Before & After: Slaying the Beast to Discover the Beauty

When a 20-year-old landscape became an overgrown, under-used eyesore, a local Sammamish couple called me in to help. The challenges were not insignificant.

The Challenges

BEFORE: An overgrown cedar tree dominated the garden, an existing flagstone pathway looked messy, the grass was wet and weedy and the raised beds no longer needed.

• A cute little deodar cedar, originally planted for privacy, had all but swallowed the garden. It was a beast!
• The raised beds for growing vegetables were no longer needed
• The existing lawn was seasonally very wet resulting in more buttercups than grass
• The design had to be approved by the homeowner association (HOA)
• Removal of the cedar would need City planning permission
• The installation of a privacy screen to replace the conifer would need approval by both the City and the HOA

The Wish List

The garden needed a complete re-think to better suit today's needs of the homeowners. Look how far into the garden that cedar extends!

• Lower maintenance since the couple are primarily only here between May and fall
• A small area of lawn for grandchildren (although I assured them they would probably prefer digging for worms!)
• Bold, vibrant colors
• Attract birds and pollinators
• Privacy from neighbors

Inspiration

A beautiful glass light fixture and candle holders suggested the color scheme

Ideas for the garden design often come from the homes interior. In this case, while chatting at the kitchen table and assessing how this view desperately needed to be improved, I spotted these Glass Baby candle holders and Murano light fixture. There was my color scheme – citrus shades! We agreed to supplement this with some blue/purple tones for contrast.

It was also clear that the homeowners appreciated glass art – which gave me another idea for a stunning focal point that could be enjoyed from this window.

Solving the Privacy Problem

With the tree removed the garden already felt lighter – but we needed to hide that house

It was clear that the huge cedar obscured the neighbors – but it dominated the view from the home and had become a dark, somewhat foreboding monster. My idea was to build a custom triptych screen and front that with a glass sculpture.

Negotiations with the HOA took some time as we went back and forth discussing property lines, allowable height, setbacks and whether this was a fence or a trellis. Eventually we agreed on a design!

The new screen offers sufficient privacy, while the stunning glass sculpture is a year-round focal point enjoyed from all vantage points in the garden and from inside the home. It also looks beautiful uplit at night.

The variegated dogwood and Golden Spirit smoke bush will eventually obscure much of the screen but for now create a pleasing backdrop for the glass art. I worked with the homeowners to select the perfect container (love the texture of this glossy black pot) and glass artist Jesse Kelly to create a custom glass sculpture. Jess typically uses all cool or all hot tones, but I asked him for this color blend specifically to echo the colors of the flowers and foliage in the new landscape.

The color repetition between the glass art and plantings is really highlighted in this photo. Love it!

Re-thinking the lawn & pathways

Having solved the privacy issue, the next challenge was to think about 'traffic flow' or how the homeowners and guests would move through the space. Form has to follow function so I designed wide gravel paths to access both side gates. To take these from utilitarian to artistic, I inset bluestone slabs to draw the eye off the deck and towards a stone bench at the far end of the garden, thereby adding a diagonal view point and destination – a reason to walk out into the garden.

A stone bench and dish rock invite the homeowners to the far corner of the garden and to look back at their beautiful garden.

Ultimately the homeowners decided to go with regular 5/8" minus gravel rather than the decorative pebble I had specified. Far from spoiling the design I think their choice keeps the focus nicely on the plants and sculpture.

Looking back from the stone bench this is now the view. A small circular lawn in the sunniest area of the garden reads as a destination

I've designed gardens with large lawns, no lawns and everything in between. In this project I decided to use a small area of lawn as a design element, a quiet space adjacent to the existing covered patio. It's just enough to spread out a picnic blanket.

Plant Selection

Plants were chosen for their ease of maintenance and proven record of disease resistance. Colors and plants were repeated throughout. In the shady areas it was important to add sparkle with yellows and chartreuse, but many of the shrubs and perennials exhibit fall color also.

Before & After Highlights

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My preferred contractors, Berg's Landscaping completed this installation June 2023

Final Words

What the homeowners said:

Karen transformed our back garden into a vibrant, lush, and colorful space that invites us outside to explore and feels like living in our very own park.