Yard of the Week: Exuberant Gardens and Wine Country Living
Designers add edible gardens, a pool, an outdoor kitchen and living roofs to a property with views of the Sonoma hills
Once a raw, open field, the property surrounding this new home in Northern California wine country is now an exuberant landscape full of edible gardens, with views to vineyards and the hills of Sonoma. Landscape architects Danielle Davila and Brett McPherson artfully approached the blank canvas with the goal of connecting the architecture of the house to the immediate landscape and its agricultural surroundings.
“This homeowner was really fun. She liked an eclectic approach to design and wanted lots of edible gardens,” Davila says. The designers found creative ways to incorporate a wide range of edible plants, such as with a linear fruit orchard along the driveway, mounds of herbs in the front yard, and, in the back, colorful orange metal hoops that support kiwi and raspberry vines, along with Cor-Ten steel trellises supporting hops. Closer to the house, the landscape is refined, containing a patio, pool and kitchen plus dining and lounging spaces. Moving away from the house, the landscape becomes more rustic and connected to the expansive views beyond the property.
“This homeowner was really fun. She liked an eclectic approach to design and wanted lots of edible gardens,” Davila says. The designers found creative ways to incorporate a wide range of edible plants, such as with a linear fruit orchard along the driveway, mounds of herbs in the front yard, and, in the back, colorful orange metal hoops that support kiwi and raspberry vines, along with Cor-Ten steel trellises supporting hops. Closer to the house, the landscape is refined, containing a patio, pool and kitchen plus dining and lounging spaces. Moving away from the house, the landscape becomes more rustic and connected to the expansive views beyond the property.
This laser-cut gate made of Cor-Ten steel is at the end of the driveway, flanked by two board-formed-concrete columns. The steel will patinate over time, lending a rustic look.
“Our goal was to connect this modern house to the landscape,” McPherson says. One way the team accomplished this was by using gabion walls. These types of walls, which are wire cages filled with rocks, probably have been made most famous in the region by Herzog & de Meuron’s iconic Dominus Winery in nearby Napa.
The local Syar stone connects to the natural landscape, while the grid pattern of the wire ties into the modern architecture of the house.
“Our goal was to connect this modern house to the landscape,” McPherson says. One way the team accomplished this was by using gabion walls. These types of walls, which are wire cages filled with rocks, probably have been made most famous in the region by Herzog & de Meuron’s iconic Dominus Winery in nearby Napa.
The local Syar stone connects to the natural landscape, while the grid pattern of the wire ties into the modern architecture of the house.
Along the front of the house, a grid of mounded herb plants includes lavender and santolina. The patch of sod and another one out of view to the right help reduce solar gain and allow water through to recharge underground.
Throughout the design, the designers used plants that require as little water as possible. One exception: the areas beneath rain chains hanging off the house, where the team planted rain gardens. “There’s a little bit of contrast in the plantings here, because there is more water here,” Davila says. These include rushes, seen in the foreground of this photo.
10 Gardens That Capture and Drain Water With Style
10 Gardens That Capture and Drain Water With Style
Behind the house toward the back of the property, the design goes from refined and tied to the architecture to rustic and linked to the agricultural landscape beyond the property lines. Clipped sod continues past the pool until it transitions to a meadow-like look. It is a no-mow grass mix.
Browse outdoor umbrellas in the Houzz Shop
Browse outdoor umbrellas in the Houzz Shop
Stone-look tiles continue from the interior onto this patio directly off the back of the house. On the left side, a fire pit lounge lines up with a turf-based sun lounge. Two small wood decks provide a base for the lounge chairs and umbrellas.
The designers took inspiration from the agricultural surroundings by designing a wood-framed fence with gridded hog wire. The fencing also connects the architecture of the house to the landscape and keeps the views of the vineyards and hills open.
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The designers took inspiration from the agricultural surroundings by designing a wood-framed fence with gridded hog wire. The fencing also connects the architecture of the house to the landscape and keeps the views of the vineyards and hills open.
Shop for a fire pit
Next to the fire pit is another seating area, and to the far right is a custom outdoor kitchen. It includes grills, a fridge, storage cabinets and a sink. The countertops are poured concrete, and the base is wood. An extra-large umbrella provides shade to the outdoor kitchen.
A grid of large concrete pads on the turf provides a transition between the patio and the pool.
A grid of large concrete pads on the turf provides a transition between the patio and the pool.
“The orange hoops were a fun idea we had, and our client was open to pops of color. She loved it,” Davila says. “She wanted some art in the garden.” With kiwi and raspberry vines being trained to cover them, the hoops provide a unique tunnel-like walking experience through the landscape and frame the views of the Sonoma hills beyond. “It provides a whimsical feeling as you walk through the garden,” Davila says. Uplights make it a magical experience at night. Planting beds surrounding the crushed-gravel paths hold edibles including artichokes, herbs and berries.
Bright clumps of marigolds on the left pick up on the color of the hoops. “These not only attract pollinators but also good bugs that eat some of the bad bugs,” McPherson says. They also pop against the long line of Carolina laurelcherry (Prunus caroliniana, USDA zones 8 to 10; find your zone). This row of evergreens creates a large screen at the edge of the property. The landscape architects added in more of these trees to fill in the row.
They also enclosed this garden with more Syar stone gabion walls. Again, the linear lines of the cages connect to the architecture of the home, while the rocks inside connect to the natural landscape.
What to Know About Adding or Renovating an Edible Garden
Bright clumps of marigolds on the left pick up on the color of the hoops. “These not only attract pollinators but also good bugs that eat some of the bad bugs,” McPherson says. They also pop against the long line of Carolina laurelcherry (Prunus caroliniana, USDA zones 8 to 10; find your zone). This row of evergreens creates a large screen at the edge of the property. The landscape architects added in more of these trees to fill in the row.
They also enclosed this garden with more Syar stone gabion walls. Again, the linear lines of the cages connect to the architecture of the home, while the rocks inside connect to the natural landscape.
What to Know About Adding or Renovating an Edible Garden
This crushed-gravel area has two olive trees (Olea europaea ‘Manzanillo’, zones 8 to 11) that provide sculptural forms. It will be a casual seating lounge once the homeowner finds the right furniture. “These trees were grown in an orchard, and we were able to select the exact trees we wanted and orient them in the exact way we wanted,” McPherson says. “In just a few years, they will provide large canopies.”
“Hops were one of our client’s must-haves,” Davila says. Three lines of Cor-Ten steel trellises with wire strung between them support the hops. Much like with the orange hoops, the walk between the trellises is a unique experience. The use of these different vines in the yard ties the space to the greater region’s vineyards.
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“Hops were one of our client’s must-haves,” Davila says. Three lines of Cor-Ten steel trellises with wire strung between them support the hops. Much like with the orange hoops, the walk between the trellises is a unique experience. The use of these different vines in the yard ties the space to the greater region’s vineyards.
More on Houzz
Read more landscape stories
Browse more landscape photos
Hire a swimming pool contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman who loves edible gardens
Location: Sonoma, California
Size: 1.3 acres (0.5 hectares)
Landscape architects: Brett McPherson and Danielle Davila of The Land Collaborative
Architect: John Swain
General contractor: Floyd Construction
This drone shot provides an overall view of the property. The edge of the backyard is at the bottom of the photo. On the left side of the backyard are rows of Cor-Ten steel trellises that support hops, and on the right are orange metal hoops that train raspberry and kiwi vines. More edible gardens fill in the spaces around these zones.
Toward the top of the photo is the guesthouse, separated by a motor court. The lot is flag-shaped, and the driveway serves as the flagpole portion, extending past this photo’s frame to the right. It is long and lined with a variety of fruit trees. The architect determined the locations of the house and guesthouse, and Davila and McPherson joined the project early on in the design process.
They considered water conservation throughout the property, and the house has a living roof, which the architect coordinated with Rana Creek Living Architecture. “The same company created the green roof at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. You choose the mix of plants you want, and they arrive in flats,” McPherson says. An irrigation-and-fertilization system ensures that the roof plants thrive.
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