a fragrant garden hidden within an existing hedge
...transforming what was an entry driveway into a mediterranean garden...
...with bright-flowering succulents and several species of lavender: french, english, spanish...
...and a new entry gate, walkways, and planting
minimalist planting for kodo and kensho ryokan in downtown la with each specimen tree carefully selected for its particular character / in collaboration with zak cook / spatial design and photos by gry space
minimalist planting for kodo and kensho ryokan in downtown la with each specimen tree carefully selected for its particular character / in collaboration with zak cook / spatial design and photos by gry space
minimalist planting for kodo and kensho ryokan in downtown la with each specimen tree carefully selected for its particular character / in collaboration with zak cook / spatial design and photos by gry space
we removed the sloping front lawn on a shady street in pasadena and replaced it with new hardscape, low retaining walls, steps...
...creating a front seating area with two lemon trees...
...surrounded by lavenders and sages
a small side yard becomes an intricate landscape inspired by japanese temple garden, blending moss, ferns, abutilon, kashmir cypress, japanese maple and grevillea...
...among existing loquat, persimmon, and lemon trees, transitioning from deep shade to bright sun
california poppies floating amongst native grasses, buckwheat, and agaves
we removed the front lawn at a house in the sunny san fernando valley and replaced it with a colorful garden of succulents, natives, herbs, and fruit trees, feeding pollinators and humans
the path linking the fruit trees for a meditative garden walk
a pollinator-friendly garden in the back yard bordered by the existing fruit trees
native flowering buckwheat, sage, red yucca and succulents bordering the sidewalk
a new entry path with native and drought-tolerant plantings
grasses catching light and succulents creating shadows
pink muhly in a native and drought-tolerant meadow / the colors will shift through the seasons as each species blooms in turn
new hardscape, pergola, and planting for a family's new home
new entry stair, gate, and planting for a house with a tight front lot line
desert-inspired xeriscaping with a dry stream bed to replace a front lawn
sculptural agaves and soft perennials with a new front entry path
blue fescue, artemisia, and blue chalksticks
an empty hillside transformed into areas for lounging, dining, and play
new built-in seating, fire pit, rock fountain, and planting throughout
a mix of natives and drought-tolerant plants for an office building
a pool-side planting of lush flowers and edibles: roses, lavender, oregano, artichoke, among others
schematic design for a new outdoor pavilion, fire pit, hardscape, and planting throughout
schematic design for a new outdoor pavilion, fire pit, hardscape, and planting throughout
a custom design for a gate with a modern take on the pattern of the existing railings around the house
new courtyard entry and hardscape, fountain, planting, and lighting
new courtyard entry and hardscape, fountain, planting, and lighting
new dining area surrounded by the beginning of a pollinator garden
studying how the sun and shadows change through the year in a design for a new pergola
new potted plants and furnishings for a Spanish-style house
Landscape for me is influenced by the light in LA (golden, material) and the ideal of indoor/outdoor living championed by the immigrant Modernists.
The house as a frame through which to view the garden and the garden as the home for the house.
The garden is a place to engage the senses: the crunch of gravel signifying arrival, the fragrance of flower and foliage, the sun-warmed rocks and the night bloomers, the plucking of fruit from the tree.
My gardens are inhabited by natives, edibles, plants adapted to the Mediterranean climate, humans, and hopefully, birds and bees of all kinds.
"No report had prepared her for its peculiar glory. It was neither warrior, nor lover, nor god … It was a comrade, bending over the house, strength and adventure in its roots, but in its utmost fingers tenderness, and the girth, that a dozen men could not have spanned, became in the end evanescent, till pale bud clusters seemed to float in the air. It was a comrade. House and tree transcended any similes of sex. Margaret thought of them now, and was to think of them through many a windy night and London day, but to compare either to man, to woman, always dwarfed the vision. Yet they kept within limits of the human. Their message was not of eternity, but of hope on this side of the grave. As she stood in the one, gazing at the other, truer relationship gleamed."
E. M. Forster, Howard's End
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
Cicero