Wine Country Landscaping Ideas
Immersive landscapes are a hallmark of the wine country experience, whether that means bringing to life classic aesthetics of Tuscany with Lavender and Olive trees, Wedding oriented designs with white roses and large lawns, or a complete divergence from tradition with contemporary desertscapes. The fact is, without a compelling outdoor space, your winery or wine country home is missing a key component that completes the lifestyle in wine country.
Our portfolio includes a range of design and installation work for prestigious wineries, large residential estates, and more compact bungalows and get-away vacation homes. We pride ourselves on unique ideas for our clients that blend tradition with forward thinking approaches, all in-line with our core regenerative and sustainable approach. To elevate your winery experience and truly capture the essence of Healdsburg, consider partnering with us for Winery Landscape Design in Healdsburg. Our expertise can transform your property into a stunning destination vineyard.
Regenerative and Sustainable Practices in a Landscape
First and foremost, it’s important that your landscape be a part of the broader ecosystem it exists within, and encourages pollination, beneficial insects, and low impact practices. Not only is this the best way to create a vibrant landscape while being an ethical steward of the land, but it’s a newly ingrained part of the culture that visitors and residents alike expect from wine country. Gone are the days where spraying pesticides at random is acceptable, the culture has shifted and if you’re a winery owner or estate manager, you understand how visitors are curious how your winery is conducting itself in an ecologically responsible manner. When planning your landscape, it’s paramount that you consider how each aesthetic choice impacts your ability to uphold regenerative and sustainable principles so that you aren’t left in the past or viewed as making unethical choices. Beyond that, it’s simply the right thing to do and leads to a rewarding experience tending to a diverse and lively landscape.
Link the Sensory Experience of Wine with the Sensory Experience of the Landscape
Whenever we partner with winery estates, we dive into the wines they are making the flavors their winemakers bring out in their creations. Whether you’re specializing in Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Zinfandel, or other varietals, there will always be a personality to the wine that the wine maker is using the tell a story about the terroir they farm with, and often the seasonal foods that are paired with their wines. Incorporating these elements into the landscape is a wonderful way to bring amplified awareness to the winemaker’s intent, this could be adding dark fruit such as plum, blackberry, or cherries into the landscape, or perhaps even citrus and apple. References to the flavor palette found in the wine being reflected in the landscape is an immersive addition to a visitor’s involvement with the wine.
Additionally, the colors of the wine are a quintessential characteristic that sets each wine apart, as it sits in your glass and catches the light, everyone at the table is captivated by its shades and movement in the glass. Through discussions with winery estate managers and winemakers we develop plant pallets that can reference the colors found in the glasses they serve to visitors. Perhaps this involves pale yellow blooms to reference Chardonnay, or light pink to balance the Rosé. Regardless of the selections, linking the visual characteristics of the wine to the plants that paint the background of the tasting experience creates a profound subconscious connection with the land and winery itself.
The Importance of Outside the Box Ideas for Winery Landscapes
More and more we are approached by wineries discussing how their clientele is shifting in demographic, especially in regards to age. Napa and Sonoma county wine country was largely inspired by European traditions, so many older estates in this region mimicked the styles of Spain and France by using mass amounts of Olives, rosemary, lavender, or expanses of ornamental grasses. Undoubtedly, the results are beautiful, however they are found in abundance, making many wineries feel just like the last and in a visitor’s memory they blend together in an unremarkable fashion. As a result we find ourselves having many discussions with estate managers about how to breathe a new flavor into their landscape, one that catches the visitor’s attention and drives them to tell stories to their friends about the strikingly unique experience.
Utilizing Desert Themes to Buck the Norm
This could mean a complete departure from tradition and creating hyper-contemporary desertscapes that utilize the abstract architecture of plants such as Yucca, Dasylirion, or Fouqeria to make bold statements in form. When granted more space between plantings, their compelling form is highlighted against the open landscape, adding inorganic features such as placement boulders, basalt columns, or statues enhances the dramatic effect. A desert garden doesn’t mean a garden without blooms or color, Aloes bring orange in the spring, Echium wildpretii is a showstopper with massive red flower columns, Calandrinia floats delicate pink blooms above it foliage, and even Yucca and Agave will push out heartstopping blooms on spires that reach 10-20 or more feet into the air. One major benefit of desertscapes is they have some of the lowest water use and maintenance needs of any other plant palette. Additionally they blend well with many other aesthetics, you don’t have to dive completely into the deep end, often just a few thoughtfully statement plants significantly elevate the personality of a landscape.
Create Magic by Inviting Pollinators, Birds, and Butterflies
Imagine, as you’re sitting on a patio with the warm Sonoma County afternoon sun on your skin, and your ears are touched by bird song and the fluttering wings of hummingbirds sipping nectar from the flowers. A butterfly lands nearby and joins you, basking in the sunlight and unfolding its wings. You take a sip from your glass and can literally taste the flavors of the garden reflecting back at you. Who could resist such a paradise? Unfortunately an old-world style landscape with expansive lawns and olive trees will have none of this, however in contrast, a thoughtful regenerative pollinator garden will bring all this magic to life and more. A truly compelling landscape is more than just beautiful plants, it’s bringing an entire ecosystem to life that draws one out of the role of observer and into conversation with the magic of life around them, and the beauty of being in the country drinking fabulous wine at a beautiful estate. Truly a tale they will tell all of their friends about, and a place they will return for many years to come.
Unlock the magic of your winery landscape. Schedule your FREE Inspired Landscapes consultation today: (707) 395-7474
