ROSEVILLE RETREAT

Texture, contrast and careful detailing lend sense of place to a newly built home.

Gardens have to be considered over time, as plants inevitably take time to grow. Some spaces have mature trees or borrowed views to ground the experience. As this backyard was a completely stripped bed of clay with no view, we worked to add a sense of gravity through structural elements that the plants will fill in around with time.

A redwood timber pergola in front of a rich blue retaining wall provide a sense of enclosure to an outdoor living area. A rich palette of mostly California natives will further ‘tuck’ things in.

The pergola is designed to provide shade to specific areas at times of day when they’re most likely to be used while keeping as much space open as possible to frame views of the sky and birds overhead.

The plant palette balances the desire for a lush oasis with the very real need for low-water, heat and clay soil tolerant species.