Willamette Dry Garden

A rainwater swale wraps around patios and play areas for this young family in North Portland. Filled with Mediterranean and West Coast natives, this garden comes to life even in the dry season.

Residential
Design & Build / Completed 2024 / Photography and Design by Megan Hanley

From dining under the pergola, nights around the fire pit, and custom log balance beams for young kids and adults alike to practice their coordination, this garden has a space for everyone. Even Winnie, their sweet pup, loves spending her time basking in the sun on the gravel patio.

The garden is filled with native plants for pollinators, and the bird bath boulder is a stopover for insects to get a quick drink between flowers. It’s also a fun spot to play with your truck or race car if you are two years old!

Plants that provide food were an important part of our brief from the client. They wanted a low maintenance garden that they did not need to water much in the summer.

Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano are incorporated in the borders mixing with west coast natives such as cistus, manzanita, deer grass, evergreen huckleberry, and ceanothus.

Of course blueberries are a big part of every toddler’s diet and we planted 3 dwarf varieties for summer snacking.

An open downspout and lots of roof runoff was an opportunity to create a swale that wraps around the patio. The river rock and juncus slow the flow of water while allowing it to wind its way through the planting beds and soak into the ground rather than off the property.

We designed multiple wooden elements that we wanted to silver and age gracefully with the dry landscape.

Our clients took on the woodworking aspect themselves, doing an incredible job crafting a pergola, log balance beams, and a cedar bench from our plans.

This garden is a true collaboration. It was absolutely glowing on a warm evening at the end of July, just one year after installation.

Woodland Garden