Poppy Fields Residence
When homeowners, Morgan and Andrew approached me to redesign their property, they had already begun lovingly restoring their mid-century cabin nestled against the foothills of Altadena. We spoke of the nearby trails, the local chaparral and our desire to make the new garden feel like it had always been there. Nestor and Pancho hand- built river rock walls and entrance pilasters, while placing 40 locally sourced granite boulders. Chris, from Wulf Wood, custom designed more than130 ft of Thermory wood fencing that intricately wrapped around the limbs of an age-old Avocado tree. We brought in more than 50 granite boulders to set close to the house influenced by the wooden cabins dotted through Millard Canyon just a mile north. My chosen planting palette included Manzanita, Channel Island Poppy, Buckwheat and Native Grasses.
On the morning of January 7 th , 2025, Morgan sent a text that an Arbutus Unedo had blown over in the winds. Nestor, who happened to be close by, promptly drove up and staked it with two lodge poles. By 7:00 AM the next morning all was gone as the property was swallowed up by the Eaton Fire that burned almost all of Altadena. It’s hard to describe the grief of losing a garden after spending almost a year designing planning building and planting. the connection to the land and to this wonderful couple who lost more than just a home but also years of planning, creating and dreaming.
