Photos by Daniel Nadelbach A profusion of plants lines the curvy Arizona Buff flagstone path in this Santa Fe Pueblo-style home’s gated courtyard. Included are English lavender ‘Munstead’ planted in beds, and pots filled with pink ivy geraniums (center) and Japanese maple ‘Crimson Queen’ mixed with variegated periwinkle (near the front door). Wisteria climbs across an open-beamed covering at the home’s entry.

A naturalistic Garden of Eden offers a sense of serenity

The extraordinary natural beauty of Santa Fe and its environs has attracted cadres of painters for a century or more.

You can add at least one landscape designer to that list of artistic admirers—Richard Hayden. “The area is spectacularly beautiful,” states the California resident.

Working with his former business partner, Robert Bosen, he developed plans for the gardens and inviting outdoor amenities at this Pueblo-style home. Hayden has continued to play a role, maintaining the landscape and making revisions to plantings over the last decade as the grounds have matured.

The residence—set at an elevation of 7,500 feet— “is located in the piñon-forested foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with a view that extends 100 miles in most directions,” says Hayden. The goal of the homeowners was to “have a landscape that would be peaceful and soothing and also function like a mini resort when they were entertaining, or when the whole family was in residence.” They were very involved in the design process, he adds.

Overlooking downtown Santa Fe, the setting is centered around a large lagoon-style pool—the heart of the outdoor area, Hayden comments. It features an undulating vanishing edge that he says draws the eye “out across the pool toward the view below.”

Nestled between New Mexico moss rocks are Sempervivum tectorum plants, commonly known as hen and chicks.

Each room in the house looks out on the landscape, so the gardens were designed to be enjoyed as much while observing them from indoors as outdoors. Vegetation that provides year-round interest factored into the plant choices, as did the weather, notes the landscape designer. Summer, despite its frequent thunderstorms, is hot and dry, with temperatures that can reach 90-plus degrees. Winter has occasional snowstorms. Evergreens, ornamental grasses, and perennials that hold their seed plumes all winter proved to be good choices for these conditions.

“The planting style is very naturalistic, and roughly three-quarters of the plants we used were New Mexico natives,” Hayden says. Certain plants, such as ornamental fountain grass, are repeated around the property, to give a sense of cohesion. Parry’s agave creates a bold architectural statement, and groupings of aspen trees provide a strong vertical presence. 

It is only in the entry courtyard that colorful perennials and annuals are used. This area was the “perfect place for a more traditional cottage garden, since it was completely surrounded by the house,” Hayden states. Sweet-smelling roses, wisteria, lilacs, peonies and other plants suited for cutting are found here.

The landscape pro has the chance to work on this slice of paradise fairly often, for, as he says, “A garden is never really finished.”
 

A sculpture of playful figures stands among high-desert vegetation under the shade of a cottonwood tree.

Set within a patchwork of high-country perennials is an antique English sundial.

In the entry courtyard, masses of coleus, purple flox and yellow columbine provide pops of color. A stand of aspen trees (background) ensures fall color.

Inviting with its kiva fireplace, this covered patio serves as an alfresco dining and sitting area. Adding to the New Mexican ambience, a wreath of chile peppers hangs in a fireplace niche.

Set against a naturalistic backdrop of piñon pine and coyote willow trees, the vanishing-edge swimming pool is sited on a tier several feet below the residence. Twin waterfalls that cascade over the pool’s craned-in rock formations originate at a spa situated on the same level as the house, explains landscape designer Richard Hayden. Beneath the falls is a swim-in grotto. Submerged benches here “allow for a cool place to relax on a hot day,” he notes. Pool decking is Arizona Buff flagstone.