstice Landscaping
As far as a typical project for Solstice today, Errol Schumann, Solstice’s Operations Manager and a lead landscape designer, says, “Each one is very unique. One we completed this past fall has a trout pond, an awesome bluestone patio, a gas firepit, and reflects views of Lone Peak. Sometimes you can see trout jumping in the foreground.” Schumann has been in the landscaping profession since 1996 and earned a B.S. in Landscape Architecture in 2004 from Colorado State University. He moved to Bozeman in 2008, where he worked for a few other design-build and landscape companies before joining Solstice in 2014. He now works with clients one-on-one to develop a landscape that meets the clients’ needs and desires. Throughout the process, he takes into consideration the natural surrounding landscape and the architecture.
From an initial introduction to the finishing close out of a project, Errol is the main point of contact with new clients. In most cases, he meets with clients onsite, determines a vision for their property in the form of a detailed landscape design and then passes it on to the team to make it real.
In particular, Schumann’s enthusiasm for his work can be seen in Solstice’s outdoor living spaces. These often involve the design and installation of paver or flagstone patios, block and stone retaining walls, boulder placement, fire pits, outdoor fireplaces and kitchens, stone staircases, pots and planters, and bridges and paths. “One of the things I really like about several of our outdoor living area projects is the edible garden spaces,” says Schumann. “I have customers who work in their gardens and cook nearby in their outdoor kitchens, and it’s part of their lifestyle.” There may be lights, greenhouses, horseshoe pits, veggie enclosures, bocce ball courts, hot tubs, and wildlife-proof gardens. “The outdoor living spaces are the most exciting for us to design and for our team to build,” explains Schumann, “because our customers actually use the spaces. These create a venue for connection with friends and family, or solitude, or growing food – whatever speaks to you.”
“The outdoor living spaces are the most exciting for us to design and for our team to build, because our customers actually use the spaces. These create a venue for connection with friends and family, or solitude, or growing food – whatever speaks to you.”
–Errol Schumann, Operations Manager, Solstice Landscaping
Both Hammond and Schumann place a premium on making the most of a home’s natural surroundings, in order to link their clients and their properties to the land. “We definitely want that home to blend in with and complement the land around it,” Hammond says. “Our goal is that the landscaping dovetails from the home into the natural setting. We don’t want it to clash with its environment.”
One of the ways Solstice achieves this outcome is by using native plants, such as quaking aspen, spruce, perennials, and wildflower seeding, as well as locally sourced soil, stone, mulches, seed, metal art, and other elements. “We try to use native, drought-tolerant, wildlife-resistant plant material as much as possible,” says Schumann. “My favorite perennial is Pearly Everlasting; it’s one you see a lot when you’re hiking around the hills here. It thrives in gardens and critters leave it alone. Same with terracotta yarrow, moonshine yarrow, and biokovo geraniums.”
Those perennials aren’t going to plant themselves, and Solstice relies on a talented team of year-round and seasonal professionals to get the jobs done. Alongside Errol, four foremen who serve as primary project managers meet with clients, provide estimates and contracts, line up workers, source materials and labor, and handle invoicing once a project is complete. Solstice also employs a dedicated garden service manager, two additional foremen, and an annual seasonal staff of up to 45 workers.
“Our team is the life blood of what we do. They’re the wheels that make this thing go,” Hammond says. Solstice attracts a lot of well-trained return staff, with over a century of combined experience, who are able to meet the demands of their dynamic schedule and deadlines. “We take pride in having a really good work force who values what we do,” adds Schumann. “We get a lot of compliments on our team—how hard they work and how great they are to be around.”
“Our team is the life blood of what we do. They’re the wheels that make this thing go,” Hammond says. Solstice attracts a lot of well-trained return staff, with over a century of combined experience, who are able to meet the demands of their dynamic schedule and deadlines. “We take pride in having a really good work force who values what we do,” adds Schumann. “We get a lot of compliments on our team—how hard they work and how great they
are to be around.”
“The biggest part of my job is communication, whether it’s with owners of properties, with foremen or crew members, with vendors and mechanics, you name it. I think the biggest key to success is clear communication.”
–Errol Schumann, Operations Manager, Solstice Landscaping
Once a project is complete, clients are encouraged to make use of Solstice’s maintenance program. Services include fertilization, pruning, spring clean-up, weed control, mulch refresh, sprinkler service, flowerpots, annual planter design, and more. As any Montana homeowner can attest, the biggest obstacles to keeping up landscaping include a short growing season, extreme climate, and plant predators. “Up in the higher elevations, you have to install some very stout wildlife fencing around trees to keep the moose and elk away,” Hammond allows. “Down here in the valley, it can be voles doing damage to shrubs, eating the bark off the bases of trees and shrubs. Luckily, we’re just arid enough where insects and pests aren’t much of an issue.”
Melding together the client’s vision, the environment, and architecture is at the heart and soul of what Solstice Landscaping does. To that end, Schumann says, “The biggest part of my job is communication, whether it’s with owners of properties, with foremen or crew members, with vendors and mechanics, you name it. I think the biggest key to success is clear communication.” Adds Hammond, “We hold a high standard for quality, from the install phase to completion, and we like to make sure that when we finish a project, we’re departing as friends with our clients. Most importantly, we like to make these properties shine, because we’re very passionate about making sure our clients continue to enjoy their thriving landscaping for years to come.”
