The Donum Estate, located in Napa Valley’s Carneros region, boasts one of the world's largest accessible private art collections, with more than 60 sculptures representing a global community of artists nestled in 200 acres of vineyards and hills.

Arterra designed a resilient 2-acre garden at the heart of the estate, where a monoculture of lavender had failed due to the presence of phytophthora. Additionally we were tasked with creating the setting for a new multi-piece art installation that had strict guidelines regarding placement and orientation and would have to harmonize with existing artworks. We were to also enhance the experience of the garden to establish a sense of arrival, attract wildlife, and create a welcoming destination for stops on the estate tour and special events.

Set within view of Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads 2011, an iconic Love sculpture by Robert Indiana, and other monumental works arrayed on nearby hillsides, the site was anchored by Big Moma, a Richard Hudson bronze fountain delineated by a circular pathway accessed by multiple points. This was soon to be augmented by Yang Bao’s installation, HYPERSPACE, 10 mirrored sculptures connected by an original site-specific soundscape.

Based on the concept of an exploded maze, the design plan called for bold sweeps of plants to craft a landscape that will hold its form and offer distinct seasonal experiences while also acknowledging nature’s supremacy: if a plant type succumbs to phytophthora, only one sweep, rather than the whole garden, will have to be replaced.

Gingko trees were installed around the fountain to establish a sense of arrival and introduce depth, shadow, shade, and light to a sun-drenched spot. In the fall, their leaves turn bright yellow in dialogue with the mustard and grapevines on the surrounding hillsides. We then paired evergreen grasses with spring-, summer-, and fall-blooming perennials of different heights and characteristics to provide variety, as well as pollinator habitat to support the estate's honeybees and lavender, olive and grape production. More structural grasses are offset by those that move in the breeze and capture or reflect light. Five types of low-growing thyme — chosen both for fragrance and to not obscure the art — bloom in multiple colors and seasons, so that the garden presents differently over the course of a year. The grasses are planted linearly, with the perennials dappled through then crossing over between grasses, the two patterns overlaid and shifted across one another in an artistic approach that echoes the actual art.

Donum's HYPERSPACE garden combines the refuge and relief provided by water and shade, with the resilience and beauty of a carefully chosen, artfully arrayed plant palette. The result is a garden inspired by and responding to art, one that is vibrant with wildlife and animated by the effects of wind and light on moving grasses. Ultimately it is a garden that celebrates a strong sense of place in the heart of California's wine country.

Art: HYPERSPACE by Yang Bao
Photography: Adam Potts Photography