Sonoma Living Pond
Sonoma, CaliforniaWhen our clients found their dream home in Sonoma, they loved almost everything about it: the location, the western views of neighboring vineyards and the hills beyond, the mature oaks and seasonal creek, and the beautiful modern architecture. Where they felt they needed help was making the landscape sing. Two immediate priorities presented themselves.
Flanking the entry walk and wrapping around two sides of the home was a contemporary concrete reflecting pool. Shallow, chlorinated and lined with Mexican beach pebbles, it was cooling and calming, but felt a little sterile for the country setting. For the first phase of work, Roche+Roche brought in specialist Paul Cowley of Potomac Waterworks to help transform the water feature into a living pond, reusing three large boulders drilled for water recirculation, and adding planters and media at different water depths: shallow aquatic planters to support Water Hawthorn, Sacred Lilys, Sacred Lotus and Flat Rush; marginal planters for Horsetail Restio, Mexican Lobelia, Cape Rush, Fairy Lily, and Soft Rush. One end of the feature is anchored by a Giant Gunnera in a bed of Sweet Flag, and in the deeper water, Waterlilies spread out their pads. Mosquitofish patrol the shadows, and as soon as it was filled and planted, the pond attracted dragonflies, bees, butterflies, frogs, and all kinds of birds. Outside of the water feature at grade, a specimen Olive tree rests in a bed of Lomandra grasses that wrap the concrete fountain shell in soft green foliage.
In the west-facing courtyard formed by three wings of the house, an elevated pool had been installed. The clients loved the pool, but not the feeling of sitting below the waterline, separated from the view. We resolved to keep the pool, remove the surrounding paving, and add a chic elevated wood deck surround, with broad decking pads to access it. Cantilevered over meadows of California Field Sedge and Slender Veldt Grass, the platform feels like it floats in the foreground of the primary view.
In a stand of mature Oaks a short walk from the courtyard, Adirondack chairs gather around a propane fire pit, creating an evening destination near the seasonal creek. Nearby, a low hanging horizontal oak branch becomes the beam that supports evening lighting over an outdoor dining table.
Through a breezeway from the courtyard, and within easy reach of the kitchen, a chef’s garden of raised vegetable and herb beds includes herbs used in the clients’ mixology, and is flanked by a mixed fruit orchard of Figs, Citrus, Apricots, Nectarines, and Pineapple Guava. In a textural landscape of subtle greens, greys and blues, pops of color are provided by Lavender, Mexican Sage, ‘Tequila Sunrise’ Kangaroo Paws, Terra Cotta Yarrow, and Bougainvillea.
As they enjoy the installed features and watch the garden grow in, the clients look forward to future phases including remodeling the breezeway outdoor kitchen/cocktail bar, and adding a Todos Santos-inspired outdoor fireplace lounge to the west facing covered outdoor space just beyond the pool.
Architecture: Zimmerman+Associates
Landscape Installation: Mitchell Landscapes
Living pond installation: Potomac Waterworks
Photography: Sabine Scherer