Our goal is to design a retreat that reflects your personality, your life and your home
Traditioanlly, arbors and pergolas are the structures you can walk under (think grape arbor), and trellises are for holding up a vine (and climbing up to reach the second story window). But they are also used to frame a view, to screen the neighbors, to lead you to a destination. Gates, arbors, trellises and fencing are used in the landscape as art or to make a statement about a garden theme or to invoke a feeling. We have placed arbors in our designs for grapes, but just don't happen to have any photos of them; all you'd see is grape leaves.
An artist's rendition of our Trellis Screen
Christine designs these amazing metal screens.
Cedar screen is low, offsetting the rock garden in this asian influenced, low maintenance front yard. Plants behind it will enhance the landscape.
Cedar gate with cattails carved out hides the compost area. Randy Wooley of Cedarscapes designed and built the gate.
This pergola separates the driveway from the entryway, frames the front door and guides people to the front door. An artist created copper ivy to "grow" up the posts.
The metal gate is reflecting the limbs of the Rhododendron (yes, that's an old Rhododendron trunk).
The metal gate moved with Carolyn from a stucco house to a mid century house. The gate works in both places, but the metal structure (based on Japanese tori design) helps it fit into the era of the house.
Shade trellis offers shade as well as some privacy from a two story looming house beyond.
The new entry pergola gives a new front seating area some dimension, strength and shade.
Christine designed this to give the front of the house a little pop. She was going to have a plant grow up it, but decided the art work stood on it's own
What's this for? It doesn't offer shade or cover but the bottom of the hill needed more than a flat patio. The structure calls to be seen, to be a destination. In England it might be called a folly
It's not a trellis, pergola or arbor but a totally functional patio cover with double wall polycarbonate as the roof. It allows sunlight through without the harmful sun rays.
A structure can be used to indicate a change in the landscape. In this case it separates the working garden from the ornamental garden.
The cedar screen keeps soaking tub disrobers from possible neighbor views.
A decorative gate clues the viewer to a garden theme or feeling. The Chinese symbol is tranquility.
Relaxing pond, yellow hued blooms, flagstone and pavers all come together
J's house I. Seat wall and water feature in narrow backyard
J's house II. Covered flagstone patio. Cover is constructed from double wall polycarbonate (green house glass) to let light in but keep harmful sun rays out
Gregg House 1. Wind through the natural paths
Gregg House 2. Stucco wall with water fountain. The wall starts at six feet high and tapers down to two feet. Adds some privacy.
Gregg House III. Seat wall, flagstone patio
Gregg house IV. Shade garden with seat wall, cedar fence and gate. Hydrangea, Chamaecyparis, Astilbe, Thalictrum
Gregg House V. Just around the corner is a very small Sunny area
Hillside House I. Patio structure
Hillside House II. Retaining wall steps, large boulders
Backyard Arbor separates the ornamental garden from the vegetable garden
River House Before
River House Phase I After. Flagstone, seatwall, masonry retaining wall
River House Phase II Before
River House Phase II After
Country House Before
Country House After I. Flagstone path to front entry
Country House After II. Keeping the old wood stump gives the bed some character.
Country House After III. Drought tolerant blooms all summer long. (A touch of Oehme and Van Sweden)
Country House IV. Fire pit tucked into the landscape. Boulders for sitting and flagstone patio.
Shade Arbor is the in between visual step from tall house to flagstone patio.
Paver Patio with Fire Pit
My client wanted her yard to remind her of the mediterranean. She already had a few palms and Italian Cypress. Most of the grass is removed and a more formal look is created with paths lined with lavander.
Adding retaining walls created some drama and interest. There's a seat wall at the top of the stairs and a path to travel from end of the yard to the other.
Adding retaining walls made the space look bigger. The floor textures create movement, with the use of lawn, pavers, river rock and crushed gravel in lesser travelled paths
Natural Style Fire Pit
Off the Shelf Fire Pit
Concrete block Fire Pit
Courtyard trellis gives sense of privacy and an added touch to the front of the house.
Before. Right in the front yard, this brand new house was confronted with the county-placed retaining blocks half way through construction.
After. Here's the lemonade we designed to help ease the pain of the giant blocks.
Front yard entry into the landscape lets the viewer know there must be something good beyond the gate.
New modern house. Planters match the siding that wraps around the bottom of the house. Plants are drought tolerant.
Before, suburban house
After I, Suburban house. Drought tolerant, no lawn. Carolyn was helping during installation when a neighbor drove by and rolled down her window. "What are you doing?" she asked, "Everyone else here has grass."
After II, suburban house. Gate gives a hint of what's within
Mid Century Before
Mid Century After I
Mid Century After II
Vancouver Before. The shrubs cover up the house, the entry is buried.
Vancouver After I.
Vancouver After II. Stone walls define a sitting area and entry is set off by an entry pergola
Vancouver Entry III. Front yard sitting area with flagstone, masonry walls and water feature.
Vancouver Entry IV. Stepping stones over the pond
Portland Before. The walkway was really narrow, the white birch were diseased and the narrow porch was hemmed in by the white railing.
Portland After, Phase I. Railing and trees were removed. A wider, more modern walkway was installed.
Portland After II. A pondless water feature is added.
Portland After Phase II. The plants are filling in after the first year.
Snazzy metal trellis jazzes up the front porch
Before Brick House
Brick House After, Phase I
Brick House After Phase I
Brick House After Phase II
Pergola Entry I
Pergola Entry II
Pergola Entry III
Front entry gains a modern clean look. Christine's art trellis gives the pathway view a stopping point and screens out the neighbors house.
Newish House Before
Newish House After. She was tired of lawn and wanted an update
Creating an Asian influenced entry with hardscape and plantings
Walls in the landscape are primarily used to retain earth, but there are also seat walls, dividers and privacy screens.
Masonry wall. Each stone was cut to fit
Ledgestone was perfect for the short retaining wall
Dimensional Stone placed on CMU block
Seatwall with flagstone wrap
Stucco seatwall
Stucco water wall, from 6' tall running down to 2' tall
Water features can be open ponds or pondless, with water underground. They all offer the refreshing sound of water which can help mask neighborhood sounds or help keep conversations private. Pondless water features can be less maintenance but lack the reflection effect.
Pondless waterfall
Wall Fountain
Open Pond
Pondless with Boulder Basin
Pondless water feature
Pool with water fountains
Open pond with stepping stones
Raised steel bed becomes a bench, a water feature and a focal point from the kitchen window.
Raised steel bed holds a spherical water feature, some on-site boulders, moss "borrowed" from the front walkway and evergreen grass.
Roof top Before
Roof Top After I
Rooftop After II. Fire Pit, Japanese soaking tub, composite decking, covered patio area.
Playground and adult seating
Playground II
Hillside steps