One owner's mother was a champion gardener. Her last garden in Santa Barbara is memorialized in The Smithsonian. She taught her much about the fun and joy of gardening. "I think of her as I go around the garden to cut flowers and greens for the house, dead head, weed and make up pots for splashes of color."
Life, as you know, can get complicated and this garden did not fare so well. With concerns about water usage and the continuing drought, they let it become quite fallow.
Then they made some changes to our home and it seemed the right time to make over the garden to something sustainable and easy to care for. George Boulanger put them in touch with landscape architect Tom Rau.
Tom listened to their desires for creating a water wise garden with a cottage garden feel about it. While discussing various ideas, he suggested they open up the back by removing the fence that closed off the back garden from the driveway. One thing led to another!
A year later they have a new garage with a deck, a totally new patio area, a fabulous potting table and a garden that nearly takes care of its self. In the morning when they go out the front door, it is smells like being out in the country with the sage, mallo and lavender.
It took a year to get it all done. They have had some set backs due to young plants and extremely hot spells. They haven't seen it through all its phases but are enjoying each day as the plants mature and show their personalities.
Spring should bring out the colors of the native flowers and they believe that they will be peaking for the tour.
