Every so often, Details Landscape Art encounters a project blessed with a very special existing feature. In this case, it was the lush wooded open space beyond the property line that provided an impossibly beautiful backdrop for this West Petaluma garden. The challenge, however, was the topography. The backyard consisted of two plateaus separated by a very steep hillside. Creating usable outdoor living spaces while preserving the magnificent views required thoughtful design and creative problem solving. Fortunately, challenges are our middle name. We designed a split-level garden.
A Split-Level Garden Solves Difficult Topography
The upper plateau was adjacent to the main living area of the home. Originally, the back door opened onto a long, narrow balcony that was barely wide enough for a chair, let alone outdoor entertaining.
We removed the balcony and replaced it with a split-level garden design that followed the natural contour of the land.
The upper level consisted of a gray stamped concrete patio with a textured finish. Two steps down led to a deck constructed of a synthetic material called Fiberon, complete with benches, tables, and railings.
Split-level garden features two-level deck/stamped concrete outdoor seating area
Together, the two levels created multiple outdoor living spaces while preserving the spectacular views of the open space beyond.
Seat Walls Enhance the Split-Level Garden
Behind the stamped concrete patio, we built an eighteen-inch seat wall faced on both sides with Eldorado Stone in the Chapel Hill pattern and capped with Connecticut bluestone.
Split-level garden adds steps and a seat wall for extra seating
The wall served several purposes. It framed the entertaining area, provided additional seating for guests, and functioned as a retaining wall for the hillside above the patio.
Multi-purpose landscape features often provide the most elegant solutions.
Inset step lights were installed within the steps and connected to the low-voltage lighting system, creating both beauty and safety after dark.
Connecting the Levels of the Garden
One of the most dramatic elements of this split-level garden is the long stairway descending the hillside to the lower level.
The stairway was constructed using 6×6 pressure-treated timbers framed with fieldstone and filled with decomposed granite between the steps.
The timbers were predrilled and securely spiked into the hillside. Following the natural grade of the slope, the stair treads varied from six inches to eighteen inches while maintaining comfortable six-inch risers throughout.
Long pressure-treated stairway connects this split-level garden
The decomposed granite was treated with a stabilizer that binds the material together and provides a firmer walking surface.
The result was a graceful transition between the two levels of the landscape.
Drainage Is Essential
Drainage is always a concern on steep properties.
To manage runoff, we installed a French drain down the slope and cleverly disguised it as a rock-strewn dry creek bed meandering its way toward the lower level.
Functional landscape elements do not have to look utilitarian. Sometimes they become some of the most attractive features in the garden.
Planting Completes the Split-Level Garden
The upper hillside shade garden included dogwoods, rhododendrons, azaleas, pieris, loropetalum, and ferns.
Lower planting areas near the dry creek bed received more sun and were planted with ornamental grasses, nandina ‘Firepower’, and groundcovers that complemented the surrounding natural setting.
Although our work is always beautiful, sometimes we have to give credit to Mother Nature for a little aesthetic assistance.