Design Challenge: Having a spectacular view of downtown Seattle and a large useable terrace our client need help landscaping her condominium deck so it lived up to the view. She requested dining privacy from the apartment across the street and the neighboring terrace just a short wall away. She wanted to be surrounded by a garden. The building's retro Spanish architecture and hot afternoon exposure dictated a Mediterranean palette which also worked with the design of her interior.

Now: We lined the walls with terra cotta colored square containers in several sizes and added a few additional interesting pots selected to work with some of hers we reused. Weight was not a key issue because of the terrace's supporting structure, but we used lighter-weight fiberclay containers. We kept two of her favorite plants that worked with the palette. 3 new wire trellises fit behind pots against the low shared wall and evergreen vines were planted to quickly fill in the view of the neighbor's terrace. The client designed a shabby sheik fountain and we tucked it in a corner which buffers the traffic noise from the street below. It works well.

Sun tolerant, hardy plants with a variety of textures and colors, easy-care, and mostly evergreen were planted in the surrounding 'garden'. The tallest shrubs can be easily pruned to stay below the view. Now private and lovely-it works!