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PUBLICATIONS | 2016 The Villager's Present: Gardens of Miami, featured garden TOURS | 2016 American Public Gardens Association, Private Gardens of Miami TOURS | 2014 National Garden Dialogues site by the The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) |
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Located along the natural occurring ridge line of north Coconut Grove, Oak Garden at Silver Bluff, is situated underneath the majestic canopies of more than a dozen native Florida Live Oak trees. The project architect, George Lopez, of GeoDesign, Inc., conceptualized the pool terrace as a continuation of the owner's interior living space and art gallery.
A new cabana anchors one end of the keystone terrace with a swimming pool and water wall opposite the long axis. The structure was designed with clean, uninterrupted lines and high ceilings, featuring a covered lounge, outdoor kitchen and an open air shower . The garden's water wall, clad with 10' tall slabs of iridescent marble, acts as the terminus to the view from the new cabana. The water wall features three magnificent lion heads made of hand-carved granite and acts as a dramatic focal point when viewed from the pool terraces and interior rooms. |
The garden's character evokes allusions of tropical forests and the secluded, verdurous gardens of the Brothers Bawa. The planting design for the pool garden highlights a variety of native and introduced palm species selected for their unique form and foliage characteristics. Created with the intention to screen views of neighboring homes, the perimeter plant palette is composed of large massings of dark leafed Lady Palms (Rhapis excelsa), dense clumping Montgomery Palms (Ptychosperma macarthurii) and broad leaf gingers (Alpinia species). The pool garden beds are accented with a collection of unique palm species including Satake Palms (Satakentia liukiuensis) with their tobacco and aubergine colored trunks and Flamethrower Palms (Chambeyronia macrocarpa) which produce burgandy colored leaflets among dark green feathery fronds.
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