Mariposa Garden — Montecito, CA
The Mariposa Garden’s design deftly navigates the tensions between whimsical and practical, formal and fanciful, predictable and surprising.
This garden is rooted in legacy and fresh inspiration, designed to reveal for the visitor over time in many acts. For almost a decade we have performed a fluid curatorial process for Mariposa gardens that weaves together people, its history, the natural habitat, and the seasons – interpreting these in a way that is fun and modern.
A contemporary Latin American sculpture amplifies the Spanish heritage and its multi-cultural present.
The moroccan room, in collaboration with Helen Aumont, enhances the allure and enjoyment spaces of the gardens.
The meditation deck invites the whole family to share moments of peace.
The various gardens are curated with a high level of horticultural and botanical intervention, featuring many unique, rare, and climate-appropriate plants to enhance its original California chaparral habitat. California coast live oak trees encircle the estate and frame walkways and garden rooms. Coast Rosemary and Little Ollies reinterpret the heritage of the formal boxwood borders. A yellow garden calls to the distant mountain backdrop and its native palette inviting pollinators and a splash of sunshine.
Mariposa Gardens integrates climate-resilient and sustainable strategies, including measures to protect the soil, integrated pest management, natural methods of water management, and landscape practices that protect the home and gardens against wildfires.
We plant for the future, improving the oak tree canopy by nurturing existing oaks and planting additional oaks. In turn, the continuous canopy increases biodiversity and creates a natural fire-resistance shield for the home.
Mariposa Gardens is a labor of love. We listened to the land, our clients, and the site’s heritage to bring this project to fruition. Nothing is permanent, but we can attest to the future of a continued collaboration of reciprocity between art, nature, and daily life.
Mariposa Garden acolades includes ASLA Quality of Life Awards, Merrit for Residential Landscape, 2021; a feature in Landzine, and CA Home + Design Landscape Design Award, 2022.
Status
Completed in 2018
On-going curatorial services
Credits
Collaborations
RIOS
Consultants
Bergakker Construction, Paysage Landscape, Helene Aumont Interior Design, Adrian Villar Rojas/Sculpture, ACLA Fine Art.
Photography
Lepere Studio