It’s not everyday that I get to design a landscape for friends but this summer that’s exactly what I did. Tom and Barbara were downsizing and wanted to move closer to town. They found a very nice home on a large corner lot that would fit their lifestyle perfectly. They are entrepreneurs and have several businesses they run out of their home. So a good sized shed (think man-cave) was needed, room to grow the many herbs and plants they use to make essential oils, and plenty of parking was on the “must-have” list. They asked me to evaluate the property, make suggestions based on their must have list and create a beautiful, water-wise and useful garden design.

So I took lots of digital pictures, measurements and ideas home with me to start the design process. The color scheme of the existing house was perfect so I worked on creating unity throughout the entire property on those colors.

I will take you through the process of before the design and after so you can see the changes.

This is the view of the west side of the front yard when I arrived on the scene.  Tom had placed tires and pots where he wanted the shed and the curb of the future circle driveway.

This photo shows the new shed painted to match the main house, the new 6′ privacy fence and the planting bed between the house and new circle driveway.

In the backyard, Tom and Barbara were looking for privacy and a cozy patio where they could entertain family and friends. They wanted a hot tub to soothe their aching muscles and plenty of room the the grand kids and dogs to run around. Oh, they also wanted shade which is s necessity in this high desert climate we call home.

 

 

This is the uninviting scene from the back door looking out to the backyard and neighbor’s home.

This is the design I created to bring privacy to the backyard along with a no maintenance patio laid with pavers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The finished patio has everything the Lucks’ wanted and more. Plenty of room for their outdoor dining set, potted herbs and flowers, shade and privacy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The front curb appeal went from not much to show stopping. Barbara tells me her neighbors rave about the improvements and love all of the colorful flowers and shrubs. Above is the foundation bed before and after.  Below is the street side planting bed before and after.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple things like matching the new shed and fence to the dark chocolate color of the main house made the property feel coherent. Painting and taking the scroll embellishment off of the wrought iron fence at the front curb helped bring that element into the garden design as well.  

This transformation took several months and lots of work on the part of everyone involved but the outcome is wonderful. We achieved all of the goals we set out in the beginning of this project and Tom and Barbara have a home they can be proud of.