Mariana Sneideraitis is one of those clients who over the years, has become a friend. Buck and I were invited last night for the first time to a dinner party at her house. As I had spent a long Sunday designing and drawing for a presentation I will make today, I was so looking forward to it. She has an incredible enthusiasm for her life; her family, her friends, her garden, travel-and for cooking.
The menu was not just about the food. It was about the food she had grown up with, and learned to cook from her parents, and grandparents. She explained how at a certain point she would watch her Baboo prepare a dish, with measuring cups and spoons in hand, so she could write down the recipe he put together by eye and instinct. She explained that the Armenian cooking she grew up with was much influenced by Greek, and Middle Eastern cooking. Thus she shops different markets for what specialty ingredients they carry; it took five stops before she bought just exactly the size eggplant she wanted for last night. When I asked at what point she would have given up looking , she replied, “probably never”; I admire that kind of determination in a person. Her family life revolved around the dinner table, in a way not so different than my own. You learned about your roots, about how to carry on a conversation, you discussed school, friends, and important decisions. At one point she made a toast about how pleased she was for the company of her friends, sharing a dinner, friendship, and conversation, around her dining room table; clearly her expression was sincere and intense.
So why would I, who thinks about gardening and more gardening, be writing about her cooking and this dinner? Guernica Magazine published an article recently by Mark Dowie, entitled “Food Among the Ruins”; the opening sentence – “Were I an aspiring farmer in search of fertile land to buy and plow, I would seriously consider moving to Detroit.” What an astonishing statement. He explains that Detroit has no grocery stores whatsoever. No Krogers or Meijers. Not a WalMart, or a Costco. Some 80% of all people in Detroit buy their groceries from party stores, gas stations, convenience stores, and the like. As Detroit was originally built on farm land, he goes on to suggest that Detroit might remake itself into an agricultural city, that could feed its own. Urban farming-the stuff that the Greening of Detroit has devoted itself to for the past 20 years. It is an astonishing and provocative proposal; read it if you like at www.guernicamag.com/spotlight/1182/food_among_the_ruins/
If what Mariana so genuinely believes, about the importance of the dinner table in providing an essential forum for the development of sound families, and lasting friendships, then perhaps Mr. Dowie’s proposal has more than just a little merit. Marianna has absorbed and continues to live with her version of what her parents and grandparents taught her. She has passed that on to her children. Her kids, now 25 and 27, were disappointed that they would not be having Sunday night dinner with her last night. That sense of loss they felt, came from her. I myself was an appreciative beneficiary of the truly fabulous food, the story of how and what she cooks, the lively conversation and exchange between friends. I could no more cook a Pavlova for dessert than I could fly to the moon, but I can cook up good dirt, water in new trees, and improvise on my design recipes in search of a satisfying visual feast. Mariana sent me home with the notion that what I do might actually make a difference in the big scheme of things. Thanks a million for feeding me, Sneideraitis.
These clients have lived many years in a lovely old Tudor style house built in the 1920′s. However, they both have a love for clean, modern and edited lines. Working with them has produced a garden that has elements both friendly to the architecture of the house, and their point of view. They were both clear that a green and white garden would suit them best. 
The landscape of the front of the house was already in place when I met them. My input involved the sizes of the flower beds, and the construction and installation of the window boxes. The profusion of flowers is decidedly English in feeling, but the green and white has a crisply contemporary flavor. The strong, dark green horizontal line of the boxwood hedge contrasts and compliments the mass of the oval yews. This element is balanced by the four columnar gingkos that frame the walk at the street. The simple steel windowbox is a focal point at the visual end of the walk. 
The upper level is planted more freely, with variegated licorice, white petunias and more polka dots. This bedding plant scheme derives more visual interest from its texture and layout than from the plant species.
The window boxes are lush with green angelina, euphorbia, and licorice. The angular nicotiana alata white frames the more orderly growing Perfume nicotiana series in white and lime green.
A custom made steel cistern positioned on axis to the porch, and the side walk organizes the space. It was constructed with legs tall enough to hide the fountain pump, but also to provide for the eventual height of the boxwood surrounding it. Bordered in boxwood, a run of limelight hydrangeas provides another level of interest against the green arborvitae wall.
This bridge, constructed entirely of concrete carved to look like wood, is a good example of the sculpture form known as “faux bois”. Translated literally from the French words, examples of “false wood” can be found all over the world-even here in Michigan. There is a park in my greater neighborhood devoted to this art form; lucky for me. McCourtie Park, in Hillsdale County, in the Irish Hills, is a folly of the best sort-built in the 1930″s by a man who made his living in the cement business.
covered bridge
faux bois rails that become a bench
faux bois roof detail
side detail
faux bois planks
bridge
flat bridge
bridge house
You may remember my post from July 21, Renovation Part II, a discussion of what finishing touches were yet to come in this project. If you missed that, I will recap. This beautiful Mediterranean house was in need of a landscape renovation; the new owner is a designer herself, and what she had, she knew would not do.
We removed all the plants, and brick, and graded out to the edge of the house; it is too awkward to step down in the middle of a terrace. In other words, we started over.
The new and larger granite and brick terrace stepped down into the lawn; a new stucco wall made for extra seating for guests, and made the suggestion of enclosure.
The new rear yard landscape made much of the repaired and repainted stucco wall . A grove of trees in the lawn, a formal arrangement of trees mulched in granite, and grass. Simple and striking.
But what else did this landscape need in the way of finishing touches? Inspired by the Spanish flavor of the architecture, I thought some ironwork might be in order.
I especially like how the terrace will have two shady cool areas, with a sunny space in between them. 
Finishing touches like this can make all the difference in the world; this space looks inviting and comfortable. A place to have dinner, a place to read in the shade, a place to entertain-all good things to plan for.
The last touch – a self-contained fountain jar. The reservoir to recirculate the water was installed underground. My client opted for a water jet barely visible. Lighting was unobtrusively installed in the pergola roof, illuminating the fountain at night. I can imagine how it will look and sound once there are grapes overhead. 
A new umbrella is on the way. Maybe there will be holiday lights this winter. Maybe next summer there will be some pots. The finishing touches phase transforms the designed landscape into a landscape for living.