Grasses and Geometry
960 m² on the edge of the Alps: a Limes dolomite wall gives the slope its order, while grasses and large trees and shrubs soften its strictness.
| Location | Unterwössen, Chiemgau |
| Size | 960 m² |
| Design | Design: Philipp Nützel, then our garden designer · Construction and planting: Fuchs baut Gärten · Wall and terrace: Limes Dolomit (Traco Deutsche Travertinwerke) · Paths: Baierwald granite, partly reclaimed from the existing garden · Seating area: water-bound surface · Fountain: granite boulder with brass spout · Planting together with the Treebrokers of Katharina von Ehren · construction work autumn 2024, planting spring 2025 |
| Implementation | Fuchs baut Gärten GmbH – Gärtner von Eden |
| Photography | Benjamin Klopp / frames for good |
| Award | Longlist “Gärten des Jahres” 2026 and 2027 (Callwey) |
“A garden that breathes history – where clear forms and blooming abundance merge into a quiet paradise.”
Before, this was a large, open meadow – plenty of space, but little reason to spend time outside. The clients had just one clear wish: the garden and the house should become a whole. The house is not a new build, but a building that shapes the look of the village, with a character that has grown over time – so the garden was designed not in a modern style, but a natural one.
The name says how it all fits together: geometry provides the order, grasses soften its strictness.
One material, carried through consistently
The lawn was removed completely. A natural stone wall of Limes dolomite now gives the gently sloping ground clear contours – behind it lies a sunken lawn that deliberately takes up only a small part of the garden. Lawn as an element, not as the default.
The main terrace is made of the same stone as the wall. That is why the garden feels calm despite its many areas: floor and wall speak the same language. The paths are made of Baierwald granite, partly from the plot's existing stock and selectively added to – reclaimed stone suits a house that has stood here for a long time. A second, generous seating area has a water-bound surface: permeable, quiet underfoot, unsealed.
The detail we are proudest of is quite unspectacular: the loose edging of the borders, with Limes slabs laid informally towards the gravel surface. A clean edge, set irregularly – it takes the hardness out of the geometry without giving it up.
A granite boulder with a simple brass spout is the only deliberate focal point. No water feature, no basin – a stone with water running from it. This garden needs nothing more. For how we otherwise work with water, see Water in the garden.
Large trees and shrubs from the start
A new garden usually looks new. To keep this one from doing so, we deliberately planted larger trees and shrubs – umbrella forms of Heptacodium miconioides, Crataegus persimilis and Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Inermis’. They bring structure and lightness at the same time. How such trees find their way onto a plot is shown under Trees & Large Trees.
Privacy screening comes from espalier standard trees of Parrotia persica and espalier fruit trees – privacy screening that blooms and bears fruit, instead of a wall. Roof-trained Carpinus betulus gives shade without closing the garden in. In the partial shade, rhododendrons add colour.
Added to this are perennials that carry on through the summer: asters, anemones, Epimedium, Gaura and Salvia. Beneath the Gleditsia stands Stipa – delicate grass under an airy tree, the spot where grasses and geometry meet.
Deliberately no exotics: everything is chosen to suit the site, so that it fits into the landscape at the edge of the Alps and stays there. The planting was developed together with the Treebrokers of Katharina von Ehren and the clients.
Twice on the longlist for “Gärten des Jahres” from Callwey Verlag: 2026 with the autumn photographs and 2027 once more with the summer images – we wanted to know whether the garden would be read differently in the other season. It is the same garden, not two. Also on the 2027 longlist: “Badefass und Bergblick”. You can find out more about the competition under Awards.
Photos: Benjamin Klopp / frames for good · Longlist “Gärten des Jahres” 2026 and 2027 (Callwey)
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