The newly acquired plot needed to be seamlessly integrated with the existing garden design. The goal was a unified vision from start to finish. Alexander Koch, the landscape architect selected years earlier, returned with his firm Koch+Koch from Pähl to lead the second phase of the project. The owner had recently purchased an adjacent property and wanted both garden areas to flow as a cohesive whole—specifically, the new plot would feature a sun-filled garden complete with a pond and summer house.

"You are the visionary; I am the patron." Every great garden story begins with this kind of partnership—and so did this one. The landscape artist enjoyed complete creative freedom. The challenge was formidable: harmonizing two independently designed gardens separated by a 12-meter-wide road. Yet with this challenge came genuine opportunity.

The design strategy called for opening sight lines between the two garden sections. This meant removing select trees and shrubs, relocating existing rhododendron groups, and planting large specimen plants to soften the transitions. The original garden—itself designed by Koch+Koch years prior—became a complementary backdrop that enhanced rather than competed with the new landscape.

The long, narrow property required thoughtful spatial composition to create a sequence of well-proportioned garden rooms while preserving views through the entire landscape. Umbrella-shaped serviceberries became the primary structural element, carefully introduced into the westward-sloping site according to precise design principles. The planting palette included Japanese red maple, white magnolia, and substantial rhododendrons. Beyond these specimens, 15,000 perennials, grasses, and ferns were individually positioned throughout.

Gradually, a distinctive park emerged in this garden community south of Munich—one enriched by sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. It was this "borrowed landscape" that ultimately gave the garden its true sense of scale and presence. The pond and its natural stone pool completed the composition, creating the perfect stage for serene summer evenings on the adjoining terrace.

www.koch-koch.de

Photography Credits:

Alexander Koch

(Published in CUBE Munich 02|23)