The new architecture provides many new vantage points to contemplate the garden and we have created distinct views from the breakfast, the family room, and the gazebo. We were inspired by the regal stand of redwoods on the site that encloses the garden in privacy and provides dappled light throughout. We selected green and red maples as well as dogwoods to complement the colors of the redwoods, and accommodated for the horticultural qualities by choosing shade-lovers such as hydrangeas, hellebores, astilbe, and ferns to create a luscious understory.

 

Collaborating with stone masons, we created handsome dry-stack retaining walls. We blended warm ledge stone and lichen-covered moss rock in some places for visual variety while in other places we let the elegant stonework act as the focal point.

 

In sunnier areas, we dappled the garden with our client's favorite roses and cutting perennials. Seating in the gazebo provides a view of a small fountain and the edible garden. Raised beds of edible plantings provide nourishment for family gatherings.The renovation of the garden created new outdoor spaces for planting and family gatherings. After this project's completion, the clients held their daughter's wedding in the garden.

 

Photography by Treve Johnson and Lee Ann White.