Cambridge Shared Residence

Located in the middle of the city, the site accommodates shared driveways and parking areas along with intimate gardens filled with the sound of water. Gravel drives and courts, rooftop planters and cable vine trellises complement the contemporary architecture of the buildings, while salvaged granite stones, used for terrace paving, seating and paths, unify the site. Special features include a granite fountain base with a custom-designed stainless-steel water channel and a Western red cedar fence with a custom gate design based on a special piece of art from the owner’s collection. The custom gate components are constructed with marine grade hardware and aluminum designed to withstand the elements and last for decades.

Designer: Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC / Photography: Matthew Cunningham and Justine Hand

Cambridge Residence

This extraordinary contemporary city garden, enclosed by a custom mahogany fence and privacy wall, is enlivened by elegant and intricate tree plantings, including a Bosque garden with crushed stone pathways. We used a variety of custom planting soil mixes for different areas of the garden to optimize growing conditions. Every detail was carefully considered, from the exposed aggregate chosen for the driveway to the arrangement of plant material.

Architect: Anmahian Winton Architects / Designer: Reed Hilderbrand LLC Landscape Architecture, LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects / Photography: Justine Hand

Cambridge Residence

Bluestone walls, tall, custom-fabricated mahogany fencing and lush plantings create a private courtyard garden in a dense Cambridge neighborhood. Each specimen tree was carefully chosen to fit the space. Bluestone terrace paving is patterned to match- and is aligned- with flooring installed in the room adjacent to the courtyard. Floor to ceiling doors and windows surround the courtyards, blurring the line between indoor and outdoor spaces. A custom stainless steel and mahogany gate completes the courtyard enclosure.

The gardens have evolved over time with new owners and increased shade from adjacent shade trees. Later garden interventions include shade garden plantings and incorporation of sculptural elements and boulders into the back terrace garden. As with all elements in the courtyards, these improvements are highly visible from the living spaces within the house and needed to be in harmony with the original design.

Designer: Reed Hilderbrand LLC Landscape Architecture / Photography: Justine Hand

South End Residence

Privacy, visual interest and sustainability were equal considerations when designing and constructing this garden. One enters the space from the lowest level of the house (five feet below the surrounding grade) before stepping up to a stone patio surrounded by a tapestry of five different ground covers and one large ginkgo tree. A small dining area is built into the low stone retaining wall that separates the two levels. The walls, constructed of reclaimed redwood, are inset with dimmable white light panels to provide visual interest. Under the entire site, a two-foot gravel bed acts as passive stormwater retention.

Designer: Ground Inc. / Photography: Hirotsugu Tsuchiya

Brookline Residence

This contemporary urban garden features reclaimed granite paved terraces with planted joints. A rain garden water feature was fabricated from a single monolithic granite slab. The concrete free-standing site wall was built to match house finishes. Rooftop plantings and bamboo plantings enliven the site.

Designer: G2 Collaborative / Photography: Peter Vanderwarker