Hawthorne Mediterranean Garden

This oversized backyard garden in the bustling Hawthorne neighborhood of Southeast Portland features an elaborate array of unique outdoor spaces with highly custom hardscape features and extensive Mediterranean garden plantings.

When the client approached Pistils, the backyard was ‘blank slate,’ having been mostly untouched by the previous owners. Her vision was to create a series of highly functional and attractive outdoor rooms for her family and friends to enjoy, with a Mediterranean garden aesthetic.

It begins with a hub of custom-designed and custom-fabricated curved steel garden beds for edibles, as vegetable and herb production during the warm, sunny Pacific Northwest months was a top priority.

As family and friend hang-out time was also a very important to our client, Pistils created a roomy fire pit area with a crushed gravel patio and a comfortable, curved concrete bench that referenced the curvilinear design language of the raised edible beds nearby, interconnected with natural stepping stone paths.

Aspirations for a ‘wellness zone’ were achieved with a well-appointed spa area with a hot tub, custom cedar pergola overhead, a timber fence for privacy and rustic concrete paver patio underfoot.

To round things out, Pistils installed a large dining patio set with bluestone pavers, flanked by custom concrete retaining walls and planters immediately adjacent to the backdoor.

The colorful and diverse plant palette includes a wide array of herbaceous perennials, ornamental grasses and evergreen plants, with specimens like Mimosa 'Summer Chocolate,' Edgeworthia chrysantha, Phormium and Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez.'