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Kristin G. Pategas, APLD, FCLD

This private Florida residence proved to be a challenging and rewarding design experience for the design firm of Hortus Oasis. The property owners had recently completed an extensive remodeling of this 1936 Italian Mediterranean-Revival home, thought to be designed by Gamble Rogers, architect of the famous Casa Feliz in Winter Park, FL. Upon reviewing the site, it was determined that the front entrance was understated, privacy was lacking for the entire property and the side property bordering a city park could be enhanced by borrowing on a spectacular lake view.

Installation of palms and brick walkway

The clients desired a number of entertainment and sitting areas to enjoy year 'round. Each outdoor room would have a backbone of similar plants for consistency while distinguishing each space with unique accent plants. The front garden was the largest of these rooms, with several established Washington palms (Washingtonia robusta), and specimen Japanese yews (Podocarpus macrophyllus) to work with.

The land slopes towards the street, and like the Italian gardens that are created by carving out linear level areas, we created a turf panel, or tapis vert. The tapis vert was shaped as an elongated oval that helps to seemingly reduce the height of the house.

Specimen palms and vertical accents complement the tapis vert

A series of steps transcended the elevation change and was accompanied by Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Bronze Beauty'). This groundcover jasmine also helped off-set the turf with its burgundy-green foliage and coarser texture.

An intimate curved walkway to the lower terrace

The new brick walkway includes a circular 'foyer' at the center of the lawn and six terracotta containers frame it with blooming color. Cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto), a specimen pindo palm (Butia capitata) and topiaries were added to provide vertical accents and frame the house.

A free-form swimming pool was installed prior to our commission. Both the pool and the surrounding landscaping were of a style very different from the house, and such juxtaposition required a complete change of the existing landscaping. Borrowing on the owner's memories of living in Hawaii, gingers, birds of paradise, Philodendron 'Xanadu', plumerias, and numerous other tropicals were planted to create an oasis for entertaining and relaxing. Numerous ceramic containers of brightly glazed colors were added within the landscape beds as well as the pool deck to introduce even more color. To complete this Hawaiian getaway, a hedge of Bambusa multiplex was installed along the shared property line to screen the neighboring five-story condominium (did we mention lack of privacy?)

Installation of 8 foot high curved retaining wall

The pool installation had also created an unsolved dilemma - how to deal with a ten-foot elevation drop to a piece of yard bordering a small lakefront city park. The property did not have lake access, but it did have a clear view to Lake Osceola, part of the Winter Park chain of lakes. The solution was to create a terrace overlook utilizing a seven-foot high curved retaining wall and a custom semi-spiral staircase to a lower terrace with a sitting wall. Brick, stucco and wrought iron could be found throughout the property and were utilized here to create the illusion of original construction. A circle of terracotta containers, hung in specially designed brackets, ringed the sitting wall mimicking the entrance circle. Cabbage palms framed the view that now could be enjoyed from two levels. Finally, bougainvillea vines were trained up the palm trunks to bring color into the view of the upper overlook.

Custom metalwork and ceramic Italian city crests tied old and new construction

The most satisfying aspect of our design work was the creation of an intimate butterfly garden that could be enjoyed with the morning paper and a cup of coffee. A section of the curved garden wall was removed near the front entrance and now provides access through the newly installed iron gate.





A large specimen white bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) and tall Japanese yews offer a sense of privacy in this newly created area, while a brick circular patio and a recirculating birdbath give reason to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of this intimate spot.

Hortus Oasis was involved in every step of transforming this property into a garden sanctuary - from the design to the installation, from fabrication of custom ornamentation to development of a maintenance strategy. Regarding the maintenance strategy - even Frederick Law Olmsted had his share of frustration when his carefully crafted designs deteriorated due to unknowing owners or unbridled maintenance, and I quote: "I have done a good deal of work in my way, but it is constantly and everywhere arrested, wrenched, mangled, and misused and it is not easy to get above intense disappointment."

To reduce potential disappointment for this garden, I provided the clients with two documents: (1) a customized Design Intent explaining the vision for the landscape including specific final heights and maintenance needs for each planting; (2) a rotating Seasonal Color Schedule for the 30 containers on the property. The landscape maintenance contactor was provided with each document, as well as a copy of the landscape plan to avoid "intense disappointment." Hortus Oasis also inspects the landscape bi-annually offering suggestions for improvement or plant replacement.

The clients were extremely happy with our services and show it by enjoying their garden everyday.

Kristin Pategas, and her husband Stephen, make up the design team of Hortus Oasis. Kristin is a certified member of APLD and a certified landscape designer for the State of Florida. Please visit their website at www.hortusoasis.com to view additional designs and the progress on their greatest landscape challenge - their home.

Certified Members seeking to be profiled should send before and after photos with SHORT design intent statement to:

Bethany Dennis
APLD Communications Manager
Email: communications@apld.org
Phone: 717-238-9780

* PHOTOS SHOULD BE CLEAR COLOR PRINTS OR JPEG COMPRESSED FILES