Rancho Dulce Residence
.
.
| Rancho Dulce Residence The Pamela Burton family citrus ranch in Ojai sits in a box canyon, surrounded by wild, rugged mountains. The land is perfect for growing oranges and Minneolas because it is fast-draining alluvial earth with an aquifer underneath that refills quickly after a drought and is easily pumped to irrigate the crops. At Rancho Dulce, we began with a series of concentric rings: uncultivated mountains circling cultivated citrus groves and, at the center, the house surrounded by stonewalls made of rocks from the mountains. To mark one edge of the property, we planted a row of poplar trees, started as bare-root sticks, which are now seventy feet tall. Inside the garden, we have experimented with many native plants. We wanted plantings that were humble, available, not cranky, able to perform dutifully, and to endure. A square of lawn is planted with buffalo grass that goes dormant and turns brown in winter, mirroring the surrounding hillsides. |
Comments on this entry are closed.