The inspiration for Harland Hand's garden design was an alpine lake

Silver Lake in the High Sierra was the inspiration for Mr. Hand's garden in El Cerrito. 52 miles east of Jackson on Highway 88, on the Kit Carson Immigrant Trail, this was Mr. Hand's favorite place, the "most thrilling, intimate, and puzzling space" he had ever experienced. He described the lake as "a deep blue arabesque sunk in swirling masses of pale gray granite. By the lake were granite-floored 'rooms' with shelves, benches, and boulders from which sprung trees gnarled by the alpine winds. Shrubs and flowers crept between the granite slabs, forming natural rock gardens."

Courtesy Jonathan Wright

Silver Lake/Harland Hand's Garden

Silver Lake Slide Show

Silver Lake Photo Gallery