seul — only, unique

terre — earth, ground

Agave detail by Dena | Seul Terre

  • landscape designer + founder

    My interest in horticulture deepened in the dense clay soil of my Northern California garden — where a lifelong love of design quietly translated outdoors.

    The aesthetic that emerged is curated modern, with an eye for uncommon subtlety. I work in palettes that don’t look quite like everyone else’s — the same instinct I bring to my wardrobe: quality classics layered with some unexpected elements. A weakness for the particular thing.

    I’m drawn to the exceptional, which usually means research, special orders, and finding the piece before it surfaces in the mainstream.

  • Each project begins with the site — its conditions, architecture, the inhabitants. The design flows from there.

    Seul Terre is a landscape design studio with a few quiet tenets:

    Gardens are never finished — they live and ask to be tended, whether intently or passively.

    Sourcing is design. Finding the right tree, plant, brick, or bench is the curation Seul Terre provides.

    Gardens are the work of many people. The trades who build and maintain these spaces hold up the entire practice. We honor that in how we credit, collaborate, and design.

    Each project becomes an artful stylization of plants + outdoor materials — composed with intention, and allowed to patina over time.

  • dry garden design certified by Ruth Bancroft Garden

    Member:

    Association of Professional Landscape Designers

    California Native Plant Society

    Pacific Horticulture

    a bit of history: Dena’s editorial endeavors began in the fashion, design and architecture division of ABRAMS BOOKS in NYC. Magazines lured her away, and then tech, upon resettling in California. NorCal, SoCal and back to the Bay Area again. A decade spent leading social media campaigns for lifestyle, fashion + beauty brands. Content Curation + Art Direction + Photography + Brand Consulting + Styling. Creative lead at FIG+YARROW. Other clients: CREDO | DRYBAR | SPLENDID. Prior to launching a social media agency, Dena’s work appeared in REFINERY29, DAILY CANDY, and C MAGAZINE, + other style-focused outlets. The signs were there: writing garden articles for CALIFORNIA HOME & DESIGN long before landscape design became the work.

    PORTFOLIO OF PREVIOUS WORK

Matilija Poppy | Romneya Coulteri | by Dena | Seul Terre | Close-up of a white flower with yellow center surrounded by green leaves.

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Close-up of white, fuzzy, branching plant or lichen against a darkish, rocky background.
Close-up view of a large agave plant with pale bluish-green, spiky, succulent leaves with sharp spines along the edges and at the tips, growing in rocky soil.
Multiple lavender-colored succulents with thick, fleshy leaves growing in rocky soil.
Close-up of grayish silver, fern-like plant growing in soil.
A garden with various green plants, tall eucalyptus trees, and a plant with tall blue-gray leaves and purple bell-shaped flowers.
Close-up of a weathered tree trunk with grayish-green leaves growing around it.
Close-up of a blue agave plant with thick, pointed, sharp-edged leaves.
Close-up of agave plant leaves with thick, blue-green, spiky edges and a pinkish tint on the leaf surfaces.
Close-up of various succulent plants with thick, fleshy leaves in shades of green and gray.
Close-up of green leaves, showing texture and soft shadows, possibly of a plant like succulent or aloe vera.
Close-up of a furry, gray, and white object that appears to be a pair of furry slippers or decorations on a wooden fence. The objects have long, thin, hair-like fibers and are decorated with small ice or frost crystals.
A large beige pot with a tall succulent plant and smaller cacti, placed on a concrete surface against a textured gray wall.
Tree with pink blossoms against a clear blue sky.
Large blue-gray agave plant outdoors with trees and clear sky in background.
Close-up of large blue agave plant with spiky, thick leaves and round white cacti with sharp spines growing nearby, in a desert setting.
Close-up of a eucalyptus tree against a clear blue sky.
A desert plant with thick, oval-shaped gray-green leaves in front of tall, spiky green grasses.
Close-up of a pale pink hibiscus flower with ruffled petals and prominent yellow stamens, set against a blurred green foliage background.
Close-up of a plant with purple flowers, green buds, and dark green leaves against a light background.
Close-up of a cactus with green pads and pink flowers blooming on top.
Various succulents with green and pinkish leaves growing among rocks in a garden bed.
Close-up of large, bluish-gray succulent plants with pointed leaves in a garden setting.