The design establishes a few guiding principles that resonated with the owner, who had recently moved from a home with extensive, almost formal gardens into this neighborhood of faculty housing and somewhat smaller lots: the garden would have to be layered, seasonal, colored and colorful, graphic and low-maintenance. The design anticipated a mature version of trees that have yet to grow in, ultimately more geometric than the existing scenery.

The dark, low-slung house and angled, new studio building are set in front of a grove of redwoods in the backyard and a tall Deodar Cedar in front, which gave the landscape a deep green framework against which to create a lush, pink theme.

A line of Carpinus trees along the driveway will eventually be trimmed into a sharply rectangular aerial hedge. In the front yard, low water plants showcase seasonal color and provide habitat for birds and bees, including a delicate Smoke Tree. A field of Pink Muhly grasses flush pink in the summer months providing flowers and habitat for bees. Informal hedges of Pineapple Guava shrubs are planted in the front and side yards; they provide pollen for bees and other insect pollinators, while providing fruit for birds. Pink gravel is understated yet contributes to the layered effect.

In the rear yard, sculptural euphorbia cactus and Prickly Pears define a series of dry gardens.  A central Jacaranda tree, whose feathery, dramatic purple blooms contrast with the succulents highlight the area and also provide habitat for a range of insects and birds. 

The property’s corner, at the street intersection and quite visible to everyone passing by, is planted with a Pineapple Guava hedge, a focal Desert Willow tree that blooms in the spring with light pink flowers.

Location: Stanford, CA

Status: Completed 2021

Project Type: Residential

Collaborators: Jensen Architects, Johanna Grawunder

Photography: Marion Brenner, Matthew Millman