Mar Vista Green Garden Tour: Part 2

This is Part 2 of the Mar Vista Green Garden Tour in Southern California.

 

Need some more inspiration for a low-water garden?

The Mar Vista Green Garden tour  I attended last week yielded lots of design and plant combination ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instead of installing a traditional lawn, this homeowner created a "living tapestry" using ground cover plants.

There is lime-colored Helichrysum, purple, Trandescantia, silver/green Senecio, with a bisecting pea gravel path.

To the left of the path is  clumping Festuca glauca, "Elijah Gray."

The contrasting foliage color and texture will impart a dynamic look to the  garden year-round.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The parkway of this house features a pervious surface composed of small and large gravel which discourages water from running off into the street.

Although a pervious surface is ideal, in this situation, the gravel was difficult to walk on and flew all over the place when stepped on.

Messy but a nice idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A manufactured spa usually offers a more customized "jet configuration" than  in-ground spas,  but you have to admit, they are "oogly!"

Designer Johanna Woollcott has the right idea, nestling it behind an olive tree and tall, strapping Phormium, a silver cloud of Westringia, and a couple of varieties of Euphorbia.

"Ethereal" describes this garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woollcott positioned a small, old-world fountain opposite the spa niche that screens a charming sitting area in front of the wood fence.

The fact that you can't see it is a wonderful design application of "mystery" and enclosure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woollcott's front yard was adrift with ornamental grasses, chartruese colored Euphorbia,  Bulbine and an anchoring Melaluca nesophylla tree.

 

Front yard gardens benefit from mounding, as it helps to break up wide, flat spans usually covered with lawn.

This designer gets extra points for using broken and recycled concrete as "steppingstones" in this walkway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A closer look at the mounded garden bed and Melaluca tree.

There are many shades of green in this garden and that is a good thing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A glazed, blue ceramic pot is transformed into a spilling fountain with water that "disappears" into the gravel.

The fountain is color-keyed to compliment the house trim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This homeowner took the liberty of painting her neighbor's garage wall a vivid terra cotta color (for her eyes only) and transformed an "eyesore wall" into an artistic backdrop.

Do you ask permission from your neighbor first, or beg for forgiveness later?

Depends on what your neighbor is like!

 

This was the third annual "Green Garden" tour for the Mar Vista community in Southern California.

 

Please subscribe to EdenMakers Blog and share this post with your friends!