The Wiehardt Residence
The Wiehardt Residence is located in a northeast side neighborhood of Bozeman, MT. The tiny city lot left only a small exterior yard with neighboring houses a mere ten feet away. Creation of a landscape setting for this charming home and usable exterior space for their growing family posed challenges unique to a small city lot. The strategy was to simplify the landscape plan, keep the plant palette minimal, keep the scale of landscape elements in harmony with the site, and rely on repetition of elements to create a cohesive design.

A formal entry from the street was created by using a rustic gate framed by low ornamental shrubs. Concrete pavers set into the lawn lead visitors to the front door. A small area nestled between the garage and house seemed ideal for a courtyard. This area would become the main exterior living space for the family. Concrete pavers with creeping thyme provided the “floor” for this space. A minimal number of shrubs, ornamental grasses and daylilies were used along the edges to provide screening from the street. The rear yard had a dramatic slope on this tiny lot. A segmental retaining wall created a usable yard area above and allowed the slope to transition down to a planting area used for tree screening of adjacent neighbors.