2015 Garden Dialogues: Los Angeles/Santa Monica, Hightree, May 30
Saturday, May 30, 1:30 to 3:00pm | Santa Monica
Hightree by Jay Griffith of Jay Griffith Design
This half-acre site is nestled into the Rustic Canyon neighborhood, and is the second collaboration between the landscape designer and client. Architect Steven Ehrlich designed the striking Modernist home fifteen years ago. It is set on the canyon floor amidst native California sycamores, the only holdover from the previous design. The garden is naturalistic in spirit, but carefully calibrated to include species that thrive in the canyon’s specific microclimate, primarily determined by soil conditions and limited light quality. A dramatic rectilinear elevated pool, based on the house’s strong geometry, offsets the sycamore’s angularity and curvilinear nature. The pool’s design is practical, it’s five-foot tall walls address safety concerns associated with having small children; but It’s also very sculptural, a seamless, buff-colored plaster-coated concrete monolith. The watery surface suggests one of the house’s giant windows. Vast sweeps of understory plantings offer subtle contrasts both textural and though tonal variations of green. Photos by Jorge Rafael