FARMLAND SCAPING

A large property in California becomes a personalized garden escape, complete with seven different outdoor rooms, each with a unique purpose and style.

A large property in California becomes a personalized garden escape, complete with seven different outdoor rooms that each has a unique purpose and style.

When you have a large property, it can be tricky to figure out what to do with all that landscaping. But some people have that magic garden touch. That’s the case for landscape designer and principal at Grace Design Associates, Margie Grace and her partner Dawn Close, who magically transform plots of land into gardens teeming with life.

One such garden is called Sycamore Canyon, located in Montecito, California, right across the street from the famous Lotusland garden. It’s particularly special because it’s Margie’s own home garden that she designed and built with their team. “I see the garden as my own personal laboratory,” she says. “I can experiment there at will.” Originally, the landscape was a lifeless asphalt tundra in the front and a flat plane of dead lawn in the back. Under Margie’s touch, it has become a blossoming nature retreat with distinct gardens that have a little whimsy and a lot of personality. It’s just the place to enjoy fall, with seven cozy spots to share conversations and cider.

" I see the garden

as my own personal laboratory. I can experiment there at will.”

A placid pond is in the sightline from the house and sits in an area accented with a purple-leaf Japanese maple and cascading Ceanothus “Centennial,” which offers a profusion of blue blooms during winter. Margie placed the pond here because it’s outside the critical root zone of the existing trees, which also means less debris will fall into it. “The pond is near good perching branches so birds are able to access the water and we can enjoy the visiting birds,” Margie says.

A MATCH FOR NATURE

When it came to planning the garden, Margie had to consider the arsenal in Mother Nature’s armory.

“In California, we have extensive periods of drought interrupted by usually brief, intense rain,” she says.

She worked to ensure that the garden would require minimal watering while still looking lush and that rain wouldn’t flood it. Unknown to her when she purchased the property, there were severe drainage issues, and the backyard would turn into Class IV rapids when it rained. By using grading and terracing, Margie was able to ensure that the rainwater could properly run off. She also selected plants with low water demand but high habitat value.

GARDEN ROOMS

For the design, Margie thinks “in terms of how I want to use the garden. From there, I create various garden ‘rooms’ to support what I want to do, such as dining, chilling with friends and hanging out around the fire.”

In homage to the public botanical garden nearby, landscape designer and homeowner Margie Grace calls this garden “Lotusland South.” It’s the first garden you see when you arrive, and it brings you to the entry door. Originally, it was a long circular driveway with an island of overgrown rat-sheltering junipers in the middle. It also shed runoff rainwater into the foundation of the house. Margie terraced the area to fix the drainage problem and bring in topsoil, as the original soil had been overlain by asphalt for decades. Through her love and expertise, she was able to revitalize the bleak area.

(left) The terrain is gorgeous with its glorious trees and parklike vibe, so Margie wanted to emphasis it from the house, letting anyone inside feel like they’re in nature. “We replaced the original sliding glass doors in the dining room with 12-foot wide bifold doors,” she says. “My intent was to erase the line between indoors and out.”

(right) The fire pit is the spot where Margie and her guests head after dinner. “It’s a place to keep the party going,” she says. And, during the colder fall nights, it’s an ideal spot to ward off the chill while enjoying after-dinner drinks and dessert. Margie uses fire pits in her designs because they are a wonderful way to extend the enjoyment of a garden into the night.