Tranquility

McArthur Residence

Aspen, Colorado

By Jennifer Dolecki-Smith, RLA, ASLA

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Inspiration

Tranquility

Healing

Inner reflection

A blend of elegance

a touch of time,

a bit of surprise

Peace

Inspiration

Home

Beginnings

A revitalization of place

A reawakening of spirit

Vision

A place where beautiful

interaction can happen with

friends,

family,

nature,

or completely within

Where life’s ebbs and flows are

echoed in the shapes of the garden

Transformation

A gathering space

The crunch of gravel

The beginning of

a journey.

Evolution

A compression of views as you come
around the largest plant.

A new view
of the garden from within.

Distant mountains are framed by the
plantings drawing you gaze outward.

A trickle of water
centers and brings focus.

Stones create a reason for pause.

A Destination Revealed

from the inside out

A welcoming: A path,

a bridge,

a trickle of water,

a meditation space

At once new, and warmly familiar.

Grounded ness and history in an ever changing world.

Simply hearing the water is not enough. It calls to share its nature through all the senses.
Calm,The meditation space feels complete.

peaceful.

A circular area without beginning and

without end.

Buddha surveying the garden reminding us
that silence is a powerful experience.

Nature will bear the closes Inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. — Henry David Thoreau

Reflections From the Owner

“My garden, also known as Serenity Sanctuary, is a phenomenal design. It continually changes almost daily, keeping it interesting,” says Cheryl McArthur, the owner in

Aspen, Colorado. “The garden represents peacefulness to me; a quality I really wanted from my garden. I am filled with joy when I stand on my deck looking out at it.”

Being a creative person, Ms. McArthur truly wanted to enjoy the process of building her dream home. She states that designing the garden was the most fulfilling part of the whole process.

“It is wonderful to see all the changes of the plants with their different color flowers and leaves take the garden through its various expressions,” says Ms. McArthur. “The garden is constantly, transforming every few weeks.” Ms. McArthur especially likes the large focal point moss rock boulder, with a natural bowl in it, that serves as the trickling water feature in the garden. These moss rock granite natural boulders are a trademark of Escape Garden Design’s landscapes. “When the birds splash to take a bath in it, a smile of contentment comes to my face.”

One of the original reasons that Ms.McArthur selected Escape Garden Design was because Phil Hedrick, one of the partners, has experience in Buddhist meditations and formally studied gardens in Japan. “He has probably experienced the peace and joy we desire,” she says.

In working with Escape Garden Design, Ms. McArthur said that the company is easy to work with and completely understood what she wanted to accomplish. Ms. McArthur is thrilled and delighted that she found a company, in Escape Garden Design, that could interpret her ideas so beautifully. “I found Escape to be open to my ideas and honest. They listened to what I envisioned and created it! I like people who do what they say and say what they mean. That means the world to me.”