Forest Path
We started with an overgrown garden entry that was in need of replacement throughout. This is a beautiful, large property with the house set back from the street along a winding driveway. We wanted to retain the privacy of the entry while making it feel open and inviting, eventually developing an open room surrounded by native plantings. The result is a sense of mystery and surprise for homeowners and guests alike as they approach the front door.
We started by creating a grassy staircase set into the berm along the side of the road, where guests often park. The steps blend into the hillside visually while adding easy access to a gravel path that leads through the yard and to the door. Along the way, the path curves away from the house and leads guests through the front garden, where they are enclosed by plantings and trees before reaching the large open paver patio near the front door. A secret path leads from this patio across the front of the house and to the side yard gate. In future phases, the pathways will be surrounded by banks of wildflowers, which will eventually create a low maintenance and water-friendly meadow in the front yard, and native perennials and shrubs will provide habitat for local pollinators.
