A Live-in Garden (continued)
On Vashon Island in Puget Sound, nursery owners Sylvia Matlock and Ross Johnson’s sleek mini-house melds seamlessly into the dramatic foliage of their woodland garden.
Photo: John Granen
Matlock and Johnson have worked tirelessly for 15 years to create their half-acre garden in less than ideal conditions. The soil is dry and drains all too quickly because the house and garden are built on old glacial till. Such conditions would suggest Mediterranean plants. However, the couple conserved a handsome canopy of native trees that cast too much shade to grow rosemary and lavender. But they persevered, layering the garden with infrastructure and plants, many one-of-a-kind experiments brought home from their nursery. “We’ve even carted lots of plants home from DIG that have imperfections” says Matlock, pointing out a little grove of birches with twisty trunks. “I’m such a plant nerd,” admits Matlock of her foraging trips to California to track down the newest, the latest, the most desirable plants.
While Matlock plants, Johnson builds. He created the ultimate uber-containers by having 3,000-pound concrete catch basins (usually used as sewers) stacked to retain the slope below the little house. Now vines cascade down the concrete surface and trees grow happily within the huge cisterns.
Years ago the couple designed a larger house with a garage out front. As they approached its construction they had an epiphany. “Why did we need all that space?” says Matlock. Realizing they couldn’t picture how a bigger house might look on their property and that they didn’t want to give up garden space for it, they downsized their plans. Today, they’re entirely happy with the result: a light-filled, little contemporary house that’s an integral part of their gorgeous garden.
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