Westwood Low Water - Low Maintenance - Recycle - Reuse
The existing landscape of this home was tired and worn. The front slope of grass was steep and uninviting. The 80 year old driveway was cracked, uneven and ugly. The garden needed a fresh new look. The brief for this project was to create a more inviting entrance to the home with steps. To redo the driveway in a more practical material and to plant out the garden with low-water, low maintenance plants.We started by removing the driveway and saving the concrete on site. A new driveway constructed from paver stones was installed. The slope of the driveway was changed to make it drain better. The same paver stones were used to create a new path leading to the front door and to construct the new steps and landing from the sidewalk to the front door.The concrete from the old driveway was used to create a number of low retaining walls and the walls for the new steps. The recycled concrete was also used to line the upslope of the driveway. The rustic look of the old concrete adds to the style of the garden and matches well with the chosen color of the paver stones. A feature fountain was placed at the top of the steps and along the walkway to create a pleasant focal feature. Detail lighting was installed al around the garden to highlight the new and mature plants and features of the garden.The selected plants for the garden reflect the style the homeowner was looking for, the Californian landscape. They were selected to be low water and low maintenance plants. Plants that flower throughout the year, and plants and flowers that attracted as much wildlife as possible.The small back garden was also updated. The recycled concrete was again used to construct borders around the "lawn" area. The lawn was removed and a variety of low growing groundcovers were planted to cover the "lawn" space.
Before - Grass Slope
After - New steps and planted hillside
Before - 80 year old driveway
After - New paverstone driveway and used concrete planter edge
Front View - Planted Slope
Front View - Planted Slope
Pot Fountain
Squirel Feeder - Groundcover planted lawn
Outdoor Dining Area
North Hollywood Relaxing Space
The back garden area of this home was a mass of weeds and overgrown grass. The soil was terrible and the remains of building materials were everywhere.
The brief was to create a low maintenance, relaxing entertainment space. Garden By Design did just this. We cleared the trash and the weeds from the garden, graded the site and installed a drainage system to help with the movement of water off the site. A sprinkler system was installed to correctly water the garden. Tall lattice screens were installed to create privacy and climbers planted to grow up over these. Some large trees were planted to provide privacy and shade as well.
Under the large existing pine tree a decomposed granite patio was formed. A feature fountain was installed at the entrance to the garden. It acts as a focal point from the house and a sculptural and sound source in the garden. The plants installed were low water and low maintenance plants.
The existing old brick BBQ was reworked to create a focal entertaining space. A new natural gas BBQ was installed and the structure finished with a new polished concrete counter and bar top. The existing driveway was stained in a color to compliment the new design and an outdoor dining table placed in the space.
The front garden of this home was also totally redone. A mass of low maintenance plants were installed around a new meandering decomposed granite path leading from the driveway and street to the front porch. The area was covered in woodchip mulch to keep weed growth down and to help with water retention.
Before: Wees and Trash
After: Seating Area and Fountain
During: Installing the irrigation system
After: Seating area, lush lawn and planting
Rustic Fence - Central Lawn - Wildflower Meadow
Valley Village
Wildflower Meadow
The existing large back garden of this home was a large dry weed covered space with a few large fruit trees and an old but loved play structure. The design for this space was to create a new lawn area surrounded by a mass of wildflowers, native grasses and flowering plants.
We cleared the space of all the weeds and grass and removed a number of dead trees. The existing fruit trees were trimmed to encourage new growth and better fruiting. A new irrigation system was installed to allow for the new lawn and meadow design being installed. A central lawn area was surrounded by large mounds and meandering paths. The mounds were planted out with mass of native grasses and flowering plants. Wildflower seeds were planted all over the area and a number of bulbs planted throughout the space. The entire garden area was covered in a very thick layer of woodchip mulch.
The old play structure was removed. The swings were installed on the new pergola along with a swing bench. The sea-saw swing was installed in the low branches of the pine tree and the metal slide turned into a long bench.
A large glazed pot was placed in the back of the garden and converted into a fish pond fountain. Other seating locations were created in the shade of a large Chinese Elm tree. A rustic wood fence was installed to create separation between the large lawn area near the house and the new meadow area. A fire pit with Adirondack chairs was constructed as a destination point in the garden as well. To top the garden off a Low-Voltage lighting system was installed to highlight the plants and features of the garden and create nighttime focal points.
Before: Open Old Grass and Dead Trees
During: New Soil, Mounds and Rustic Fence
After: Central Lawn, Wildflower Border and Pergola Swing
