Anna had artificial turf in her small front yard while her back yard explodes with life, with trees, shrubs, and potted plants all around and on her patio. Artistic and community-minded, she wanted to liven up her City Heights neighborhood. We developed an exuberant design to make the most of the tight space that features a splashing fountain that she created.
|
We developed an exuberant design to make the most of the tight space that features a splashing fountain that she created. Bands of different flower colors spread stretch across the yard.
The design features a medium-sized Ceanothus on the sunny, north end, a mix of smaller shrubs among scattered boulders in the center, water-loving natives around the fountain, and groundcover Sage growing into a stepping-stone walkway in the shade of a bamboo hedge on the property line. To make full use of the space, we included native grape vines to grow up against the house and a toyon in the curb strip that will fill in the space between the existing trees. |
|
|
When the turf was laid down, The top layer of native soil beneath the artificial turf was removed and replaced with a relatively sterile soil mixture. Native plants are adapted to low-nutrient soils, which also gives them a competitive advantage over weeds. The garden has thus been easy to maintain, but the plants have grown fairly slowly so far, particularly the larger shrubs.
Anna has really run with her interest in native plants. She created identifying signs to inform her neighbors about these plants. She’s added new species in the shady side yard. And she encouraged and helped a neighbor convert her front yard to an all- native landscape. This garden will continue to develop as the plants mature and fill in, providing both habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies, and beauty for her neighborhood. It’s fulfilling to see a client embrace native plants and grow (in knowledge) along with her plants. |
