A Heather Garden grows in Northern California

The Parken Heather Garden in Gualala California, Mendocino County

Dick and Joanne Parken had just completed designing and overseeing the construction of their spectacular home on the rugged Mendocino coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean when they started to interview designers for their coastal landscape.

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

While having dinner up the road one evening at St. Orres Inn they asked Eric Black , the designer and builder of the Inn who he might recommend for collaborating with them on the landscape design of their new property.

This is how I came to know Dick and Joanne, and it has been one of the most enjoyable working relationships that I have ever known.

The design of their garden evolved during several personal information gathering meetings where Dick and Joanne expressed their desire to have a colorful textural wildlife friendly garden to view and walk through on their way down to their favorite seal watching and abalone diving cove .


The garden had to coexist with their love of the wild animals who made their home along side of theirs.
Wild turkeys, a wide variety of birds, hawks and owls, deer, gophers and woodchucks were encouraged to enjoy the land along side of them and their adult kids and grandchildren.

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

The garden is growing into its ninth autumn now . Under the watchful stewardship of Joanne and Dick along with the bi- monthly horticultural expertise of their visiting horticulturist, Helen Garcia of Gualala and the hard work done by their dedicated grounds maintenance gardener , Jesus.

Early morning fog

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

A walk through the heathers to the gazebo.

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

Late morning and the fog has burnt off

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

Joanne Parken and Horticulturist Helen Garcia sitting infront of a bronze sea lion sculpture that Dick Parken designed

From Heather Garden in Gualala CA

You've heard of Gaudi, but what about Hundertwasser ?

If you can’t get to Spain to see the architectural and sculptural genius of Antonio Gaudi then keep it local and visit the fantastically amorphous architectural work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser in Napa Valley California.
Wiki link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedensreich_Hundertwasser

Little known in the U.S., Hundertwasser has only one site specific large scale sculptural piece of architecture in the U.S. , and it is located in beautiful Napa Valley at a winery called Quixote.

Link to this fantastic winery : www.quixotewinery.com

As you round the long sinuous driveway the first thing you see is a shiny gold onion dome juxtaposed against yin and yang landscape.

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

In the foreground the welcoming cascade of soft flowing ornamental grasses sweeps you into the garden.
The background is the jagged volcanic red mountain range that engulfs the Napa Valley.
Very yin and yang.

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

From Napa Valley Day Trip

Is this not to die for !?!? !

PS.- I hear the wines are wonderful. I did not partake due to this being a working day at other locations in the valley, but
I encourage you to try the wines and take in the beauty of Quixote Winery when in the Valley.

Raising the bar. Striving for Excellence.

I just finished writing an article for a publication about raising the bar within the industry of landscape design.

The subject matter at hand that has chaffed my arse for years is about so called ‘professionals’ publishing "finished and or completed” garden designs on their website or professional (?) design association websites geared for the practising landscape designer.

Get a grip design “professional”, let the garden grow some bones , clean up the site of nursery pots and hoses and learn the basics of photographic composition.

Raise the bar , will ya ?
If the “before” photograph is not that much different from the “after” photograph, it’s not ready for prime time viewing.
Have some patience, show your work in the best possible light.

I’ll link you to the article once it has ‘matured’ enough for public consumption.


This project shown below is basically done but I wouldn’t dare publish it as a ‘completed project photo’
Tools are still out and nursery containers abound.

From Before and After Projects

Yeah, it’s newly completed but look at the quality of the photo - CRAP - Harsh light doesn’t do anything for the image.
Certainly not portfolio worthy or worthy of a website promoting professional landscape design.

From

A little better . There is some assemblance of growth, composition and the last bit of light falling behind the mountain is highlighting the upper terrace planting.

From Raised Garden Beds

Marin hillside solar pergola, deck and pool

Engineering plans done - check
Submit for Building permits - check
Pool remodel done - check
Intensive Concrete footings done - check.
Ipe deck and copper rails installed - check
Midway inspections - done
Landscaping done - check
Furnishings ordered - check
Pergola installation done - check.

Solar panels installation - next week
Swimming pool Pebble Sheen install - Monday and Tuesday next week
Fill Pool on Wednesday and Thursday.

Final sign off on permit and inspection - next week
Furnishings placed out - next week

First dip in warm pool with liberal rounds of margaritas - within 10 days.

Whooooo Hoooooo !

From Smith Project

From Smith Project

From Smith Project

From Smith Project

And check out that view !
After the solar panels are installed the post tops will be cut down to size.

From Smith Project

Stone Steps deep in the heart of a Redwood Canyon.

A couple years ago we designed and installed a set of stone steps in a deep dense redwood canyon in Marin County.

These redwoods, not too far from Muir Woods , are very dense in this steep front yard and there is always a fair amount of redwood debris falling on the steps, stone side walls and the understory plantings of ferns, rhododendrons and japanese maples.

It would be almost impossible to get a clean looking photo. So this is what you normally see when approaching the steps.

The stone is from the mid west. It was extremely dense and hard to cut but the color was right in regards to the continual staining from the redwood tannins.

We installed a raised overhead sprinkler system due to the steep slope. It is hidden inside that 4x4 just above the copper lighting fixture. When the automatic valve opens, the head pops up out of 4x4 and waters the woodland landscape.

From Hillside development

East Bay Garden Tour 2010 - Part Deux

My apologies with being so remiss in posting part II of the East Bay Garden Tour.
It's been a busy week ( and that is a good thing ! )

The third garden that totally rocked our horticultural socks was the garden of Bob Clark and Raul Zumba.

How's this for an entry door bell ?

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

Lots of wonderful sculpture and inspiring vignettes in amongst the fabulous foliage.

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

A rare restio - Cannomois - I've killed it with kindness + can't bear to part with another $ 50 to kill another. Sigh !

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

If you get tired, there is always a bench somewhere along the path to take a load off.

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

This one is by one of my favorite sculptors, William Wareham

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

Entering into the Paradise of Flora, also known as Marcia Donahue's "Just our stuff Gallery" in Oakland CA
Bowling anyone ?

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

Blue Bamboo

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

Orange spires

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

Ceramic bulbs and acorns for sale - the garden gallery is open every Saturday !

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

The side yard gate

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

One of my all time favorite pieces in Marcia's garden is crafted by her very talented daughter
This sculpture is BIG - It stands at least 12 to 14 tall

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

I had not seen this series of sculpture before. I call them her forest and woodland nymphs.

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

The last garden that I toured was by Keelya Meadows in Albany CA .
If you like a chaotic mix of bright colors and disparate textures all thrown into the blender and poured out across the ground , then this garden is for you.

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour

I found the gate to be extremely visually exciting and loved the detail.

From 2010 East Bay Garden Tour