A new Mountain Modern home in Schaffer’s Mill, set into an existing landscape of Jeffrey pine, white fir, and native Artemisia. The brief: a planting plan that flows with the surrounding wild rather than against it, while meeting Zone Zero fire restrictions throughout.

The planting reads in undulating waves. Artemisia and Arctostaphylos carry the groundcover across the sprawling front yard, punctuated by boulders unearthed on site during construction. Blue flax draws the eye toward the entry — its wind-swept foliage echoed across the road on the existing hillside, where it grows wild throughout the community. Penstemon was chosen in a handful of varieties for blooms that ask to be approached. Perovskia ‘Russian Sage’ will read as a quiet swath of color in season.

A few trees came down to make room for the house. New plantings ease that transition back into the forest: native incense cedar, and Colorado blue spruce in upright and prostrate forms — chosen for Tahoe-blue tones that play against the surrounding green.

Completed: 2024.