Name: Laure
I enlisted my mom's help and together we laid out where the planting bed would be. We decided to do it along the fence so that you'd be able to see the garden from anywhere in the little back house. We wrapped it around the fig tree to give it some curve. The space was small s the idea was to have a smaller bed but to layer the plants so that it extended the space. My budget was tight so we planned to buy small plants that would eventually grown in.
At my mom's favorite nursery we picked out flax, jack sprat, succulents, asparagus fern, begonias and some herbs. The area is a mix of sun and shade (sunnier in the winter when there aren't leaves on the fig tree and wisteria above it and shadier in the summer) so I couldn't go full blown drought tolerant otherwise the plants would drown. Still I chose plants that are low maintenance and tried to choose a variety of textures and scale to keep it interesting. And as my mom taught me, it's important to repeat plants, just like you would repeat a color in your house.
Once I had everything in the ground (I had to amend the soil, dontcha know: I turned it all over and added potting soil and worm gold to the mix before planting) I could focus on the deck which I painted a lighter color than it had been which brightened up the space and made it feel a lot less dirty. Most recently I had the cushion made so that I could lounge around. All in all it's a great little retreat and nice place to go and sit and have a morning coffee.
Recommended store, site, product or resource?
I've posted a lot about nurseries on Apartment Therapy but I can't say enough great things about Green Arrow Nursery. It's where I bought most of my plants. And also, I love just walking through my neighborhood to see how people have put plants together and what plants thrive in the area.
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I like this very much. I am a turquoise fan nice to see the color paired with a cute landscape and I like the gravel dirt surface around.
view LoriSF's profile
Love the windows. Perfect for letting the sea breeze in.
view Seaside's profile
i love that (is it plastic?) wall - blocks the neighbours but not the light.
view annalyssa's profile
Very nice--great mix of textures and leaf shapes.
view FantasticMrFaux's profile
annalyssa--yes it is some kind of plastic or fiberglass (?) that offers privacy but keeps light coming in!
view laure's profile
What happened to the poor fig?
view h144's profile
It looks nice. Great mix of plants. There is just so much texture, color, and variety... Bravo. Hmmm, the center of the gravel yard though is just a little a bit blah... (It could just be the angles of the photos though that emphasize this...) At any rate, the next thing I would do, if I were you would be to create a small bed or something there to tie the whole space together. It already looks really nice, though.
view bittergaymark's profile
Love the colour of the fence and the way it works with the colour and texture of the plantings.
And can your mom please adopt me? I need an up-close and personal eduction in gardening; I'm hopeless. And how cool to have a mom who can help you plant and plant your garden!!
view mschatelaine's profile
I love the combination of the turquoise walls and the pink flowers. Your yard is very pretty
view Madame Is's profile
laure - did you put up the fiberglass wall yourselves or was it already there? it gives it a sort of greenhouse effect (in a good way). so so so so pretty.
view annalyssa's profile
Better contact Jay Griffith so your yard can be on next years Garden Tour.
http://www.venicegardentour.org/
view spinsLPs's profile
annalysa--it was already there, but I could probably get you info if you're looking to build one yourself. It's pretty solid with posts in concrete, etc.
h144--the fig is just hibernating in one of the pictures, it's doing just fine.
spins--thanks for the compliment!
view laure's profile
I kinda really want to know how that fence was made - love how much light it lets through!
view moepong's profile
It's just a regular 2x4 contructed fence with that fiberglass stuff--I'll find out what it's called!
view laure's profile
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I'm so impressed with the color, the texture, the design (and it all looks so unassuming at first, but the closer you get the better it is)! I'm completely jealous of your enviable (and considerable) talent :)
view talby's profile