Photos - Clock-wise from top left
Joplin was challenged with transforming a small Tucson yard
at a 1950s home into an inviting family-friendly setting with
Contemporary elements. “The client is from Austria, where stainless
steel swimming pools are common due to the climate and health
standards,” says Joplin. “He wanted to develop a unique oasis where
less is more.” The aboveground stainless steel spa she designed
features a cover that slides under the lounging pads.
A sheet of industrial steel with mailbox-flag cutouts serves as wall art in Margaret Joplin’s yard. Planted below is a colorful mix of heat-hardy desert flora. “Margaret loves to try new things and comes to our nursery when she is looking for something different,” says Gene Joseph, co-owner of Plants for the Southwest in Tucson. “The thing I really like about her is her enthusiasm for plants, especially the strange and wonderful types. It is not unusual for her to come into the nursery looking for something for a customer, and then as she’s finishing up, saying, ‘Maybe I should get one for myself, too.’”
Steel entry pots were designed to fit the architecture of this Contemporary home in Sonoita, Arizona. The plants were selected based on their ability to handle hot summers, cold winters and high winds.
Rusted-steel trellises support a host of plants at a client’s yard in Tucson.
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