Joe Cardoza came into my life about 15 years ago when I was asked to serve on Claremont's Architectural Commission. At that time, he was chairman of the design review commission. The commission, comprised of two member from the design field, two from the community at large, one Architect and one Landscape Architect (which was my position). We reviewed any and all developments large or small in Claremont. Joe was a tremendous chair as he was a strong, fair leader who moved effortlessly though Parliamentary Procedure. During my tenure on the commission, he asked me to help design his back garden. His home located in a fashionable area of Claremont called Padua. The house previously belonged to Mrs. Gainey of Gainey Ceramics, the architecture has a 1950's Palm Spring feel. The property, even before Mrs. Gainey was part of the Sunkist Growers Association which was a Claremont institution.

His tastes are quite masculine with a hint of the Orient. We wanted to incorporate the existing mature citrus trees and a small lawn (referencing his East Coast roots). Joe also wanted a place for late afternoon drinks, as he frequently entertained the Architectural Commission and City Staff. The garden as one can see above (and below) has matured gracefully. Recently we have been back in his garden to refine what I originally designed, plus design and develop a garden for the front (West Garden), a small courtyard, and a very hot patio (South Garden). We also selectively pruned the magnificent citrus trees to reveal their stately structure, properly pruned the Japanese Maples (they are museum quality), developed a new plan for placing art in the garden and retrofitted the irrigation system (after 15 years it needed some work). It was a joy to see how a properly planned garden matures with grace and elegance. I am quite proud of the garden and Joe for his attention to detail.