Pasadena -- Casa Favorita

The half-acre property had a 1924 salmon colored Italian revival style house with three mature live oaks and tapestry hedges when the current owners moved there in 1996. They enclosed the front courtyard with matching stucco walls and wrought iron gates, changed the hardscape from asphalt to decomposed granite, and re-routed the walkway to the front door to showcase a live oak. Forest green is used as an accent color on shutters and large ceramic jars, and salmon-colored azaleas were planted in the foundation beds. Azalea standards, a matching climbing rose, and a collection of pink zonal geraniums in terra cotta pots create a unified palette in the front garden. Formal parterres were built along one side of the house and planted with pastel-colored hybrid tea and floribunda roses and lavender, with a fountain and small stone bench. On the same axis and through a small gate there is another set of four parterres planted with daffodils, delphinium or zinnia in season with a second fountain in the center. More potted zonal geraniums are displayed on a low wall at one end of the pink stone terrace, succeeded by a patch of lawn and another live oak and sitting area. A 60-foot long vegetable garden for heirloom tomatoes at the back of the property has been replaced by a bocce ball court. A swimming pool was built with concrete planters at the corners for lemon and orange trees in keeping with the Mediterranean style. A salmon colored loggia with comfortable seating has been added along the side of the pool where there is a small waterfall. A shady side of the garden has a large mirror with ornamental banana plants, clipped boxwood, potted plants and two small statues. The owners named their property Casa Favorita honoring Mexican tradition. Persons associated with the garden include: Hannah Nevin Shaw and Major Roy A. Shaw (former owners, 1923-1958); James Drake MacNeil (former owner, 1958-1968); Phillip Cushing McGrath (former owner, 1968-1996); James R. Shoch and Elena Miller Shoch (owners, 1996- ); Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury (architects, 1924); James J. Yoch (1938-2018) (landscape designer, 1996-1997); Thomas Batcheller Cox (landscape designer, 2007-2012).