Renovation Style — Fall 2005

LANDSCAPE DESIGNER JOHN LONG DOESN'T MINCE WORDS. "It was a pit," he says of the Marin City, California, property he bought in 1997. "The house was torn to shreds and there were no plants — just a rolling knoll of weeds."

Yet John knew he'd stumbled upon an undervalued gem. The land was located in a community just seeing gentrification. There was a half-acre to work with. Best yet, it backed up to parkland and had sweeping views of the Marin Headlands, out over sparkling Richardson Bay, and across to San Francisco's Bay Bridge. For someone who makes his living renovating houses and gardens, the run-down property was an ideal match.

Within a month of the purchase, John had mapped out a landscape plan for the entire half-acre lot, complete with spaces for sculptures and water features of his own design. "If you start with a plan, you don't make as many mistakes," he says. "You can prioritize. And the garden's parts tend to work together better than if you developed them piecemeal."

Foremost in John's mind was the way he would actually enjoy the landscape, from quiet spots to savor a taste of solitude to a lawn where he could run with his dog, Sam. John sketched out an inviting walkway to guide guests down to the house from the street, alongside a zigzagging watercourse that culminates with a splash in a welcoming entry courtyard. He planned a large outdoor dining patio and fire pit, both to foster convivial get-togethers and to take in the property's heady views. He laid out pocket gardens of roses, fruit trees, and vegetables, all to harvest and relish in season. Finally, he designed what he calls a woodland therapy garden, with a whirlpool, cold plunge, and sauna to soothe body and mind after a hard day's labors.

As soon as the plan solidified, John began the work, planting from the outer edges of the property and working in. "That way, the garden had already taken shape by the time the house was complete," John says. Boundary fences came first, bordered by colorful, undemanding shrubs such as Dodonaea, pineapple guava, and golden Euonymus, massed together to provide privacy.

Over the next three years, John installed other garden sections as time allowed, keeping costs low by choosing materials carefully and doing much of th work himself. Staples included tinted concrete, pea gravel, and recycled wood, along with plants in economical one-gallon containers that needed only a few seasons' growth to shine.

Each plant had to pass muster before joining the mix; John wanted hardy grasses, succulents, and other foliage standouts that would pull their weight throughout the year and tolerate the property's rocky soil and limited rainfall with limited care. "I'm not a slave to the garden," John says.

Now, eight years after he started the project, John hosts gatherings around the flickering outdoor fire and watches the moon rise over the Easy Bay hills, or invites friends to soak away cares beneath the pines. Or he simply sits and savors the views. "The house now has five outdoor rooms," John says. "If it's a nice day and I'm at home, I'm in the garden."

p.s.

What's most vital in landscape planning?

Really analyze what you want to do in your outdoor environment. Don't start with the plants — work from the macro to the micro.

How do you develop a planting plan?

I compose my plantscapes at the nursery, where I can see the plants together. And I base my compositions on foliage rather than flowers, so the garden looks good year round.

Who do you credit for your design skills?

My mom has an art gallery and my dad had a graphics company, so I grew up around color and composition. But my medium is plants and landscapes.

— John Long