Euro-style in the City…
Smack in the middle of downtown and across the street from Santa Barbara’s oldest park sits a tidy, petite cottage yearning for a garden that does it justice. The European-inspired cottage presented a challenge - a palette of plants that look like they’re from a cool moist climate but happy to grow in harmony with West Coast Mediterranean constraints.
The Tudor style home was built by the current owner's grandfather. The garden needed to respect the architecture and its history.
The garden faces Santa Barbara's very first park and receives lots of foot traffic to admire the composition.
The north-facing bed is in continual shade calling for plants with bright foliage to enliven the entrance.
The side yard entrance calls for close-up details.
This raised planter stands out boldly from the coolness of the other plants.
No reason that the side path from the car should be a treat, too.
In a narrow, shady bed, Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' commands attention.
The main entrance to the back yard needed a little love, the perfect place for Sango Kaku Japanese Maple.
Soft grasses are the supporting players.
Before