When most people think of dramatic landscape revivals, they often involve a dramatic reconstruction of the outdoor space’s hard and soft elements. These bold and expansive projects can involve major transformative elements like new pool installations, the terracing of a sloping hillside, and even the creation of entire new outdoor home extensions.
While many of Torrey Pines Landscape Company’s projects radically alter the look and shape of the landscape, a more subtle approach can sometimes accomplish the same objective. This lighter touch is often preferable for homes that already feature memorable and beautiful indoor and outdoor architecture.
This was the case for one Coronado homeowner whose recent property remodel featured a multilevel complex of tropical resort-style indoor/outdoor spaces. More than satisfied with their home’s hardscaping elements, they needed a landscape planting revamp to extend and complement the existing aesthetic.
The Challenge
The primary purpose of the landscape project would be to highlight the work that went into the remodel rather than crafting an independently impressive space. The Torrey Pines Landscape team would be responsible for helping create the impression that guests had stepped out of California and into an Indonesian retreat.
The recent remodel created several new outdoor spaces that needed a complementary landscape arrangement. The front yard, which features an expansive planter cut with a simple tile walkway leading to a new entry courtyard, the main indoor/outdoor pool area, and a second-story rooftop patio.
Torrey Pines’ Bespoke Solution
With the floral selection set and the layout in place, all that was left to do was put the plan into motion and let the Torrey Pines team work their magic!
The Ground Level: Front Yard And Entryway Courtyard
The two sections of the front yard would be used to initiate the transition from California to the tropics. The outer section leading to the inner courtyard would feature a unique and contemporary semi-arid low water planting composition, while the inner section would utilize more tropical plantings.
The front lawn area was transformed into a more layered garden to give the landscape visual depth.The bottom layer would be occupied by creeping carissa ground cover for a splash of evergreen foliage accented with greyscale boulders and the occasional agave. The middle layer would feature pink muhly grasses, whose delicate red-tinged plumes would provide a cloud of color in the fall and fade to a beige color in the winter. Once these grasses are cut back they leaf out green again in the summer.
A few different varieties of trees would occupy the top layer. The narrow border planter would feature a privacy wall of podocarpus, while the main section would feature a cork oak and accent icee blue podocarpus on either side of the office window.
The statement palms peaking above the inner courtyard wall would give the approaching visitor a hint of what was to come. Entering the courtyard, the guest would be transported from the mediterranean climate of the California coast to the tropics.The plantings in the courtyard are a mix of broadleaf tropicals, including clivia and philodendron, and underplanted with a mass of soft mondo grass.
The Indoor/Outdoor Pool Area
The property’s main outdoor space features an expansive sliding door that connects the kitchen, entertainment space, and living room to a central pool area. The Architect, Bill Bocken designed the home remodel to have an indoor/outdoor oasis feel. The pool area consists of a composite deck, a small play pool with a raised bond beam, water feature and raised planter. We had the pleasure of planting this space with low water tropical plants that bring that oasis feel.
Before
After
Inspired by high-scale Balinese resorts, the planting plan was designed to incorporate moderate to low water tropical plants such as palms, bromeliads, shell ginger and potted bamboo. The Torrey Pines maintenance crew visits this property monthly to ensure the health of the plants and care for the space to insure the design intent.
Potted Plants – Rooftop Patio And Beyond
The home’s top level consisted of a rooftop patio, paved with grey slate tiles and sheltered by a modern-style pergola from the powerful California sun. With space at a premium, the plantings would be limited to ornamental pots.
The pots would continue the modernist aesthetic of the patio. Three standalone pots planted with olive topiary and a line of pots planted with nandina provide a backsplash to the lounge area.
Olive topiary trees were selected for their signature dusty green leaves and delicate branches, and a carpet of blue Senecio was added as an underfill for the individual rooftop pots. For the extended planter, the dainty reddish branches of a nandina hedge would provide a calming backsplash for the lounge.
The slate stone pots would be used in locations throughout the property that didn’t have the space for a dedicated planter. For the side paths on the property leading from the front courtyard, pots would be placed near the fireplace and filled with diminutive bamboo and camellias. Finally, the meditation area nearby would utilize large pots containing dwarf papyrus grasses.
With the home transformed into a veritable portal to the Indonesian tropics, the work of the Torrey Pines Landscape Company crew was complete (at least until the maintenance crew came around!). If you have a property that has recently undergone a significant remodel and needs a landscape to match, Torrey Pines Landscape Company can help. Call today!