Our clients, Steve, a retired airplane mechanic, and Laurie, a doctor, live in their 1928 Spanish home at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Altadena, California. When we joined the project, they had a conceptual landscape plan to remove 10,000 square feet of lawn.
Steve and Laurie were eager to transform their water-thirsty garden into an ecological haven. Steve, suffering from severe vertigo, spent most of his retirement on the front porch, where he connected with neighbors and built community relationships.
Our initial inventory and analysis revealed that a large part of the garden faced south, with a small eastern pocket shaded from the afternoon sun. The western edge was lined with 95-year-old deodar cedar trees, part of the historic Christmas Tree Lane, providing shade during the hottest part of the day. The garden also featured a mature multi-trunk strawberry tree, several queen palms cherished by Steve, and a mature multi-trunk crepe myrtle. The home, 4.5 feet above the street, offered excellent garden views and a visual connection to the street. A Hollywood driveway on the eastern edge led to the detached garage, but the home lacked a dedicated entry, forcing guests to walk up the driveway or across the front lawn. An underutilized courtyard near the front door connected to the rear garden.
Our goal was to design a garden that welcomed the neighborhood, allowing our clients to cultivate interactions with nature and their community. The garden needed to reflect the wildness of the San Gabriel Mountains, embracing local plants and creating spaces where nature could thrive.
Drawing inspiration from the geological and topographical features of the San Gabriel Mountains, we designed an experience centered around an ephemeral wash. This wash, fed by an existing downspout, would replenish underground aquifers during rain events. It was routed along a new pathway, beneath a stone bridge, and ended near a small monument wall. Large boulders defined the wash’s edge, enhancing habitat value.
Steve and Laurie decided to keep the queen palms, so we introduced several large California native fan palms to contextualize the existing trees within the new garden. We relocated a small water fountain to the courtyard, where its sound could be heard from the living room. We preserved the original Hollywood driveway as a tribute to the home’s history.
Our planting palette was developed based on sun and shade studies, habitat value, and water use. It featured a mix of native plants that provided fragrance, contrasting textures, color, height, and scale. Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) dominated the shadow of the deodar cedars, evolving into a biodiverse mix of plants supporting the California fan palm palette. Flowering perennials like penstemons, California fuchsia, and desert marigold combined with evergreen groundcovers like California lilac, California buckwheat, and native sages. Native grasses re-emerged in the eastern pocket of the garden. In the shaded courtyard, we planted small perennials and canyon-loving plants such as Catalina perfume, bush anemone, yerba buena, island alum root, coffeeberry, and columbine.
Hardscape materials were chosen for their naturalistic qualities, using local pebbles and boulders throughout the wash. Arizona chocolate flagstone complemented the baby blue exterior of the home and the warm brown trunks of the California fan palms.
Construction, led by Terra Form, Inc., began in July 2022 and was relatively straightforward due to the blank canvas and easy access for crews. Steve was a daily presence, encouraging the crew despite the brutal summer heat. Most plant material was installed in one-gallon pots or smaller, with an automated, weather-sensing drip irrigation system ensuring efficient watering. We also salvaged sections of a Melaleuca tree trunk, adding habitat value and visual interest.
We finished planting in August 2022, and the garden soon thrived after being drenched with record rainfall. It recently won the Altadena Heritage Society’s Golden Poppy Award for enhancing neighborhood beauty and contributing to the community.
We are excited about the future of this garden and the environmental stewards it will cultivate. Our hope is that it will serve as an example of a shifting paradigm where ecological gardens replace water-thirsty lawns.
Location: California
Design year: 2022
Year Completed: 2022
