The Monte Vista garden celebrates the geomorphic condition of the neighboring San Jacinto Mountains and the landscape and ecology of Tahquitz Canyon. The garden is an abstraction of the fractured rocks that make up the range and the shadows created by the canopies of the palm groves that dot the region.

Bringing the language of the rock faces down into the site as if they had fallen from the mountains, the fractured shards are a recurring motif in this Palm Springs garden that unite the architecture and the landscape. The acute-angled, mirrorlike pool and spa reflect the surrounding palms, the mountains, the sky as abstractions, reflections, refractions that would otherwise go unnoticed. The courtyard is inspired by the palm oasis at the nearby Tahquitz Canyon with its verticality and serenity. This desert garden uses low-water native and adapted plant material, carrying the character of an existing smoke bush throughout the garden.

Boulders collected across the site created a unique opportunity to buffer the home and incorporate screening plants in shades of grey and silver that form a silver cloud immersing the new architecture. Planting includes a diverse collection of trees adapted to the Palm Springs climate, including multiple species of acacias. The garden is grounded by the iconic native desert fan palm, Washingtonia filifera, a direct connection to Palm Springs region.

Location: Palm Springs, CA

Status: Completed 2023

Project Type: Residential

Collaborators: Mark Daniels Architects

Photography: Tom Story