Downtown Healdsburg’s charm is multi-faceted and no doubt the collection of well preserved Victorian architecture is part of the treasure. We take great pleasure in working with clients who seek to preserve the local history, while also being forward thinking and willing to take risks. The before photo tells the whole story, a very oddly laid out front lawn and massive old Southern Magnolias overshadowed the charm of this stunning house.
During the design process our vision was to create gardens that complimented the existing home, while also speaking to modern landscape design and plant choices as sustainable wine country culture moves away from lawns and formal layouts in favor of naturalistic low water use and low maintenance plantings. With this in mind we referenced tradition with strategically placed Iceberg tree roses to frame the entry and speak to the white trim of the house, lined the path with Moonshine Yarrow to play of the pale yellow exterior paint, and leaned into a Tuscan-Sonoma plant palette including Lavender and Calamagrostis grasses.
Rather than rely on flowers to create color, we opted for intriguing foliar combinations for a more consistent year round aesthetic, a gesture towards more traditionally formal English gardens. Loropetalum ground cover adds deep purple, Copromsa ‘Evening Glow’ as the front hedge has a similar feeling to an English Boxwood, yet with a bold multicolor foliar display as if in perpetual sunset. In our trademark style we included a few outlier statement plants including Leucadendron ‘Winter Red’ and ‘Safari Sunset’ two natives of South Africa that have nearly zero maintenance and thrive in dry conditions and exhibit remarkable starburst-like hues of color across their foliage from base of the plant to branch tip.
