Sage Outdoor Designs » landscape design

On a recent visit to Ponte Vineyards in Temecula, California, I was impressed by the restraint used in designing the garden spaces. The palette is minimalist: white flowers, emerald green foliage and a plant list with very little variety. The effect is graceful and elegant, probably very easy to maintain, and a joy to walk through.

Here are the plants I spotted in their minimalist palette: box hedges, white iceberg roses and white flower carpet roses, privet hedges, Italian Cypress, variegated and solid colored Pittosporum tobira, Chinese Elm, Sycamore, White Birch, and (of course) grape vines.

While you are there, make sure to stay for lunch. They have a large outdoor restaurant that is sure to satisfy your foodie leanings.  The fresh chive dip that comes with focaccia bread for dipping is heavenly!

Late spring in San Diego is the season for garden tours. If you have never participated in any of the numerous local events, this might be a great time to start. Satisfy your voyeurism, get inspired! They are a great way to connect with the local gardening community, and, of course, to spy on what your neighbors are doing.

One tour in particular reached out to me, the Loma Portal Home and Garden Tour on May 14. It benefits Loma Portal Elementary School’s Music Program and will include eight to ten homes and gardens in the Loma Portal neighborhood. Tickets are online at www.lomaportalelementary.com

Here is list of a few more garden tours in and around San Diego this spring, care of Sunset Magazine:

April 23, Point Loma, Annual Point Loma Garden Walk
April 23, Balboa Park, San Diego.  Annual Rare Fruit Plant Sale sponsored by the San Diego Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers.  More info on their website.
April 30, Encinitas, Encinitas Garden Festival & Tour
May 7, San Diego, Annual Garden Walk of the Mission Hills Garden Club.
June 18, Old House Fair in South Park (thank you Ben for the reminder)

It is definitely spring in Liberty Station this week! If you haven’t spent any time there, it is worth a visit. The converted Naval Training Center is now a lovely little shopping district, medium density housing, and plenty of park land and walking trails.  This is one of the trails burgeoning with iceplant blossoms. After your walk, make sure to stop in to Tender Greens for an amazing meal and a glass of wine on their patio. It’ll make for a very relaxing Sunday afternoon, or at least, it did for me.

Today’s garden is one that I’m just not too certain how I feel about. It is the Inovo/Ecosmart Garden featured in the Auckland Flower show by landscape designer Caroline Wesseling.

There are a lot of things I like about it, mainly the clean meditative aesthetic. I love the fire features (These are by Ecosmart and if you haven’t been to their website you are missing out!) It is by far the most creative garden show entry I have come across recently. I think the use of metal grating as the walkways is very interesting, and permeable. And, I like the contrast between the riotous plant material and the minimalist shapes of the hardscape.

And then of course it makes me wonder- would I want a bathroom outdoors? As someone who does quite a lot of camping, I have to say I might have enough of that in my life already. But that bathtub does look awfully comfortable…

I have noticed a funny trend amongst my clients: people have basic shapes that they are very attracted to, even when it comes to plants. The top winner? Definitely the circle.

Plants with an almost mathematical geometry look amazing in masses or rows, and have a very contemporary aesthetic. I think these barrel cacti (Echincactus grusonii) are a perfect example. They are also stunning as an individual statement alone or in a pot.

Here are a few more circles worth looking at: