Indian Summer in Santa Fe

The Earth laughs in flowers.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I gave a dinner party last weekend in Santa Fe to honor my friends and the garden flowers. When I bought my casita 10 years ago in an old Hispanic compound on the city’s historic east-side, the tiny garden had little connection to the indoors, few trees, a low adobe wall with a view of broken down cars, no place to sit, and little beauty.

Back then, the prominent colors in the garden came from the cracked brown adobe wall that defined its perimeter, a small stark white stone patio, and two fragile green trees surrounded by dirty gray gravel. Sadly, a low thick cluster of black electrical wires connecting the house to a fat gray utility pole seemed to dissect the garden in half.

Ugly Duckling Transformed

Entrance to Santa Fe Casita
Entrance to Santa Fe Casita

However, I saw the potential of this ugly duckling, sparsely planted and bleak, black-wired box of a garden. I knew it could dramatically expand the footprint and living space of the tiny casita.  But first I had to connect it to the small adobe through as many passageways as possible which would serve the dual purpose of letting light into the dark casita. I installed two sets of French doors in the dining room and a single French door in the kitchen that were in keeping with the adobe’s 1930’s architecture. A two-paneled casement window above the kitchen sink opened to a view of the trees. Taller four-paneled windows in the living room let in light from the stone patio.

As I tore down walls inside the adobe between the kitchen, dining room, entry and family room to create an open, light filled living space, I built walls in the garden to create separate yet intimate outdoor rooms that each had a purpose. First, I raised the perimeter garden wall several feet and added a layer of fresh rich brown stucco. To my good fortune, new neighbors moved in next door and built a tall coyote fence which extended two feet above the new wall creating even more privacy for the garden and casita.

Outdoor Rooms

What better elements to draw people into the garden and serve as focal points for outdoor rooms than fire and water?  I designed a traditional kiva fireplace to sit diagonally in a corner adjacent to the living room fireplace inside, creating vertical harmony as the two chimneys merged back to back. A rustic wooden trellis was built overhead, intersecting with the chimney to anchor and define the footprint of this outdoor room. A banco created for sitting by the fire was added to the right of the kiva with a wall behind it. Both served to separate the intimate walled garden from the large grassy area of the former Hispanic compound.

Kiva Fireplace with Banco and Trellis
Kiva Fireplace with Banco and Trellis

To compliment the substantial fire element, I added a water feature across from the kiva adjacent to the dining area. A 60” round metal clock face, complete with stylized hands, serves as the table top resting on a rusty wrought iron base. This outdoor room could easily accommodate one to eight people depending on the occasion and the width of the chairs. A pink and orange umbrella protects the area from the bright New Mexico sun or sudden rainstorms that frequent the high desert plains. It also, like the trellis, serves to define the feeling of an outdoor room.

The third exterior space consists of a curved banco sporting the same colored stucco as the kiva and exterior walls. It is covered with thick cushions and stacks of pillows for comfort while sipping coffee and reading the paper in the morning or gathering with friends for wine and appetizers before dinner.  A beautiful tree standing in the raised garden nearby extends its branches over the banco to offer the most primitive yet elegant shelter from above.

The Party

Outdoor Banco Seating Area
The sensual curved banco is perfect for hosting friends for wine and cheese.

And this is exactly where the dinner party began last weekend. As my treasured guests arrived, they were immediately drawn to the garden through French doors to sit on the banco and enjoy goat cheese, crackers and bottles of rose, white wine and sparkling water, piled on the stone table before them.  From the banco beneath the pear tree, the six of us moved to the dining area for salmon and salad followed by coffee and chocolate cake by the fire.  The party lasted until midnight as old friends laughed and caught up with each other’s lives surrounded by the sound of falling water, the smell of burning piñon, the flicker of golden candle light and soft jazz drifting through the window of the living room.

The Grace of Nature

Tiled Nicho with lime green potato vine
Tiled Nicho with Lime Green Potato Vine

But the most essential element of all was the nature that held us that evening. Ten years of growth in the garden was a feast for the senses. Thirteen pots of pink, purple, orange, yellow, red and white flowers outlined the three outdoor rooms filling each with their fragrance, color and beauty. Lime green pears hung low from the tree by the banco surprising guests with their whimsical shape, texture and taste.

Adjacent to the dining table, the fountain splashed water on the sweet-smelling lavender enhancing its scent as we ate. And for the finale – clusters of orange and yellow Trumpet flowers dropped from the trellis above to dance in the breeze beside us as we sat for hours by the fire savoring the magical evening.

The ugly duckling of a garden had been transformed by the extraordinary grace of beauty through nature. Indeed, the flowers were laughing that night and so were we.

Showing 28 comments
  • Sandra Clevenger
    Reply

    Beautiful.
    We used to live between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico and know the area well. Love the architecture in and around that area.
    Enjoyed your article and photos so much!!

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Sandra,

      Thanks so much for your beautiful comment on my blog. New Mexico is indeed a magical place. I am so grateful to have a small home there where I can work and play in the high desert with such amazing light. I hope you love where you live now too. Everyplace seems to have its gifts! Blessings, Linda

  • Peggy Conner
    Reply

    Wow, Linda. How did you develop a garden like that ? It is absolutely beautiful and you are a master of design and of living. I’m so happy to have met you. Sincerely, Peggy Conner

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Peggy,

      So lovely to see your comment on my website. I have pictures of the garden the way it looked the day we bought the property with you Peggy. I had a vision for the garden that day and to my good fortune, it has emerged. You must come see and enjoy it. I will be back in Santa Fe in September and will contact you. I look forward to seeing you my friend and trusted exulted Santa Fe realtor. Hope you’re well!

      Hugs,
      Linda

  • Joan Munoz
    Reply

    Thank you Linda for your sharing your amazing ideas. Please, more pictures they make my day so happy
    Joan Munoz

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Joan,

      Thanks for you lovely response to the blog. I can’t tell you how much it makes my heart sing that the pictures make you happy. Interiors and exteriors of our homes should always make us happy. I hope yours do Joan!

      Blessings,
      Linda

  • Kirby & Robert
    Reply

    As two of the fortunate guests at Linda’s dinner party, we did indeed laugh along with each other & the flowers!
    A memorable night!!

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      My Treasured Kirbita and Roberto,

      Thanks so much for coming that night and adding your laughter to the sound of the evening. Please know what treasures you two are in my life. See you at the next dinner party at Casita Allegria if not before. Next time I’ll try roasting fish and potatoes in the kiva. Not sure Roberto is up for that but maybe?

      Big love,
      Louise

  • Kathleen
    Reply

    So inspiring! So sweet that you call your friends “my treasured guests” <3

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Kathleen,

      I’m sure you have treasured friends too. They are so important in our lives. Thanks for your comment of inspiration on the garden. If you could have seen it before, you would be in awe at how much nature has transformed the space. I hope your garden continues to evolve in beauty and is filled with treasured friends when your heart desires.

      In beauty,
      Linda

  • Sharon Niehaus
    Reply

    Linda….

    Your stories are so delightful…..I love them….

    Thank you for sharing..

    Regards,
    Sharon Niehaus….
    Lake of the Pines, Ca…

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Sharon,

      So wonderful to hear from you from Lake of the Pines. That sounds like such a lovely place. Hope you, your garden, and your friends and family are thriving there. Thanks for your continued support and lovely response to the blog.

      Happy fall,
      Linda

  • Golda boeck
    Reply

    Loved this!!!thanks for sharing this wonderful story! Xxx golda

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Golda,

      My long time friend, neighbor and fellow deer supporter, thank you for your sweet response. Perhaps we can meet in Santa Fe one of these days if you find yourself in the high desert. It has a beauty so different from the Bay Area but none the less compelling. Hope you’re well and our paths cross again soon.

      xoxo,
      Linda

  • Marsha Butler
    Reply

    Linda – I’m so happy for you. I love everything you do – so
    beautiful. Your cousin / Marsha

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      My cousin Marsha,

      I was surprised and delighted to see your comment to the blog. Thank you!
      And Happy Anniversary to you and Gary! Did you have a great celebration?
      I wish I could have been there but did not get the invite until too late as it
      went in my Junk mail. Hope to see you in Big D one of these days. Best wishes
      on your real estate journey – I trust it has been good!!!

      Your Cousin,
      Linda xx

  • Donna Mobley
    Reply

    Wowee, looks like where we stayed years ago. Was it ever an inn? Can’t remember the year…the O J trial was taking place. Donna Mobley

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Donna Ray,

      So great to see your sweet name! You’re Donna Ray and I’m Linda Kay – right? Hope you and Sonny are doing well in Savannah. No, my old casita was never an inn that I know of but it did have a ghost at one time. Let me know if ya’ll ever come to
      Santa Fe and we’ll have dinner in the garden!

      Hugs,
      Linda

  • Susan
    Reply

    Sounds beautiful, Linda. I am sure the guests loved it as well. Your outdoor pots are beautiful, I am guessing that the rainstorms keep them thriving. It has been over 100 degrees here lately and I am jealous of your cool evenings in the garden. Thanks for sharing

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Susan,

      I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my blog. Thanks for your lovely comments. Yes the monsoons in Santa Fe in the summer do nourish the pots and flowers in the garden. The high desert is such a magical place. Hope you can visit sometime to share the light and the cool evenings. Thanks for sharing your comments Susan!

      Blessings,
      Linda

  • Jo Adams
    Reply

    Sounds and looks fabulous.

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Jo,

      How wonderful to see your name! Thank you for responding. I hear you have been remodeling your condo and that it looks great. Would love to see it next time I’m in Dallas! Hope you are well and still painting those gorgeous paintings of yours.

      xo,
      Linda

  • Kay Criley
    Reply

    Linda, you are an incredible magician! Where you wave your magical wand (which, of course, means hours and hours of planning and physical labor), beauty blooms. Your garden is an exquisite reflection of your inner soul.

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      My Dearest Kay,

      What a sweet response to my blog. Thank you for the beautiful words. Only someone like you, who appreciates beauty and her own garden so much, can see the beauty in mine. You are indeed a treasure in my life. Hope Dave is doing well. Sending love and blessings to you both!!!

      Big hugs,
      Linda

  • Helene Keys
    Reply

    These exquisite outdoor rooms are an extension of your gracious hospitality! I feel your guests knew, they were welcome and treasured, as they entered these breath taking surroundings .

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Helene,

      Thank you for the phase “gracious hospitality” which is how I was raised. I sense you were too or you wouldn’t even know what the phrase meant. Nothing pleases me more than honoring and serving treasured guests good food in a place filled with the exquisite beauty and sounds of nature. Thank you Helene for recognizing the importance of this. May you have many gracious and beautiful evenings!

      Blessings,
      Linda

  • Jean Bennett
    Reply

    Gorgeous garden, so inviting…loved the pictures and your article. That’s my kind of dinner party with the wine, salmon and jazz 🙂

    Happy Fall,
    Jean

    • Linda Applewhite
      Reply

      Jean,

      Hope you have a few wonderful September nights of jazz, salmon and wine. It’s so important to stop for a moment to honor yourself and treasured friends on some special evening you attend or create, hopefully surrounded by nature. Thanks for your lovely response to the pictures and articles.

      I wish you a Happy Fall too Jean!
      Linda

  • Lynn
    Reply

    The laughter of flowers mixing with the laughter of friends – sounds like it was a magical evening! Linda, you have the marvelous gift of creating beautiful spaces and then sharing them with treasured friends – the real gift of life 🙂

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