ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY
Every effort was made to integrate locally-sourced materials and bolster the health of native wildlife. Bare and eroding roads produced by years of unrestrained vehicular destruction were remediated with an assortment of native grass plantings, including side oats grama and blue grama. Xeric native plants bring life to the interior walled gardens, attracting local birds and butterflies. Native mesquite trees grown from seed in nearby Fort Stockton were used as the main desert tree beyond the plinth walls, along with desert willows and other drought tolerant plants. Walls were made from local sand and stone from the ranch, calling attention to the inherent beauty of the land itself. With the exception of one bed of iceberg roses and the pecan and fruit trees, all of the new plantings will survive intense droughts.These efforts create a sleek, yet rugged landscape that balances human and environmental wellbeing.
DESIGN VALUE
The design of the West Texas Ranch is a model of collaboration between the client, architect, landscape architect and contractor that established a cohesive material language and sustainable landscape system in keeping with the character of the ranch. The client had a romantic vision of rose gardens with a medley of verdant plants, which the landscape architect helped transform into one of simple, native gardens through discussions that highlighted the beauty of tough, indigenous plants and hardscape materials. The project is inspired by place and designed with restraint to highlight the harsh beauty of the region, which inspires a feeling of serenity in the client. West Texas Ranch is featured in a new book, Private Paradise, which explores gardens that "demonstrate the intersection of traditional elements of garden design and current concerns such as sustainability, drought tolerance, and use of native plants." Recognized as such, West Texas Ranch may become a model for ranch restoration and residential design for other residents living in regions of harsh sun and drought.