A PORTFOLIO OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

JAVAN BOWSHER

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This is the garden: colours come and go,

frail azures fluttering from night’s outer wing

strong silent greens silently lingering,

absolute lights like baths of golden snow.

This is the garden: pursed lips do blow

upon cool flutes within wide gloom, and sing

(of harps celestial to the quivering string)

invisible faces hauntingly and slow.

This is the garden. Time shall surely reap

and on Death’s blade lie many a flower curled,

in other lands where other songs be sung;

yet stand They here enraptured, as among

the slow deep trees perpetual of sleep

some silver-fingered fountain steals the world.

e. e. cummings

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESIDENTIAL

S. BAKER ST. DUPLEX____________________________________4

SCRIBNER RESIDENCE___________________________________6

KESSEMEIER RESIDENCE________________________________8

THURMAN RESIDENCE__________________________________10

PUBLIC

JESSIE PLAZA, SAN FRANCISCO________________________12

THE WESTERN ADDITION, SAN FRANCISCO____________14

RESUME______________________________________________________16

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S. BAKER ST. DUPLEX

While working with Lesaca Landscape Co. I was approached by CM Custom

Builders to create a landscape plan for a new duplex they were building in

Bakersfield, CA. The plans needed to comply with the latest MWELO

requirements to be approved by the city. The landscape needed to be low

water use and kept to a low budget to reduce costs. I was able to meet these

requirements while still maintaining a pleasant atmosphere for the future

residents.

The landscape plan shows all plant locations and water use, as well as the soil

test results provided by a lab, as per city and state requirements. The

irrigation plan shows all hydrozones, suggested irrigation schedule, and water

calculations.

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SCRIBNER RESIDENCE

The Scribner’s residence is located in Lincoln, CA in an upscale gated

neighborhood overlooking the Catta Verdera golf course. The Scribner’s

approached me while they were in the finishing stages of building their home

on their nearly 1 acre property. They wanted a masterplan of their property

drawn up that addressed some of their needs, desires, and key issues while

creating a Modern Tropical theme. There were two main constraints with their

property. The first was that the backyard dropped off at about a 3:1 slope

starting 15’ outside of their backdoor, making a large portion of their backyard

difficult to access. The second constraint was the need to work around

several very large existing Valley Oak trees. In the end, with some thought and

good design, these constraints were able to be made into opportunities.

I was able to create terraces on the slope with grading and walls that became

smaller rooms in the landscape. This allowed the clients to have more useable

space in their backyard while maintaining the view into the golf course and a

small wooded greenbelt between the golf course and the back of their

property.

I created spaces around the oak trees that preserved their roots as much as

possible, and also made them the focal points of those areas. Another benefit

of these oaks was the large amount of shade that they could provide already

for the house and landscape in an area known for hot summers.

For the tropical theme, I focused on the plant selection, calling out plants that

would help to give a tropical look, but also be able to handle a climate of hot

summers and cool winters. These plants included Mediterranean Fan Palms,

Sago Palms, Fernleaf Clumping Bamboos, Tree Philodendrons, Cast Iron Plants,

and Mandevillas, to name a few.

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KESSEMEIER RESIDENCE

The Kessemeier residence is

located in Folsom, CA. They

wanted a landscape with an

informal Spanish theme that had

three main areas. One area would

focus on their 3 dogs with enough

space for them to hold gatherings

for the small dog club that Mrs.

Kessemeier ran. The 2nd area

would be for outdoor dining and

entertainment. The 3rd area

would be for gardening and

potting, as both Mr. and Mrs.

Kessemeier grow their own

succulents. I was able to

incorporate these areas in their

backyard, and they were so

pleased with the result that they

had us go ahead and redo their

front yard as well.

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THURMAN RESIDENCE

The Thurman Residence is

located in Bakersfield, CA,

and was a new construction

home on a 1 acre lot. The

owners wanted a Tuscan

style landscape to match

their new home, that

incorporated low water use

plants, but also included

large areas of lawn for their

dogs to run on. I designed a

formal entry, using three

large field-grown olives,

with a boxwood hedge running the perimeter of the driveway and along the

entry walk. In the planter beds I used a mix of Octopus Agave, Red Yucca, Sea

Lavender, and Mexican Feather Grass, among other plants to soften the

formality of the entrance and give the landscape a more rustic feel and charm.

In the backyard, I utilized two

more field-grown olives to

frame the pool and pergola.

The overall effect of the

design and planting

successfully created an

outdoor space that matches

the aesthetic and

architecture of the home,

even bringing some of the

specimen plants found

throughout the yard onto the

patio in large pots.

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JESSIE PLAZA, SAN FRANCISCO

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THE WESTERN ADDITION, SAN FRANCISCO

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RESUMÉ