Front garden gets a new life…
When this project started the deep, oak-canopied front yard was dominated by a horseshoe driveway and a bleak garden at the walkway to the door. Out came the driveway and an expansive flagstone patio and fire pit took its place. Now, a welcoming walkway brings guests from the street, under the massive oak and past a reconstructed dry creek.
What was once an asphalt driveway was narrowed with new pilasters and a gently sinuous path arriving at the fire pit patio and house entrance
Many of the properties along this romantic lane boast century-old stone walls, adding a rustic feel just blocks from the city.
The asphalt driveway was removed, the soil rejuvenated and a stone-lined path arcs to the front door. Alongside, a broad, barren swale was remade into a boulder and gravel-strewn detention basin where storm runoff can soak into the garden.
A sloping former lawn was built up to create an outdoor family room with fire pit and gently trickling fountain. California native plants adorn the beds - Redbud, sedge, alum root, evergreen currant.
Beautifully crafted flagstone and sandstone boulders found on the site were fashioned into a welcoming entry level. (Stonework by Mike Morse Construction, landscaping by AllScape Landscape & Design)
Out of respect for this venerable oak, the asphalt paving was removed and new planting was limited to a few splashes of low-water, shade-adapted plants using an "archipelago" approach.
We had the good fortune to relocate a number of weathered boulders and integrate them into the garden at key locations.
View from a driveway entrance. Two young daughters enjoy the climbing structure and a swing hanging from a stout oak tree branch.