Pioneer Information
Council studied at the Cambridge School of Domestic and Landscape Architecture in Massachusetts before beginning an apprenticeship with Florence Yoch in 1921. Council became Yoch's partner, both in life and in business from 1925 until her death in 1964.
Council and Yoch influenced garden design in Southern California, working on residential gardens and landscapes for Hollywood sets. Yoch worked primarily on the design side of the practice, while Council handled business affairs. In the 1920s and 30s they helped introduce to California the concept of European- influenced formal gardens blended with an American taste for simplicity. Their designs provided wealthy clients with a diverse array of garden experiences, mixing formal and informal geometry, local and exotic plantings, and incorporating status symbols such as high-end swimming pools. They educated their clients about many aspects of garden design, providing each with a book of Garden Maintenance Directions and teaching them about plants. After World War II their garden designs took on a more naturalistic and romantic character. Council and Yoch traveled to Europe frequently, where they collected photographs and sketches of the European gardens that inspired their work. Their projects include sets for the films Gone With the Wind, Romeo and Juliet and The Good Earth and high-end residential landscapes, including gardens for David Selznick and Jack Warner. Their work was featured in numerous publications, including California Art and Architecture, House Beautiful, and the book California Gardens.
