These homeowners enjoyed this lovely home for almost 4 years before deciding to put their own “thumbprint” on it. The esthetic is mid-century/contemporary so they drew a lot of inspiration from Palm Springs mod gardens. Sunset Magazine was a great resource for ideas and design opportunities. They wanted a no/low water landscape that would have curb appeal and compliment the home’s interior. Decomposed granite, succulents, grasses, wispy privacy trees, pavers and a seating wall were all top off the list. Working with Shapiro Gardens they achieved the results they wanted in three short months (Oct-Dec 2010)! To top it off, they are the first home on their street with a green front garden and hope to be an inspiration for others seeking the same resource conscious solutions!
The garden has been humming along for over one year now and is
constantly evolving. They've learned that some plants have been very happy in their low-water landscape, while others have not thrived as well. They've experienced
some seasonal die-off and, as a result, have updated areas to include
heartier/healthier vegetation. Their water schedule remains at 3x per week with
three zones each at 3-5 minutes. Some exciting new additions are the succulent pots,
the ever-expanding bamboo and the agave pups that have been sprouting up. They're
always looking for new and interesting plants that will had a "pop"
to their curb appeal.
Watering is done using a new system that includes pop-up sprayers set on a timer. Irrigating is once a week during the fall/winter months. To ensure new plantings thrive during the spring/summer months they will, most likely, up irrigation to two times per week. They’ve definitely seen a drop in their water consumption and spending.
Along with new gutters they installed two water collection barrels. They use collected water on fruit trees.
