3. Fromme Design led a team of Garden staff and Studio Outside to create a compellingly beautiful three-acre series of garden terraces set within the spectacular scenery backdrop of the Salt Lake City foothills and mountains. The major goal was to transform positively people’s understanding of water-wise gardening by immersing them in engaging and compelling garden spaces with rich horticultural palettes.

Each garden room celebrates aspects of and messages about responsible gardening in arid climates, including: water-savvy traditional mixed borders; the beauty of dryland plant evolutionary adaptations; water wise replacements for typical landscape plants; dry-adapted groundcovers and shrubs for slopes; optimization of irrigation to produce food; use of storm water in rain gardens; and gravel gardening.

Other goals included adding visitor destinations, expanding plant collections, augmenting learning opportunities, and achieving ADA access up the site’s steep topography. Tres Fromme was the lead designer on all aspects of the garden with a particular focus on planting design with support from Jeffrey Carbo Landscape Architects. The Garden opened in Spring 2017.

Images courtesy of Red Butte Garden