Margie Grace - Private Gardens of Santa Barbara: The Art of Outdoor Living

Private Gardens
of Santa Barbara

THE ART OF OUTDOOR LIVING

Margie Grace

Photographs by Holly Lepere

The gardens in this book share a common thread. No matter the project style, size, or budget, these gardens were created in collaboration with clients who were committed to extraordinary results.

With deepest gratitude to our clientsfor their trust, their generosity of spirit, and their commitment to excellence.

I am a garden maker.

The job is an important one. Vital, in fact. Gardens connect us to nature. They offer beauty and inspiration. They sustain the birds and the bees. They sustain us. Done well, gardens send the soul soaring.

We are creatures of nature. As such, we need to connect with nature. Deeply. Daily. To recharge our batteries, to feed our spirit, to inspire our dreams, to breathe in the oxygen exhaled by plants.

Few of us, however, live the life of Thoreau on Walden Pond. We live near our jobs and our schools and sometimes our families. Usually in areas that are far removed from wildland. We get the critical nature fix we need from the gardens we build. Our gardens bring nature to our doorstep and connect us with the larger environment. Great gardens pull us irresistibly into the outdoorsto feel the warmth of the sun on our skin, to hear the birds sing, to lie in the shade with a book, to stop and smell the roses.

Most of us live in cities, suburbs, or villages consisting of both built and natural environments that call forth certain behaviors and emotions. A busy urban center with chaotic traffic, for instance, leaves us feeling stressed out. A serene garden fosters a tranquil feeling. A well-organized office supports productivity. A whimsical space encourages playfulness. A place of beauty makes our heart sing.

To make a truly great garden, one that rocks our world, requires listening keenly to the land and to the people who use the space. The landscapes pictured in these pages range from intimate gardens to large estates and run the gamut from sublime and naturalistic to bold and urban. Styles range from traditional to contemporary, romantic to whimsical, restrained to unapologetically exuberant. What they have in common, however, is what makes them truly great: each is a response to the unique character of the site, the architecture, and the larger environment, adapted to fit the lifestyle, personality, and practical needs of the people who live there.

As you peruse the images in this book, I invite you to take ideas and inspiration for your own garden making.

Avid and accomplishedsailors, these homeowners were immediately smitten by this spectacularbluff-top site with its panoramic ocean, island, and mountain views. The existinghouse was to receive a complete makeover. The landscape, I was informed, was to bemidcentury mid-Pacific. With a couple of photos provided by the owner to guide thevisionone of a calm sea dotted with islands at sunset, another of a Japanesewoodblock print that put me in mind of wavesthe design process was begun. A designthat included movement, a rolling floor plane, a few Asian notes, and somedrought-tolerant, tropical-feel plantingswith lots of amenities for enjoying beingoutdoorsought to do the trick.

The design solutions are natural and repetitive. Landscape moundsevoke dunes, emphasizing the seaside location and hearkening back to the inspirationphotos of waves and islands. Broad concrete pavers are used throughout the garden tocreate different effects: massed together, they provide seating areas; blended withrecycled materials, they form a rich mosaic underfoot; and set as singlebrushstrokes, they lead the eye to the expansive views. A spectacularbiergarten-style bench is suspended over the cliff on I-beams (left behind when anold deck tumbled into the abyss). Sand-filled trays between the beams provide abeach to delight bare toesand to prevent anyone from accidentally slipping overthe edge. Sitting at this table, soaring high above the waves with the wind blowingoff the ocean, takes your breath away. The experience creates an illusion of beingin a swift-sailing boat. This is a magical place to enjoy vibrant sunsets, passinghang gliders, and migrating whales.

Plantings were selected for erosion control, low water demand, highhabitat value, and aesthetics.

A narrow biergarten-style table and bench are suspended over the cliffsedge, providing a birds-eye view of the beach below.

A fieldstone bench does double duty as a retaining wall and as firesideseating. Steel I-beams, remnants of an old deck, were integrated into the patiopaving.

Broad concrete pavers lead to the entertaining area and draw the eye tothe expansive view.

The hot tub is perched on preexisting infrastructure, allowing it to belocated at the cliffs edge without disturbing the highly erodible bluff.

This, my own garden, takesits inspiration from the world-renowned gardens at Lotusland, my neighbor to thenorth. Plantings reminiscent of San Ysidro Ranchs cottage gardens and favorite bitsof gardens Ive built for others are sprinkled in as well. It is a low-water-demand,low-maintenance, fire-smart garden designed to provide comfortable outdoor livingday and night, 365 days a year.