At a glance
- The work
- Garden master plan, porch, pergola, paths, water feature and rain garden
- The palette
- Western red cedar, ipe, steel, copper, bluestone and crushed basalt
A few steps can change the mood of this North Portland garden. Broad leaves surround the covered porch; grasses and flowering perennials fill a sunnier opening; a steel pergola holds a dining table within the planting. The house is a vintage Craftsman on an oversized corner lot in Overlook, and the garden makes use of that room to grow.
Before the work, the property was overgrown. The new owners asked Pistils Landscape Design + Build for places to gather with friends and family, along with a diverse, colorful garden. Neither part of the brief is treated as decoration for the other. The outdoor rooms have their own structures, and the planting has enough space to become a substantial presence.
A framework beneath the abundance
Western red cedar frames the covered porch, with ipe decking below. The porch opens toward the garden instead of enclosing it behind railings and walls. A hammered copper water feature sits nearby, introducing a small reflective surface among the leaves.
At the dining area, the steel pergola is noticeably finer than the timber porch. Crushed basalt forms the floor beneath it. The difference in construction gives the two destinations separate identities while keeping both visually open to the garden.
Paths of stepping stones, concrete and bluestone connect the spaces. Curved steel edging contains the beds without giving them the mass of masonry walls. From the deck, these lines are especially useful: they let the eye follow a route through planting that might otherwise appear continuous.
Making space for water and plants
A rain garden receives stormwater from the covered porch. It is woven into the planted landscape, so the roof and garden are connected by more than their view of each other.
The varied foliage gives close views as much interest as the wider scene. Some areas are shaded and densely green; others open into lighter, flowering growth. The result rewards walking rather than a single photograph from the back door. A table, a porch chair and a path through the beds each offer a different way to spend time in the same garden.
At home
A varied planting palette can remain coherent when paths, edging and gathering spaces provide a clear structure.
