At the forefront of the desert.
This house is at the forefront of the native desert landscape on the Westside of Albuquerque. The landscape design concept mirrors the adjacent desert shrubs including various sages, Cholla cactus, and chamisa. Lava boulders are interspersed throughout the native landscape and directly influenced the design concept which makes use of existing boulders on the property and a few additional boulders to visually connect with the surrounding adjacent desert landscape.
I also helped the client plant the Mexican Elderberry, pictured on the right. The client plans on finishing the rest of the install themselves.
This design embraces the various sub-regions within the New Mexican desert. The property is mapped into different zones: a shrub-desert zone in the front yard to provide light screening from the street and shade from the southern sun exposure, with sparsely dotted small desert shrubs.
The courtyard includes thoughtfully placed planters to give visual importance to the peek of the Sandia ridge over the top of the fence wall and embrace the open sky contrasting the intimate courtyard. A wildflower raised bed directly outside the dining room provides a colorful burst during and a moment of surprise upon entering the courtyard.
Upon entering the backyard, the plants transition along the edge from a desert zone to fragrant flowers and herbs, eventually culminating in a lush, foliage-heavy Uplands microclimate including fruiting shrubs and berry trees.
Make it stand out.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.