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The landscape surrounds the designed dry creek bed that functions as an arroyo during big rain events on the mountains. Using the modern architectural lines from the house I created a pathway that invoked meandering but used linear crusher fine pathways and simple rectangular concrete steps. Placing siloam stone boulders throughout the dry creekbed anchored the house into the mountainside.  

Planting in the high mountains and valleys of Salida can be challenging.  Every home site has its own special climate due to elevation, mountain aspect, soil type and water availability.  The plant palette was selected specifically for seasonal beauty, nativeness, ability to adapt to the climate, encouraging bird and insect populations, deer resistance, and low water requirements.  All plants are on an automated drip irrigation system that can be phased out over the maturation of the garden and varying yearly water requirements.  Along the edge of the construction disturbance zone we spread a native high elevation wildflower and grass seed mix to blend back into the native landscape.  This native seed was lightly irrigated to become established before allowing mother nature to keep it alive. 

The plant design scheme was to use whimsical plant textures with various shades of sages and dark greens backdropped against the clean horizontal lines from the home, the monotonous pinion forest and heavy anchoring boulders. 

Plant Key

Trees:

Serviceberry, Autumn Brilliance

Aspen

Shrubs:

Panchito Manzanita

Desert Sagebrush

Silver Buffaloberry 

Three Leaf Sumac

Blue Leaf Rabbitbrush

Potentilla

Fernbush

Mugo Pine, Big Tuna

Perennials:

New Mexico Sunflower

Russian Sage

Echinacea 

Yarrow

Yucca

Grasses:

Blue Oat Grass

Maiden Grass

WHAT

RESIDENCE

WHERE

SALIDA CO

WHEN

March 2014