Patios and Gardens for Mediterranean Climates 2
Front Garden After 'This property went from a 'typical' tract home to a 'mystical' retreat. And the impact of the new landscape set in motion a chain of uplifting make-overs inside the house. This family has a deep appreciation for nature and wanted a garden to support the native habitat and attract birds and butterflies. The natural warmth and comfort of grasses and a native landscape in this Woodland Hills garden was inspired by terrain in nearby Calabasas, and local vineyards in the adjacent Santa Monica Mountains.'
Sweetwater Driveway and Garage Before 'The existing heavy concrete work, brick planters and water thirsty lawns did not reflect their values. So we removed it all and created underground storage for rainwater harvested on both sides of the house. We added many new trees to develop lots of shade and mitigate climate change. The lawn was replaced with a no-mow meadow and drought tolerant plants.'
Beautiful design, what color is the DG? - This dg looks like a nice darker color than "Dessert Gold"? Your beautiful landscape designs are really inspiring me as I redesign my backyard, thanks! PRO Ketti Kupper Conscious Life Design Thank you for your compliment!. It is the same desert gold, it just looks darker in this photo taken in the early morning fog. The DG can 'feel' darker and cooler in shade and with drought tolerant but lush looking plants.
Basalt Column Fountain Between Fire Pit & Curved Bench 'Adding short retaining walls in areas across the back slope gave us an opportunity to make a curved to bench with a perfect view to the valley, the back and side gardens, and the hillside slope across the street. We also got a few more feet of space to make two long benches across from the pool. Our clients had the great idea for the two-way double bench, and the blue color of the fire pit and table as a reflection of the water and sky.'
Pool Area View 'A retaining wall wrapping around the south-east corner can be seen in the concept drawing. Its smooth stucco and flagstone cap repeats the aesthetic of other walls and the fire pit. The wall provides more places to sit and most importantly removing the slope provided more garden floor and an overall larger space. (That wall was another great idea from the clients!) We love to work collaboratively.'
Fold-Up Two-Way Bench and Stone Rug
Stone Rug Up Close
Double Bench Slate Arm Rest 'Here is a view of the bench from above.'
Across Patio View Before
Across Patio View
Edge of Pool Benches 'We added a small retaining wall across the back of the slope to get use of another two feet of space for a place to sit. The design allows a view through the benches and yet a sense of stability and protection from the edge with the side and center tables incorporated into the design.'
Benches at Edge of Slope at Pool 'We added a small retaining wall across the back of the slope to get use of another two feet of space for a place to sit. The design allows a view through the benches and yet a sense of stability and protection from the edge with the side and center tables incorporated into the design.'
End of Pool Bench
Tiled End Table with Kalanchoe beharensis
Tiled End Table and Agave
Pool Seat with Glass Tile Edge
Pool Equipment Fence Before
Reclaimed Wood Pool Equipment Fence 'The wood for this and other reclaimed wood features came from the deck that had to be torn down and rebuilt off the back.' I like the black river stones filling in that triangular corner with the curved edge.. Nice! - How do you access the equipment? Is there a door? PRO Ketti Kupper Conscious Life Design Yes, a path leads to the door on the other end.
View into East Garden from Pool Before I see why they wanted this replaced.
View into East Garden from Pool After
Jasmine on Stainless Steel Trellis It's a beautiful trellis. I like the decorative screws.
Spa Corner View I wish spa covers weren't so ugly.
Spa Pool Benches Before
Spa, Pool, Benches
East Garden Under Planting 'This is the first year planting. The next season the Ash had to be removed and was replaced with a Chinese Elm.' Too bad about the Ash. I like the dragon, and the river rocks. The plantings are really nice. Chinese Elm's Latin name is Ulmus parvifolia. I read up on it, and it's a rapidly growing tree, 1 to 3' per season, and reaches full height of 40-50' in 15 years. It does not have a litter problem.
Spiral to Pond in a Pot
View to Driveway from Pot
East Side of House Before
East Side of House After
Foggy Garden Path Pretty, rich, lush.
Color Path Area Before
Colorful Peaceful Garden Path After "Note the Entry Column on the right. And look for it in the next 'Before' photo. The Sedum Autumn Joy is in bloom. Leymus Canyon Prince are the color compliment of the peach flowers.'
East Garden View Before
East Garden View After 'We removed the fence across the yard and removed the fake buttress from the corner of the house.'
Grassy Path
Carex Pansa Meadow 'The Carex Pansa meadow looks dreamy in the morning fog.' Beautiful! Where did you order the Carex Pansa? - I want to replace my lawn with Carex Pansa but I'm having a hard time finding local nurseries. PRO Ketti Kupper Conscious Life Design Carex pansa does well when planted as plugs. This is good to order from any number of california suppliers that you can find on line. Its not generally sold at retail nurseries other than 1 gallons. We planted 1 foot on center with organic worm castings. They can be spaced closer or further depending on your budget and how fast you want it to fill in.
Sedum Autumn Joy
Stachys in Bloom with Jacaranda Blossoms
Stachys and Vitex
Fence - What is between the iron openings on the fence (plexiglass or...)? PRO Curtis Horticulture, Inc. It is actually steel with small holes throughout. Over time it has rusted more like the rest of the fence so it does not look as light as in this photo.
Breckenridge Design, Construction & Maintenance wrote: Outstanding craftsmanship on the Flagstone work...bravo! - Tight hand tooled joints take skill. Great work! Like 1 Comment PRO Curtis Horticulture, Inc. Thank you - our in-house stone masons take great pride in their work.
'Dry-laid flagstone path. Native and Mediterranean plantings in Portola Valley, CA.'
Planting vignette.
Mystical Habitat Garden Concept Drawing Here is an aerial look at this garden: https://vimeo.com/110584123 [This project is in Woodland Hills.]
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