After more than three years of construction, thousands of hours of labor and a team of about 50 employees, city officials
came out to examine the Palmer residence project completed by Enchanted Garden Landscape, Inc. and could only ask, "What did
you do here? It doesn't look like anything was done."
Which was exactly the point.
Nestled into south side of the Black Mountains in Carefree, AZ, the Palmer residence looks as though it's a part of the natural
landscape, as if hundreds of years of winds and rain carved the home out of the mountain.
The Palmer residence landscape is dotted with amenities like a swimming pool, spa, fire pits, patio and butterfly and hummingbird
gardens.
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"The site was designed not to have a disconnect between the home and the unique site it was placed on," says Donna Winters,
landscape architect and owner of the company. "From the ground textures, to the natural on-site soils, to the boulder work
to the landscape elements, we made sure that no one would ever be able to tell what our imprint was.
"What makes the site so dramatic is how completely sensitive and integrated it is to its surroundings," she adds.
Rocky start
Boulders the size and quality of what you'd find at Arizona's famous Boulders Resort cover every inch of the terrain. From
the very beginning of the project, Enchanted Garden was involved in the site context. Teams went into the property and harvested
the native vegetation and terrain. They also extensively photographed the site, so when it was time to put in the rock and
boulders back in, they could authentically place the outcroppings in their original form.
"We were acutely involved in constructing a good infrastructure with the builders of the home," Winters says. "This site required
us to drill boulders, pin boulders, and to safely integrate these large outcroppings with the home. There were a lot of logistic
issues. There were places where we had to crane in trees and boulders before the walls of the home could go up.
The arid desert conditions made it necessary to look at naturally sustainable plantlife and landscape design.
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"Ultimately, we brought in more than 14 semi-loads of boulders, matching the curvature, texture and colors to make it as natural
looking as possible," she adds.
To navigate through such a steep landscape, Enchanted Garden built carved natural stone steps between layers of terraces and
retaining walls of stone. These terraces provide areas to sit and rest, as well as a passageway for the homeowners to stroll
through the gardens and experience the unique surroundings.
As a plus, the stone steps also make it easier for Enchanted Garden to continue to maintain the site's landscape, lighting
and water features.
"We designed the infrastructure to be easily maintained," Winters says. "We were able to make the right decisions and implement
the right kinds of plans so that when it rains, for instance, we're not sweeping up granite that's run off the mountain."
Honor the mountain
Winters describes the Enchanted Garden team's efforts as "honoring the mountain." Every detail of the project puts authenticity
at the forefront.
