Feature Garden: One World Wonder
29 Jun 2017
This charming landscape was a joyful, creative collaboration between the homeowners and many others
By Carol Brock | Photos by Vicki Mellott/Metamorphic Gardens Inc. Isn’t it rare when things just naturally fall into place, particularly in a home project? That’s how it happened for Lisa and Jim Scatena, after they had to redo the landscape at their historic home on University Hill. It all started with the 2013 flood—and a birthday wish. “After the flood, we had an underground spring which rerouted beneath our existing patio and house,” Lisa explains. The couple ended up with water in their basement after every rainfall, and had to demolish the patio to assess the situation. Three sump pumps and an “underground albatross of a water conduit” later, they successfully mitigated the problem.With the patio needing reconstruction, the couple toyed with the idea of going beyond a simple replacement. “We let our imaginations run wild with ‘We’ve always wanted ____,’ and then filled in the blank with ‘outdoor kitchen, fireplace, naturalized perennial gardens, heated walkways.’ If we didn’t go for it then, we knew we probably never would,” Lisa says. A remodel of that magnitude required skilled professionals from many arenas. The Scatenas turned first to one they already knew: Vicki Mellott of Boulder’s Metamorphic Gardens Inc. “I had helped them landscape a garden at their Newlands home in 2004,” Mellott recalls, “but this time I was like, ‘I’d love to help you, but I’m over the top with other jobs.’” But when Jim asked Lisa what she wanted for her birthday, her one-word reply was ‘Vicki.’ He told Mellott about her request. “So we began a new adventure together,” the landscaper says. Other pros and their teams soon joined Mellott on the adventure, including Conrad Gonzalez, Elton Randall, Jim Lutter and Rick Markwardt, among others. “It was a creativity dream team,” Lisa says. “Everything was a product of their levels of expertise melded with respect for one another’s input. It was pure joy working with every one of them.” Mellott says the collaboration is evident in the end product. “We all came together with such heartfelt creativity that heart was literally built into this landscape. With Lisa and Jim, we forged something so special, it just emanates heart.”“We all came together with such heartfelt creativity that heart was literally built into this landscape." See the results of their collaboration below
Unexpected Details
The landscape’s unexpected details set it apart from the humdrum, Lisa says. “So many perennial beds, kitchens and fireplaces look the same to me these days. It was important to create charm and personality with unique touches that made the landscape feel as if it had been present since the house was built in 1923. Given the scale of the project, it would have been easy to lose the warmth and character that exude from this space.” Lisa spent hours at salvage yards searching for those touches, like the garden gates from the Swat Valley in Pakistan (home to Malala Yousafzai); the hand-forged bronze light sculpture from Italy; the fireplace’s 100-year-old Moroccan sandstone arch; and the carved Indian pillars that support the massive mantel. “The whole project turned out to be way more than I figured,” Jim says, “but things were well thought out every step of the way by very creative folks. The garden is where we want to be, and it always seems to fit the time of year, like a hidden oasis.” As a sanctuary from her busy medical practice, Lisa says the garden couldn’t be more peaceful, functional and perfect. “It makes me smile.”The Patio's Main Entry
Old World Meets Historic Boulder
Hand-built Fireplace
Variety of Seating
The Front Garden
Found Wood and Hand-built Stone Walls
Tall Perennials and Pear Trees
Rope-lit Walkway
