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Last Updated 06.24.10

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Desert Garden

The Office of James Burnett has designed a nine-acre garden inspired by the Annenbergs’ Post-Impressionist painting collection. More than 50,000 desert plants will create a lush oasis that reflects a 21st-century sensitivity to water usage. Using a limited number of desert plant species, the design juxtaposes areas of different colors, textures and shapes to immerse the visitor in a sensuous outdoor experience. The gardens form a vision of today's desert oasis providing contrast to the cultural landscape of the adjacent estate.

 

Photo Credits
Images supplied by the Office of James Burnettt
 
FEBRUARY 1, 2010
Photo credit:  Image supplied by the Office of James Burnett


Impressionist Art Planting Design Concept

The landscape design goal and vision for the Annenberg Center at Sunnylands is to provide a carefully orchestrated garden experience rooted in the concepts of impressionist art.    The garden is defined by the repetition and massing of plant material that is responsive to the regional climate and ecology of the Sonoran Desert.   The execution of the impressionist planting design concept relied on the singular beauty and dramatic forms of a wide array of desert plants.   To ensure the clarity of the concept, the Office of James Burnett produced detailed plans locating each plant on the 15-acre site.   The strong collaboration between the design team, contractors, and client will produce a unique and extraordinary garden at the Annenberg Center at Sunnylands.

Dillon Diers, Associate ASLA
Senior Associate, the Office of James Burnett