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The before and after pictures of this project will give you a good idea of how a garden can tranform from a previously unused space into a beautiful outdoor showstopper. |
| The back was like having a clean palette for land- scaping.It was a little overwhelming with overgrown weeds, piles of stone along with a deteriorating wall, and an eroding hillside. The only requirements by the owners were to include a new in-ground swimming pool and low maintenance plants. |
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Once the pool was in place, the transformation began with lots of grading and the building of new retaining walls of south bay stone. The soft, warm tones of rust, tan, and brown echoed those of this home's beautiful architecture, with stucco siding and an orange roof mimicking the style of old clay style tiles. These beautiful walls frame the new in-ground pool surrounded by an aggregate patio and lots of new soft plantings. |
| The steep grade of the backyard encouraged us to design a garden with terraces to address the erosion and create more living space. The area around the pool is now great for entertaining, and the terrace above the pool is a great sitting area overlooking the pool and gardens below, as well as, for relaxing around the new chiminea. |
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We used a xeroscape philosophy when selecting plants. We incorporated a natural planting of vibrantly colored daylilies with staggered bloom from spring to fall along the wall above the pool. Other plants like sedums and grasses, all requiring little water and lots of sun were also included. |
| This very sunny space had lots of potential and just needed a good creative and functional design to expose this neglected area into an amazing outdoor living area. |
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