LANDSCAPE DESIGNER JOHN GREENLEE IS
serious about seasons. No matter what
month it may be on the calendar—yes,
even in October —he believes there should
be moments that stop you in your tracks.
At this sprawling wine-country estate ,
Greenlee and owners Sue Bloch and Igor
Khandros have spent the past decade
carving out an impressive five acres to do
exactly that. “Just because we’re in Cali-
fornia,” says Greenlee, “it doesn’t mean
we can’t have fall color.” The former kids’
day camp and party pad of an ex-NFL
player now features rolling meadows ,
forest enclaves , pondside views , and a
collection of more than 200 Japanese
maples and conifers. The result is lush
and soothing through spring and summer
but also ripe with eye-catching texture
and glorious foliage that evokes classic
New England color in autumn and win-
ter. No matter the size of your growing
plot (or budget), you can achieve a similar
cool-season look with the following four
principles.
DESIGN Greenlee and Associates;
greenleeandassociates.com.
MIDDLE GROUND
Add midsize speci-
mens that fill the
void between taller
trees and low grasses.
Compact dwarf
Japanese black pines
(Pinus thunbergii
‘Thunderhead’ ) fit
that bill: “With a bil-
lowy branching hab-
it,” says Greenlee,
“it looks like a thun-
derstorm building
on a hot afternoon.”Home & Garden
DIGITAL BONUS Find places to soak up the season’s spectacular foliage at sunset.com/fallcolor.