Warm purple coneflower blooms blaze in the afternoon sun.
Landscape & Gardens
In-City Oasis
A well-designed city garden convinces a couple to give up—and not miss—their large suburban property
BY
Lorene Edwards Forkner
PHOTOGRAPHY
Andrew Drake


The formal entry garden is welcoming and serene.


The soft texture of ‘Silvery Sunproof’ lily turf softens the base of an elegant Japanese lantern, while a custom gate echoes the strong lines of the stout wooden columns that frame the home’s entry.


(above and below) A large circular patio in the back garden invites lounging in the sun amid the sound of a splashing basalt-column water feature; red brick walls and paving treatments marry the house and garden.
For the ardent gardener, the sun never sets on the charms of a garden. The same cannot be said for the enthusiasm of the one responsible for its care, however. When it comes to landscaping, sometimes smaller is better, especially if the space belies its actual square footage. This is what Dutch and Carol Duarte accomplished—implementing vision, creativity and a few clever twists of perception—when they transformed a modest, city-sized garden surrounding a 1929 red-brick Tudor home in Seattle’s exclusive Broadmoor community into a private, in-city oasis.

As an architect, Dutch is trained to consider any project in its entirety inside and out—but as a realist, he recognizes a familiar pattern. “When you do major remodels like this, you run the risk of losing the tenacity or the passion to complete the whole thing in one go,” he says. “Besides the financial aspect, you just need a break from all those people underfoot.” To avoid that type of delay on their Broadmoor home, the Duartes set about doing the garden first. “This was a gift for my wife, the gardener,” Dutch says.

For 17 years in Issaquah, Carol, assisted by Dutch, had tended to a lush and complex home garden designed by landscape architect Tom Berger of The Berger Partnership. Though the verdant landscape was a constant source of enjoyment, Carol admits frustration that her work was never done. “Even working all day, I could never really finish what I wanted to accomplish,” she recalls. With two-plus acres under cultivation, the weeds never stayed in abeyance, and the extensive rolling lawns didn’t remain groomed for long.

When the Duartes purchased their new home in 2001, they again enlisted the help of The Berger Partnership, this time under the direction of landscape architect and arborist Jason Henry, who envisioned an intimate environment that lives much larger than its actual footprint. The result is a garden with a sense of privacy perfectly in balance with the now also remodeled, gracious home it embraces. Its rich plant palette and shifting seasonal attractions abundantly satisfy Carol’s green thumb.

A living wall of sheared Leyland cypress along the property line borders an entry garden and lush lawn. The public face of this garden is a low brick wall, while the “L” of the house and the canopy of several mature dogwood trees enclose the other two sides of this formal “room.”

The color palette is cool and restrained, sophisticated and subtle, consisting primarily of dark green foliage and creamy white flowers. Massed plantings of Japanese anemone, winter-blooming daphne, hydrangeas and other blooming shrubs and shade-tolerant perennials create densely planted borders from which emerge seasonal blooms and ephemeral fragrances. Delicate textures soften and highlight stone elements such as an elegant Japanese lantern and a granite sphere. Dutch describes this enchanting, secret, emerald-hued garden as “a daily pleasure as well as an unexpected moment of pleasant surprise and welcome to all who enter the space.”

In contrast to the cool, enclosed formality of the front garden, the west-facing back garden basks in the afternoon sun. “The garden on the west side of the house is all about the warmth, movement and vitality of summer,” Henry says. Mature trees and the carefully manicured lawn of an adjoining golf course draw the eye into the neighboring landscape. The effect is to give the Duartes’ garden an expansive sense of space—this time without the attendant maintenance.

Colors in the back garden are stronger, with a vivid palette of red, purple and rose that echoes the warm brick of the home. Towering joe-pye weed, purple coneflower and astrantia blend with ornamental grasses to create a pocket prairie and provide a lush seasonal screen.

The Duartes chose to echo many of the home’s architectural motifs in the landscape. The strong lines of the stout wooden columns that frame the home’s entry inspired the design of gates and trellises throughout the garden, while brick is used in walls and paving treatments, creating a pleasing visual rhythm throughout the space. A large circular patio with a splashing basalt-column water feature invites outdoor lounging and provides a pleasant counterpoint to the many straight lines.

A greenhouse ranked high on Carol’s garden wish list. To create one that fit the space, Henry customized a base model from Architectural Glass by adding brick knee walls and repeating the custom patio pavers for its floor. The result is an elegant and functional little glass house.

Inventing this delightful, private city garden was very much a collaboration between landscape architect, homeowner-architect and passionate gardener. “Developing the site was not without its challenges,” Henry says. “Every aspect of the garden was carefully calculated and deliberated over in an effort to maximize impact within the limited space.” With some creative problem solving and the intricate management of multiple contractors and suppliers, the project took just nine months to complete and was finished just before the extensive home renovation began.

Perfection is a moving target in a garden of any size, but Carol considers this one a success. On a recent summer’s evening, with the house aglow like a lantern and the garden discreetly illumined, guests dined at draped round tables on the patio under the stars. As the evening progressed amid the splash of the fountain and the mysterious scents of the night, Carol says she discovered that even a small garden can make a big impression—especially when one has time left to enjoy it.  
Lorene Edwards Forkner is a freelance writer and garden consultant who spends too much time maintaining her unruly garden.

Design Details
Landscape Architect and Arborist
Jason Henry, The Berger Partnership PS
1721 Eighth Ave. N., (206) 325-6877


The Berger Partnership was named to the Seattle Design 100+ in 2006 for celebrating “the organic relationship between the earth and the built environment.” Notable projects by the 30-member landscape architecture and urban planning firm include the terrain surrounding REI’s flagship store on Yale Avenue North and the plaza at One Union Square.