Garden By Design

TROPICAL PATIO AND PLANTING:
Redondo Beach

The brief of this design was to create a Tropical Garden and to increase the patio and entertainment area. The existing small rear patio was redesigned to create a more useful entertainment area with a BBQ and Fire Pit. Large palms and tropical plants were planted along the patio to provide shade and enhance the tropical outlook. Stepping stones were placed in the grass to visually extend the patio into the lawn area.

Many other large palms and more tropical plants were planted around the garden to define and enclose the once bare and open space.

A fountain was placed in the rear garden to provide movement and sound and enhance the tropical theme. Lighting was placed throughout the garden to highlight the new palms, the fountain and selected other plants at night.

Garden By Design has just completed the second phase of this job.....photos are below.

Phase II

In the second phase of this project a lagre inground spa / jacuzzi was added and the patio was extend out to include this new feature.

The existing patio and the new addition were paved with a flagstone as was the new seat wall and the spa. New plantings of large Queen Palms were added behind the spa to match the ones added in the first phase of this project.

HANGOUT HIDEAWAY 
North Hollywood

This Garden was an empty slate. The homeowners requests was for a lush planted garden incorporating elements of past homes and memories. They wanted more entertaining space off the rear of the house, and to identify the entrance to the home office. There was also a desire to have a hammock in the garden and to provide a herb and vegetable garden near the kitchen.

A deck and pergola were added to the rear of the house providing the much needed extra space. Two large wisteria vines were planted to grow up and over the pergola. The decking material used was a composite product called Weatherbest. The pergola over the path to the homeoffice was constructed out of redwood, and fast growing fragrent climbing roses were planted to grow over the top. Roses were planted in this bed to provide masses of color out of the ofice window and to seperate one from the rest of the garden.

Under the existing pines in the rear of the garden Azalea and Camelia were planted. A large fountain was placed at the far end of the garden as a focal point. The hammock was placed under the shade of the Pines as well.

A whimsical feature of this garden was the installation of a "False Door" on the large rear wall of the garden. The door was aged and mirrors placed in the door pannels to reflect the garden in front but create the sense of a garden through the windows. A path leads up to the door continuing the illusion of space.

An old wheelbarrow found on site was transformed into a planter and placed in the herb and vegetable garden near the rear kitchen door.

For more photos of this and other projects see the recent projects detail page.

French Cottage 
Beverly Hills

This design took the run-down rear garden and lawn area of this home and transformed it into a "French Cottage" garden paradise, perfect for strolling and relaxing. The design is based on a series of circular spaces of gravel and lawn linked with short paths and defined by brick edging and plantings.

The center of the design is a large circle of lawn. There are two gravel patios. The smaller one is an entrance from the existing patio and surrounds the trunk of the large Ash tree. The large gravel patio is designed as the seating area. There is a small pergola here to display climbing roses and to provide a little shade.

The features of this garden are a number of "Vintage French" items. An old farm water pump has been placed at the intersection of the three circular areas and has been turned into a small working fountain. Throughout the garden a number of old wrought iron pieces are on display. The far end of the garden has a brick stepping stone path leading to the Star Jasmine covered arch.

See the Design Details Page for more photos of this job.