Situated in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood between two iconic city landmarks—Elliot Bay and the Space Needle—ABLE developed a planting palette to speak to two important native ecologies—the woodland understory and the northwest grassland. The planting responds to the nuances of the site conditions. The eastern terrace ensconced in the cover of mature oak trees on the street provides a frame of lush green understory plants. Oregon grape, wild ginger, and lady fern mix with vine maple, fringecup, and Oregon iris. On the western terrace, to take advantage of the sun and winds off Elliot Bay, the planting is a dynamic mix of grasses and perennials like hairgrass, lupine, and penstemon. A hedge of star magnolia separates the terrace from the adjacent residential tower.