The budget of 15K (which included a 90ft stacked concrete raised garden wall, new drain system for backyard, extensive grading, new irrigation, plants, vegetable garden, and a rustic open-style patio overhang ) wouldn't cover the replacement of the concrete block wall with something prettier, so the homeowner painted it. (Shades of blue and green tend to be safer choices for garden wall colors -- they are usually more successful than riskier colors - like reds, pinks, or yellows which can clash with plantings)
Recycled material were used where-ever possible. The stacked (reclaimed) concrete wall was $40 per pallet as compared to $300- $500 per pallet for real stone -- but it still has rustic country charm.
Gazebo dreams were swapped for two Cassia leptophylla "Golden Wonder" trees that will eventually form a natural shade canopy and crown the sitting area with golden yellow flowers in the summer.
For more details (including a full plant list) for this garden take a visit to Shirley's EdenMakers Blog.
(Images: with permission ©Garden World Media EdenMakersblog.com)
(Re-edited from a post originally published 02.29.12 - NM)
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i'm no gardener, and i don't live in southern california, but i keep thinking about the large amount of water that would be needed to keep this garden looking so lush. am i wrong? i guess it doesn't say it's water-conscious garden. maybe i notice especially because a point was made that recycled materials were used when possible.
Hi Laloo- Thanks for reading the post and for saying that the garden plants look "Lush!" I agree and the good news is that they are all drought tolerant, Mediterranean plants that need little water.
Please take a look at the plant list on the blog post!
Shirley Bovshow
Wow, the transformation is amazing and lovely. The only thing I would change is...please move that antique iron bed frame indoors and sleep on it or put it in a guest room. A full complete bed sitting in your garden makes it look like a yard sale is going on. That wood bench is lovely and is enough white contrast. That broken concrete looks like it could come from a quarry. Good choice for the money.
What a transformation. This is inspiring.
Wow, that's beautiful! Money well spent.
I personally love the painted cinder block, much better than boring stucco. And a perfect backdrop for all of the new plants.
The seating area will look beautiful once those Golden Wonder trees get bigger!
It looks lush and pretty! Good to know that you used drought tolerant plants in the landscape.
I think it looks both peaceful and vibrant at the same time - great job.
Also, I think that the turquoise looks great on the wall.
The green cinderblock will look decent for a good long time. I give the crappy wood fence about 2 years. (That's based on what I see in my own yard and those of my neighbors in TX where, for some reason, it's all about the crappy wood fences everywhere.) Maybe the milder CA climate will give the wood a fighting chance.
That said, this is lovely. The stone retaining wall with the weeping flowers is beautiful!
This is a really lovely garden. Well done! SoCal has some areas that are quite mild and get a lot of natural fog and dew during a lot of the year, so maybe that has something to do with how lush it looks, too.
Beautiful yard & I love all the little spaces- it's well planned & looks fabulous. Someday, we'll have saved enough to do some nice things in our yard. Our current budget is about $150/ year to spend on new plants (including edibles). Slowly our garden will take shape!
I feel comfortable watering even though my home garden is more about beauty than producing people food. There'll always be room for improvement because gardening is an ongoing journey. We don't use pesticides, my husband shifts to tougher native plants over time, and we have some big, healthy trees. Our garden supports native lizards, frogs, snakes, and birds that couldn't thrive in the standard barren lawns that dominate my suburb.
Nice job. Your neighbours must be thrilled!
Great improvement :) the one thing I would change to give it a more modern feel would be to paint the green wall a dark blue grey.
@TheHillsAreAlive- You are right! The right paint color can sway the style from Country to Modern! Thnks.
Shirley Bovshow
Hooray for a lovely yard and an adorable white dog. Jack Russell? Double cuteness.
Boo for calling $15K a small budget. Just say what the budget is - we can decide if it is small, large or just right.
Psst - Rochelle. I bet you can still proof your article and make a few tweaks.
I wont go into what our landscaping cost, but it looks to me like this client got an amazing yard for the price! That's a of of work...
Wow, painting that cement block wall a bright color was SUCH a great idea-- it completely offsets the plants!
I also agree that $15K is nowhere near a small budget. I would call that a down payment on a house....
Really beautiful garden! The transformation is amazing!
Great work. We're in the middle of a larger scale project along these lines ourselves. At this point the hard scape is practically done (walls and irrigation system and earth grading)
So, we're about to start planting now. Your garden looks pretty mature. How long ago was this started? (oh I suppose I should click the link, eh?)
I agree that future posts should not categorize budgets as small, medium, or large because it's relative. I consider $15,000 to be a large budget for a garden, but it's all relative because ARIANA M. said that $15,000 to be more like a downpayment on a house - whereas I would say that if you presented $15,000 as a downpayment for a house, you'd get laughed out of the loan office because I live in an area where $15,000 is about 1/3rd the size of a downpayment for a house in a fairly low price range.
Gorgeous!
Anything certainly would have been an improvement over the before pictures, but this is beautiful. It looks like a very relaxing and private place to sit.
Nice job. I like that you achieved a lush look with drought tolerant plants.
(But not a fan of the bed.)
Very charming!