Fields of tall grasses with pink flowers arch over a grassy pathway.

Floating Meadow

San Francisco Peninsula, CA

Project Overview

At this former summer camp on a Napa Valley mountain ridge, we recognized the value of the existing plants, saving and moving them to their appropriate spots on the site.

This was one of our first large-scale Northern California projects with most of the acreage fenced off from deer. The challenge of this project was to plant the edge of a 1-acre pond with plants that could be inundated with the rise and fall of water levels. On the pond, we created floating islands of grasses, or floating meadows. On the rest of the site, we turned acres of lawn to acres of meadow that played with textures of grasses and conifers, and paired tall flowering perennials with tall flowering grasses.

Using the concept of 'no dead ends,' we created pathways throughout to allow one to enjoy the garden from multiple vistas. With a backdrop of a Douglas Fir forest, the grasses visually bring together the various collections of Japanese maples, conifers, and bulbs. The climate variability added a dimension to this garden. We chose winter dormant grasses that look beautiful with a 'winter patina' and grasses that looked especially glorious in winter light.

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Featured Plants

Pennisetum 'Fairy Tails' (Evergreen Fountain Grass)*

* Part of the Greenlee Meadow Collection

Tap any image for additional plant information.
The workhorse flowering grass is Pennisetum 'Fairy Tails' and the workhouse ground cover grass is Festuca mairei. A floating grass meadow is incorporated in the pond and a horticulturally sophisticated pond edge.
Corkscrew willows in drifts along pond edge.
Carex pansa pathway with Juncus spp on waters edge and Helianthus spp.
Rosa 'Cécile Brünner' is transplanted for rose tunnels on far edge of pond.
Dead wood is added to pond edge to allow turtles to climb in and out of water.

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Pond levels fluctuate, so we created a sophisticated edge where grasses could be under water. Floating meadow islands are achieved by dropping pots into the pre-cut holes of floating rubber mats so plants can root in the water.
Chrysopogon zizanioides (Vetiver). A magical evergreen grass that blushes red in winter. It grows in an amazing array of soil conditions - wet, dry, sand, clay - and can be used for erosion control.
Seedheads of Echinops and slender seedheads of Festuca mairei (Atlas fescue).
Designed by a collaborator using japanese construction methods (charring supports to waterproof), the walkway was a way to get out over the water. The timber was harvested from the property.
A dwarf conifer collection with dwarf Japanese Maples creates a special space near the Japanese pavilion.
Big drifts of one species, like Solidago (goldenrod) and Pennisetum spathiolatum add to the success of this project.
A dissected red-leafed Japanese maple, one of the many varieties.
Some of our favorite blue accents! Depending on height, you can choose accents that can be seen or network through the grasses themselves. Veronica 'Goodness Grows' flowers rise two feet tall above the creeping groundcover of Ajuga reptans 'Texas Tough.'
Veronica 'Goodness Grows.'
Scilla peruviana (Portuguese Squill).
One of our favorite salvias, Salvia uliginosa, with perennial sunflowers in the background (Helianthus var). The flowers bend over the weight of morning fog.
Early spring. While technically an evergreen grass, Pennisetum spathiolatum blushes a bronzy color in the winter. Spring daffodils emerge from the new growth of Festuca mairei.
Pennisetum spathiolatum provides a backdrop for rocket ships of Kniphofia. The forms are mimicked by the pampas grass in the distance.
Leucojum aestivum, with the indestructible iris (Iris foetidissima) and the drought/shade-tolerant Festuca altissima embraces the oak understory beneath the swinging bench.
Species hybrid tulips emerge from the grass. I often plant bulbs whose flowers top out just at the level of the grass.
A Carex pansa pathway lined with a mix of daffodils heralding the arrival of spring. The grasses in the background could've been cut back earlier in the season, however we often leave the seedheads to catch the light and provide food for songbirds.
Another dissected-leaved Japanese maple.
Calamagrostis epigejos, a colony-forming species.
Lilacs.
A tunnel of Rosa 'Cécile Brünner' on simple metal arches add interest to a meadow pathway and beckon you to enter. A collection of Restios add winter interest to the meadow.

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