Member of the Month for APLDWA

January-March, 2018
Member since 2011

Christie Coxley

CSquared Urban Garden Design

Christie Coxley is the Principal of CSquared Urban Garden Design, a Seattle-based, full-service landscape design, installation and maintenance company. Established in 2003, they work with their clients to create practical solutions and beautiful spaces that fit their clients’ lifestyles. Her company is committed to sustainable designs & gardening practices, and creative solutions that work with our Pacific NW climate.

One of their favorite aspects of what they do is ‘garden sewardship’…the opportunity to work with a homeowner over many years overseeing, caring for and shaping their garden to meet their evolving needs.

Garden Stewardship in Medina

When the company was founded this was one of their first clients. The garden stewardship team works on-site every week. In 2004 they were asked to help with the rebuilding of the guest cottage.

    Issues:
  1. Large amount of stormwater run off had contributed to the deterioration of the guest cottage

  1. 30-foot tall retaining wall was unstable. Soil engineers determined that there was a strong possibility of a landslide; or soil liquefaction during an earthquake

  1. Invasive plant species on a steep-slope Environmentally Critical Area (ECA) adjacent to Lake Washington

    Program:
  1. Stabilize rockery and hillside in a visually attractive manner

  1. Reroute stormwater runoff away from the cottage and into a newly created raingarden

  1. Remove invasive vegetation and replant with approved species for site situation. Concentrate on stabilizing slope and providing habitat for birds

    Details:
  1. Work with soil engineers to stabilize rockery by drilling and installing 50 pins 40 feet deep into the hillside

  1. Work with artisans to create an aesthetically appropriate facsimile that is structurally sound

  1. New wall is part of the stormwater drainage solution. New plantings stabilize soil on the steep slope, and provide cover and food for songbirds.

  1. Runoff from driveway is routed into the raingarden, which is also tied into the main house stormwater system

Fast-forward 12 years to the winter of 2016—one of the rainiest on record. The team noticed that the driveway had started to crack and slip. It was eventually determined that there were actually 2 driveways—the existing concrete driveway was poured directly over an old asphalt one.

    Issues:
  1. Heavy winter rainy season, along with continuous runoff from the uphill properties, had undermined the integrity of the decades-old driveway
  2. Fully address the continuous runoff from the neighboring uphill properties
  3. Unify the driveway and parking court materials
    Program:
  1. Reroute uphill runoff away from the driveway and into the main house stormwater system
  2. Increase size of the detention tanks to accommodate more stormwater
  1. Regrade driveway to direct more runoff into the existing raingarden

    Details:
  1. Redesign driveway, parking court and walkway to the main house entrance

  1. Redesign plantings adjacent to main house entrance

  1. Upgrade electrical and irrigation infrastructure

For Christie the design process is a puzzle to solve. An expert garden design must suit the space both now, and in the future as it changes over time. And, by using sustainable gardening methods, Christie and her team maintain their commitment to creating gardens that harmoniously blend with the natural environment.

Christie and her team all have horticultural backgrounds, and they pride themselves in their professional, knowledgeable and skilled approach. They stay in close communication with their clients, and welcome their clients’ involvement in all phases of their relationship.

Christie offers a free one-hour initial consultation that includes evaluation the existing site conditions, discussing the client’s wants and needs, and sharing possible design solutions.

Christie joined APLD in 2011, is in her 5th year of service as a Washinton Chapter Board member, and is its current Past-President. She also serves as Chair of the Program Committee, and is actively involved in legislative Advocacy. She finds the relationships that she has built within the Chapter one of the most rewarding aspects of volunteering.

You can see more of Christie’s landscape design projects at www.c2urbangarden.com.

Christie also works as a part-time studio artist. Her work, along with other APLDWA artists, will be featured in September 2018 at the Elisabeth C. Miller Library. You can see her art at instagram.com/c2seurat.

Christie Coxley

CSquared Urban Garden Design
3828 4th Ave. S. STE 5
Seattle, WA 98134
www.c2urbangarden.com

Contact Christie:
Office: 206-262-1695
Email Address: ccoxley@comcast.net