Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85697
portfolio Secret Garden BY LAUREN HEARTSILL DOWDLE Making the unusable unforgettable LANDSCAPING: St. John Landscapes, Berkeley, California B PROJECT: Private residence, Oakland, California ecause of a steep slope rendering this backyard almost inaccessible, Patricia St. John, APLD, St. John Landscapes, designed three retaining walls 2 to 3 feet high to terrace the landscape. She used Napa Basalt dry stack walls, which allow water to fl ow through to prevent pressure, and Connecticut Blue Full Range paver steps through the garden. The path leads to a terrace with raised beds containing a veg- etable garden and benches for the clients to relax and look out on the San Francisco Bay. The deck, benches and storage boxes are made from Trex (woodland brown), which is produced from recycled plastic and wood fi ber. To achieve a wide range of foliage colors, texture and cultural compatibility, St. John used plants such as Loropetalum chinense 'Burgundy'(Purple Leaf Chinese Fringe Flower), Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'(Golden Breath of Heaven), Lavandula 'Provence,' Arctostaphylos 'John Dourley'(Manzanita), Cistus 'Sunset' (Rockrose), Luma apiculata, Rosmarinus offi cinalis 'Tuscan Blue'and the wonder- ful groundcover Rubus pentalobus (Groundcover Bramble). She also placed fruit trees already owned by the clients in the garden. To create a screen and distraction from the neighboring backyard, her crew in- stalled birdhouses and butterfl y houses on 12-foot lodge poles with fast-growing shrubs in between. 68 TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE / March 2012 To have your proj- ect featured, send high-resolution photos, a descrip- tion of the project and the name of your business to LaurenHeartsill@ randallreilly.com.