Clos Pegase Winery Announces Heritage Garden Project Dedicated to Michael Graves

NAPA VALLEY, Calif., July 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Clos Pegase Winery in Napa Valley has partnered with renowned San Francisco garden design company Flora Grubb Gardens to commence installation of a heritage garden project on the grounds of the famed Calistoga estate. The project removes water-thirsty lawns and replaces them with a significant collection of rare, heritage plants and trees. The legacy collection of rare plant species will take a place among such famous California collections as Huntington Gardens in Pasadena and Ganna Walksa Lotusland in Santa Barbara.

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"The Clos Pegase project represents a shift in the way we look at the garden landscapes of Northern California," explained Terry Wheatley, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Vintage Wine Estates, owner of Clos Pegase. "The drought is making all of us rethink our approach to water. This is an opportunity to enhance the property's dramatic setting and architecture with rare and unusual plants and show our commitment to both water conservation and design."

The garden will be dedicated to the acclaimed architect Michael Graves, who was awarded the design of the winery after winning an international competition in 1984. Graves passed away in March of 2015 at the age of 80. Inspired by major elements in his design, the garden will serve as a living memorial to the influential architect. July 9 was Graves' birthday, coinciding with the arrival of the palms. A formal dedication and tribute to Graves will take place upon the completion of the installation.

One of the most stunning introductions to the plant palette, which mixes succulents and trees adapted to the estate's summer-dry climate, is a planting of 19 wine palms (Jubaea chilenis). Rare in California landscapes, yet perfectly adapted to the state's wine-growing regions, this tree reigns with a grandeur no other palm can match. The Clos Pegase Jubaea collection will be the largest publicly accessible California planting north of Santa Barbara.

"The choice of Jubaea palms was inspired by the massive, neo-classical central columns in the entry portico of the winery," explained Flora Grubb Gardens designer Daniel Nolan. "The columns were intended to mark the separation between the working and pleasure spaces in the winery. Similarly, the Jubea palm is known for both functionality and beauty."

Jubaea palms are extremely long-lived and thrive in a hot, dry Mediterranean climate, providing shade and edible fruit as well as striking a magnificent profile.

Like the winery itself, the garden design combines classical elements with a modern California aesthetic. Plants in the collection act as pollinator resources, their bounty of flowers attracting foraging bees and hummingbirds.

The decision to replace the winery's expansive lawns with rare and drought-tolerant species from wine-growing countries and regions around the world (including Argentina, Australia, Chile, and the Mediterranean basin) represents a commitment to botanical diversity, water conservation and the idea of responsible landscape design as living art.

"There is no downside to reducing water consumption of an ornamental landscape," explained Terry Wheatley. "Creating a garden of spectacular, long-lived, drought-tolerant plants will only bring more joy and awe to our visitors."

The new Clos Pegase garden offers a sense of Napa Valley's place in the world as the region's climate is more authentically expressed in plants that will thrive on the valley's seasonal rainfall cycle. The garden joins Michael Graves's landmark creation as a living tribute that will grow and change of its own accord.

About Flora Grubb Gardens

Flora Grubb Gardens, in San Francisco's Bayview District, is a celebrated destination for gardeners with a taste for rare, exceptional, and durable plants, fine garden furnishings, pottery, and tools, all enjoyed over fine coffees from the in-house Ritual Coffee Roasters café. Flora Grubb Gardens designers create high-style gardens for clients in the Bay Area and beyond.

Contact:
Jason Dewees
Email
415-694-6445

About Clos Pegase Winery

Clos Pegase Winery is a wine estate located in Calistoga, California at the northern end of Napa Valley. The winery was established in 1984 and designed by internationally acclaimed architect Michael Graves, who blended classical themes and elements of California modernism. Clos Pegase produces a range of ultra-premium wines from its estate vineyards Tenma, Applebone and Dunaweal in Calistoga and Mitsuko's in Carneros.

Contact:
Mary Ann Vangrin
Email
707-738-0338

SOURCE Clos Pegase Winery