Lawn begone!

This client in El Cerrito wanted to get rid of her lawn. It was weedy, went brown in the summer, and was a constant maintenance hassle. She wanted sturdy, drought-tolerant plantings, and a level, wider walkway. The front steps were small and slanted, so we designed a larger walkway and bigger stairs, and had the front patio covered with Connecticut Full-Range tiles to match the Roman pattern we did on the walkway.

Before: This crabgrass lawn looks good in spring, when it's green after the rains. But come summer, it all goes brown and weedy since there was no existing irrigation.




After: This garden was planted sparsely so that that the plants will have a little separation around them even after they "grow in". The pictures below show it newly planted, so everything is small but it is very neat and tidy. The client likes structural Meditterranean plants with bold colors and clean lines, like protea, flax, and leucadendron. We planted a Meyer lemon tree against the house to provide a sense of scale in the garden. This garden will not require much maintenance to keep it looking clean and colorful. I can't wait to see it in a year when everything is established. I think the house is scheduled to be painted in the meantime as well, so it will be a fun transformation.




Close-up of the Roman pattern of tiled Connecticut Full-Range flagstone. It consists of 4 different-sized tiles and has a very "clean" look.