USA Garden Tour: An Architect’s Desert Yard Showcases Arid Beauty
A skilfully designed outdoor space celebrates the dramatic desert views, plants and terrain of Arizona, USA
When designing his home on two acres of Sonoran Desert in Arizona, USA, architect Clint Miller looked to modern masters for inspiration: German architect and designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and American architect Philip Johnson. Miller’s design maintains an efficient footprint that emphasises clean lines, framed views and plenty of steel, glass and brick.
The design for the land surrounding the home is as thoughtful and specific as the design for the house, though the inspiration comes from a source that is closer though no less significant: the natural landscape of the Arizona desert, which runs right up to the walls and windows of the house. “The challenge, but also the uniqueness of the space, was working with completely natural native desert,” says landscape architect Clayton Miller. “It was a less-is-more philosophy from the start.”
The design for the land surrounding the home is as thoughtful and specific as the design for the house, though the inspiration comes from a source that is closer though no less significant: the natural landscape of the Arizona desert, which runs right up to the walls and windows of the house. “The challenge, but also the uniqueness of the space, was working with completely natural native desert,” says landscape architect Clayton Miller. “It was a less-is-more philosophy from the start.”
The more dramatic landscape design occurs closer to the home, where it is more visible, impactful and easier to maintain (though nothing receives supplemental irrigation). A straight path of flagstone and decomposed granite leads from the driveway to the front door, framed by a naturalistic planting of yuccas, agaves and other sculptural plants and desert natives.
“We wanted to add more variety of species to create an aesthetically pleasing entrance,” says Miller. Strategically placed boulders from other parts of the site also heighten the design.
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“We wanted to add more variety of species to create an aesthetically pleasing entrance,” says Miller. Strategically placed boulders from other parts of the site also heighten the design.
Find a landscape architect or designer on Houzz near you
The home’s floor-to-ceiling windows and semi-isolated location mean the homeowners enjoy unobstructed, panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.
The landscape architects wanted this view to feel like an extension of the house, but they also saw an opportunity to create a museum-like experience. Low, linear metal planters tie in with the home’s architecture, while neatly planted rows of agave appear as specimens on display. With no fences surrounding the property, native animals, including snakes, javelinas and coyotes, often pass through the yard, sometimes venturing right up to the glass.
Native mesquite trees form a backdrop to the raised planter. “These native trees create privacy as well as shade to help keep the home cool during the warm desert temperature,” says Miller. The natural landscape extends beyond.
The landscape architects wanted this view to feel like an extension of the house, but they also saw an opportunity to create a museum-like experience. Low, linear metal planters tie in with the home’s architecture, while neatly planted rows of agave appear as specimens on display. With no fences surrounding the property, native animals, including snakes, javelinas and coyotes, often pass through the yard, sometimes venturing right up to the glass.
Native mesquite trees form a backdrop to the raised planter. “These native trees create privacy as well as shade to help keep the home cool during the warm desert temperature,” says Miller. The natural landscape extends beyond.
Looking back to the house from the yard, you can see the six-millimetre-thick steel planters filled with reclaimed rocks from the site, and the neatly planted row of whale’s tongue agave (Agave ovatifolia). The planters’ materiality and shape echo the home’s. This view also shows how the natural desert continues right up to the windows.
A small patch of artificial turf in the backyard provides a soft, flat space for the homeowners to relax, entertain and play with their grandchildren, and it satisfies their requirement for no maintenance or irrigation. Native velvet mesquite trees (Prosopis velutina) shade the outdoor space, as do the home’s dramatic overhangs.
This synthetic lawn is the home’s only manicured outdoor living space, as the rest of the property is raw desert landscape. A steel edging along the front of the lawn retains 45 centimetres of grade, transforming what had been a natural, rocky slope into a flat, usable outdoor space.
“They enjoy sitting in the backyard with a glass of wine, taking in the desert views and watching the wildlife that passes through the large cross-cutting wash that runs the length of the property,” says Miller.
This synthetic lawn is the home’s only manicured outdoor living space, as the rest of the property is raw desert landscape. A steel edging along the front of the lawn retains 45 centimetres of grade, transforming what had been a natural, rocky slope into a flat, usable outdoor space.
“They enjoy sitting in the backyard with a glass of wine, taking in the desert views and watching the wildlife that passes through the large cross-cutting wash that runs the length of the property,” says Miller.
A tidy array of architectural slipper plants (Pedilanthus macrocarpus) frame the faux turf in the backyard, drawing a bridge between the clean-lined modernist home and the natural desert beyond.
Subtle outdoor lighting allows the homeowners to enjoy the backyard at night without disturbing the surrounding landscape.
Here you can see the remains of the original home built on this property in 1962, including the concrete slab the architect used as the foundation for the current home. The old house had been reduced to what we see here when Miller purchased the property. He also incorporated the previous home’s handmade sand-mould bricks from the early 1900s into the new design.
The original driveway from the main road to the house, shown here, was paved when the property was first developed – it is still the only route to the house. During the renovation, the landscape architects regraded the driveway to improve traffic but changed as little as possible, finishing it with a native pea gravel.
The further away you get from the house, the more the landscape returns to nature. The architect strategically thinned native plants to encourage better growth habits and planted some additional ones for privacy. “The majority of the lot is left to be natural, undisturbed and native to the Sonoran Desert land. We wanted the design to be an extension that flowed into the desert,” says Miller.
Your turn
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More
Missed our last garden tour? Catch up here with this USA Garden Tour: Explore a Rugged Landscape on a River
The further away you get from the house, the more the landscape returns to nature. The architect strategically thinned native plants to encourage better growth habits and planted some additional ones for privacy. “The majority of the lot is left to be natural, undisturbed and native to the Sonoran Desert land. We wanted the design to be an extension that flowed into the desert,” says Miller.
Your turn
What do you love about this property? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save your favourite images, and join the conversation.
More
Missed our last garden tour? Catch up here with this USA Garden Tour: Explore a Rugged Landscape on a River
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect Clint Miller, his wife and their French bulldog
Location: Carefree in Arizona, USA
Size: A two-acre property, of which about half an acre is landscaped
Landscape architects: Russell Greey and Clayton Miller of Greey Pickett
Architect: Clint Miller
Landscape contractor: Premier Environments
With the exception of the driveway and the roughly 185-square-metre house, which Miller built on the concrete slab of the property’s original 1962 home, the land remained undisturbed before the landscape design. It featured native boulders, trees and shrubs throughout through the property.
Landscape architects Russell Greey and Clayton Miller of Greey Pickett worked to create a pleasing design for the homeowners that also celebrated the site’s natural features. They added outdoor living space for the family and designed views through the home’s floor-to-ceiling glass walls that are attractive, semi-private and in harmony with the existing site.
“The landscape design philosophy was to merge the indoor-outdoor liveable space for the homeowners while keeping the natural integrity of the desert,” says Miller. “We really loved that this project was all about honouring the beauty of the natural desert.”