Collaborative NATURE

For this Washington State garden, a homeowner passionate about plants partners with a horticultural professional to exciting and exuberant effect.

By TOVAH MARTIN Photography by MIRANDA ESTES

With tufts of grasses weaving through a broadloom of perennials and almost no lawn, this West Coast Washington property isn’t your average suburban scape—and that’s exactly what Ruth Lipscomb wanted. The homeowner was totally on board with venturing beyond the ordinary. Although Ruth and her family were moving no farther than the lot next door, they were going in a completely different direction from their former abode by building a house with a bold, modern look. Because of this, Ruth wanted an equally courageous garden surrounding the home.

To say that Ruth did her homework when finding the right person to spearhead the garden project is an understatement. She didn’t just ring up a landscape architect; instead, she went on a tour of Land Morphology’s Seattle-based offices. Nationally esteemed and the recipient of many awards, Land Morphology has created both public gardens and residential landscapes of all styles and sizes. With backing from the Northwest Horticultural Society, Richard Hartlage, the principal at Land Morphology, has created these office tours to demonstrate the company’s scope and breadth, as well as to share the collaboration process involved. While his team is proud of their diverse capabilities, Richard especially enjoys creating a modern look with an approach that is far from spare and minimalistic. When clients are willing to fully fill their footprint with plantings, he’s eager to help them with plenty of creativity and efficiency.

LEFT: A seldom-used secondary driveway became a showpiece rather than a throwaway space. Richard Hartlage of Land Morphology created permeable spacing between the 16-inch-wide granite planks and planted the gaps with sedums, erodiums, elfin thyme, and blue star creeper. In the adjacent garden, roses, Phlox ‘David,’ and Geranium ‘Rozanne’ are contained in weatheredsteel raised beds.

When Ruth met Richard, she found a collaborator simpatico with her enthusiasm. She wanted to make every square inch of the half-acre property expressive—and Richard was ready for the challenge. “The process was like weaving a fabric,” he says. It also helped that Ruth and Richard had something else in common: They are both plant nerds.

A gardener for 24 years, Ruth had created a database of the 300 plants on her previous property. Initially, Richard suggested she cull it to a hundred favorites as a target list. But in the end, she decided to simply trust Richard’s expertise. “I selected a few plants that I absolutely wanted, and for the rest, I said, ‘Surprise me.’ ” Roses, peonies, lilacs, dahlias, and two transplants from

BELOW: From a covered dining deck in the backyard, the family can view the garden and its bounty, including Astrantia major ‘Shaggy,’ monarda, dwarf pomegranate, and Astilbe ‘Vision in White.’ RIGHT: The plantings leading to the canal merge vegetables with pollinator-friendly flowering beauties such as Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam,’ Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue,’ fuchsias, and sprawling Clematis ‘Arabella.’

ABOVE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Richard Hartlage worked a jigsaw puzzle of texture and form, giving every plant presence. Blue oat grass, cordylines, and dahlias are among the prominent players. • The 20-inch-deep, weathered-steel vegetable containers house cabbages, leeks, and asparagus. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: For colorful effect, Richard paired Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ and Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue.’ • Astrantia ‘Shaggy’ tolerates bright shade or sun to blossom from May through mid-July. • Native deer ferns turn the corner beside hardscape. • Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ produce plentiful blossoms along the pathway to the front door.