Name: Christel and Chris
Location: Los Feliz, CA
Type of space: Front yard, side yard, back patio
How did you do it?: For years, our front yard was filled with overgrown, 'thirsty' and uninteresting plants. For us, it was important to design a low-water, low-maintenance and modern garden. We already had a big lawn, and getting rid of some sprinklers was ideal for both the water bill and the environment. We ripped out all the plants, capped all the sprinklers, and put in drought-tolerant plants that would thrive on full sun and low water. Then, we covered it all with gravel (for a clean modern look and to keep the weeds down) and some well-placed boulders. Plants were planned with their full-growth size in mind and should grow in nicely...
For the back patio, we wanted to create intimate areas for entertaining. The amount of red slate paving could make the area seem arid and dry, so we wanted to bring in enough green to create a lush environment. Here, tropical 'thirsty' plants would be fine since they would be in containers which retain water. Plants were chosen for their interesting form and color. Black is our theme color, which is carried through the color of the rattan chairs, containers, lava rock and plant foliage. Bright red containers are used for accent and compliment the slate tiles.
Our side yard is our vegetable garden, with many garden beds, and a trellis made out of an old mattress. We ripped off the outer fabric and detached the metal frame and springs from the wood frame. With the wood frame, we made posts and with the metal frame and springs, we built the trellis for the hanging fruit. This garden is my father-in-laws pride and joy and he has grown many of these vegetables from seed. Apparently, in Filippino culture, hanging bottles in your garden is necessary to scare away the bad garden spirits (ie. bugs and bad luck). Then we gave it a nice orange coat of paint to match the house. So far this season, we've eaten fresh green beans and lettuce. The tomatos and squash will soon be ripe enough to eat.
Recommended store, site, product or resource?
- Sunset Blvd Nursery (Plants)
4368 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90029 - (323) 661-1642
- Bourget Brothers (Gravel)
1636 11th St Santa Monica, CA 90404 - (310) 450-6556
- La Canada Rustic Stone (Boulders)
1385 Lincoln Ave Pasadena, CA 91103 - (818) 790-5543
- International Garden Center (Plants and Containers)
155 N Sepulveda Blvd, El Segundo - (310) 322-2886
So, they ripped up half the lawn, and kept the other half, is that right?
view Julia B's profile
Yes, they replaced half of the existing lawn with a xeriscaped garden, alongside created a container garden, made a trellis out of an old mattress, planted a vegetable garden and created an inviting entertaining area.
view gregory's profile
Don't want ot speak for C&C, but they probably didn't rip it up. More likely used a sod cutter. Sod cutters can be rented in most cities and make the job a LOT easier and less messy.
p.s. Interesting house. Is that chimney on the back or the front?
view quiltmaster's profile
nice
view itsthehouseshow's profile
Your yard is lovely, and the mattress idea is genius.
view Brandyjane's profile
Love everything about your yard. Great style!
view plastolux's profile
I haven't commented for a long time, but feel compelled to say that the transformed spaces are an amazing model for the rest of us beginners to xeriscaping. Can Christel and/or Chris talk about some of the drought tolerant plants they used and why they chose them for certain spaces?
Also, love the pointed uses of color in each area. With more spotlights like this, people will begin to appreciate the beauty of succulents and get away from the dreaded dried-out cactus garden image.
view l u c c a's profile
in the first photo in the bottom row, what is the succulent (?) next to the pancake plant and the Christmas cactus? Directly behind the rock planter. Can someone help?
It is beautiful.
respect.
view gerryblakney's profile
Great job! Garden, xeriscaping--all sensible, beautiful additions! And I love the orange.
view jen_g's profile
Thanks everyone!
I actually didn't rip up any lawn.... The areas that I've xeriscaped were 'planted areas' filled with lantana, canna, and other plants that required sprinklers.
The drought-tolerant plants I chose were primarily chosen for color and form. They had to work well under our Eucalyptus too, so I tried to choose plants of Australian or New Zealand origin. From there, I chose a selection of green and gray foliaged plants. I kinda got lucky at the nursery, where I found most of the plants sitting together and when I saw them, I said to myself 'that's it!'
In terms of that plant sitting behind the rock planter, I don't have a name for you sorry :( All I know about it is that it was a mutation of the small vertical cactus in the picture second from left on the bottom row. They are the same plant! Instead of growing vertically, that mutated one just grew in a crazy spiral.
Thanks again for all the great comments!
view c3leung's profile
What is the shell looking plant in the first picture from the left on the 2nd row? The one in the 4th pot around the stone counting from left. It's very pretty and unique!
view icymimosa's profile
The shell looking plant is a Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (also known as Paddle Plant) pretty common and you can probably find it at your neighborhood nursery. Starts off green, and turns red in the sun. I don't know the name of that 4th plant, but check out my comments on it (the one right above yours). :)
view c3leung's profile
Any idea what that tree-looking plant is in the largest orange pot from the bottom right-hand picture. It sort of looks like a miniature rubber tree, but I'm not sure.
Gorgeous.
view Baptizedingin's profile