In our first meeting this couple distinguished themselves as not the pink and blue type. He's an ex pilot artist and she's a literary researcher. They wanted a hot, autumn color pallet, something I welcomed.
Both mainly worked from home and used the landscape to take a break from the easel or desk. Formal and informal seating space outside and a place to walk was needed, with secondary colors to pop the primary colors.
They had moved from San Francisco and were getting their 'gardener's sea legs", adjusting to the idea of "the Cape Cod lawn" (pine needles and lichen with a few hostas).
Though set in a pine and oak forest close to the bay, the site was a hot desert by midday, with nothing but a double row of slate paths surrounding the house when we started.
We wrapped the existing patio with dry stone wall and a small wall at the front entrance to define the irregular blue stone paths. We planted hydrangeas and flower beds all around the house, effectively creating a "perimeter garden". These homeowners participated in the Eastham Hydrangea Festival and loved it.