Wave Garden Bay View
Wave Garden © Alice Joyce
Designed by Victor Amador, whose artistry as a third-generation concrete contractor gives the landscape its terraced form, the Wave Garden embraces a hillside setting adorned with a captivating palette of drought tolerant plants:
Aeonium Sunburst © Alice Joyce
Wave Garden Sculpture Concrete Detail © Alice Joyce
Species from all 5 Mediterranean regions–from California to Mexico and South Africa, Europe to Australia–thrive in the waterside microclimate of Point Richmond, California, where succulent plants serve as stunning accents.
Wave Garden Vista © Alice Joyce
Garden designer Kellee Adams created a plant-scape that pivots upon “the goal of a garden with no trees.” And so, ground covering Sedum ‘Angelina adds golden tones alongside the walkways, with the brilliant rosettes of Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ a standout amid rush-like restios. Fleshy, colorfully splashed, spiky leaves of Mangave ‘Macho Mocha,’ an Agave hybrid is representative of the Wave Garden’s trove of eye-catching specimens.
Wave Garden Ironwork
During my visit to the garden, the variegated bracts of Leucadendron salignum present a glowing display, to decorate planting beds and play off the terra-cotta hue of the garden’s curving walls, staircases, and intimate patios.
Amador added sculptural texture by hand, as in an element that suggests waves. Rounding a bend, the expressive lines of hand-forged ironwork railings add a unifying, artful effect to the landscape.
The Wave Garden is open daily, year-round, 8am to 6 pm — 615 Western Drive, Point Richmond.
Wave Garden Stairway
Wave Garden Sculpture © Alice Joyce
Alice ,
thanks so much for writing about this marvelous garden.
I have seen wonderful pictures of it ( including yours ) but I did not know it was open to the public.
What a nice little gem !
Michelle
Dear Alice, What a bold and dramatic garden. The sinuous structures, weaving round the steeply sloping site and the highly simplified plantings make, for me, the elements of a bravely modern garden maximising the landscape in which it finds itself. I am not sure whether I should like this garden, but that is not really the point. It does, I feel, push the boundaries of garden design and makes one rethink more ‘traditional’ approaches and that is always to the good.
Dear Alice, This garden is fascinatingly ‘different’. I can’t imagine a garden without trees, but this one seems to work in its simplicity. I’m still not sure why it is called the ‘wave garden’. Pam x
I think it would be wonderful to be there and meander through this beautiful garden.
The Wave Garden is very beautiful. Everwhere I see gorgeous blooms and scenic views.
love the ironworks