This simple back-of-napkin garden design for a residence in Redmond, Washington guided needs for access and soil stabilization into a low cost color, fragrance and edibles garden.

A steep slope just a few feet from the house had a small deck and limited outside access. For a healthier living experience, the garden design expanded the range of outdoor activities by extending the deck, adding short walls, structuring paths and growing edibles.

A small area of aromatic perennials under a bedroom window was protected from the wind by a fence on one side and a privacy screen of Daphnes on the other. This would cause fragrance to drift up and into the windows on sunny mornings from late Winter through Spring.

The deck extension created a covered outdoor room for storing garden tools. A row of columnar evergreens hid this space from street views and spatially stabilized the deck experience.

An apple tree espalier, kiwi trellis and grape arbor provided the structure for a save and level corridor at the top edge of the slope that was warmed by the winter sun and cooled by shade during the summer.