I had Danna Breen come over to advise me on what to do with the landscape. Donna is an avid landscape designer and also wonderfully opinionated about design and architecture.
She is great, and we had a good discussion about the potential of my lot. She was also impressed with the works of Tom Kundig: I showed her the book and talked about some of my hopes about the remodel.
Here is her immediate "verdict" about what needs to be done. The highlights are:
- Get rid of the fence in the front and the deck in the back. Use plants to screen
- Make the east side near the house into an orchard; to become the only netted/fenced part of the property
- soften the level difference from the house level to the meadow
- Remove unnecessary, ailing, or foreign trees, incl. the redwoods that have been topped off and those that are ailing. the eucalyptus, etc.
- Reestablish native grasses etc. in meadow
Here is her "Works list" (the numbers refer to the image file below):
1. Entry (from street) . Remove all exotics at street (Oleander, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, Loquat) and allow natives to grow up. I would also remove the vinca and in the fall add plugs of native grasses. We can also add a few Toyon and Manzanita in strategic places.
2. Driveway left and right. Same approach really. Remove exotics and add natives at the "outer" ends of the bed: Large Manzanita Dr. Hurd or Mt. Hood and Fremontodendron and closer to edge of drive use Sages, Zauscheneria Mattole hybrid, Arctostaphylos Emerald Carpet, some succulents, Phlomis, Mimulus, maybe some grasses. The list can go on and on here in terms of what could be successful in these beds, but it all depends on maintenance.
3. To the left of the driveway up above.: Cut down Toyon to base and they will come roaring back. Both sides of the driveway offer opportunities to add clusters of large boulders, because the property feels a little meadow and a little sandstone/outcroppy in there front...as I mentioned I think the place has enormous diversity. So I would create a gravel terrace up here with strategically planted screen plants so that you can eventually the artificial front fence.
4 "Orchard "area. Love the concept...we only started to talk interesting materials at the end of our meeting, but I'd love to see your architect work through steel fencing and steel/glass walls to separate the MBR area from the rest of the program.
5 Onto the terrace spaces outside the living areas.The right materials are the answer here. I defer to your architect as well.
5a. [Rickety deck] Remove deck
5b. [levels, access to meadow] I would like to see the grade repaired between the upper and lower levels so they have a better, but distinct relationship. I think you may need some fill to accomplish this. I would also soften the linear ridge which separates the upper and lower areas.
5c. [Upper redwood grove] Spend the next few weeks really studying the redwoods and which ones should come out. I think the two to the left looking out the living room [LR in current configuration] because they have had their integrity destroyed. The others you need to think about. A purist would remove them all. I am close to that, but there is an interesting ambiance created by the trees and they are in a geologic spring area as is evidenced by the Carex grasses down in the redwood meadow.
5d [Property line towards the Corleys, the neighbor to the East]. Clean out along Corley PL. This fall I would add Cercis occidentalis, Arctostaphylos Dr. Hurd and Rhus ovata...maybe Sambucus for habitat and add these to the downhill neighbor screening plan ...to "beef" up some of the screening, so that you no longer see Alpine or Los Trancos. Soften the linear feel of planting along the property line by pulling some of the plantings into the property.
5e [Lower meadow, redwood grove] Cut down Eucalyptus and struggling redwoods [i.e, two of the redwoods in the lower grove] down below.
5f. [Bottom, property line towards PV garage] This fall add 6 5 gal. Myrica californica at PV garage end of property. Consider asking them irrigate them for two years on a temporary drip system to hide their floodlights or of course ask them to turn them off.
5g The property uphill from you [the Armstrongs, to the west] has some redwoods which will impact your view soon. Think about that. I love the good neighbor thing and I really emphasize it, but I also know when a property has been devalued by hundreds of thousands of dollars when trees obstruct the views.
6. Top of meadow grade. Cut down Photina and remove yucca palms.
