Location: Portland, OR
Size: 2000 SF


A garden made for friends.


We took an ax to this muddy yard, defined our needs, and built a vision together. The essentials: a firepit, an oversized vegetable garden, a hammock under the redwoods, and a patio for lazy summer dinner parties.


The strong linear patio, softened by groundcovers, provides a needed contrast to the gnarled fruit trees. Concrete pavers frame and zigzag around a bioswale filled with specimen plants. Descending into the garden, decomposed granite paths wind around berms of grasses and ferns, encouraging a slow stroll through changing vignettes. An expansive vegetable bed provides structure to balance this meandering composition.


With a wire mesh fence punctuated by architectural cedar posts, the vacant lot next door became an asset. Sprawling green brambles serve as a backdrop for ornamentals growing through the fence - softening the transition between order and chaos.