The home here is of Spanish Mediterranean design. This type of landscape design isn't typical for me so I had to get out my trusty plant encyclopedia and do a little studying. In doing so I discovered a whole new group of plants that I didn't even know would do well in our climate.

The yard we started with here is lower than the home and the street. The street and home are level so we have a yard that slopes into a valley and collects water. We created a retaining wall on both ends of the yard to create two level areas and do away with the slope. Then we gave the landscape a slight grade from one end of the design to the other for the water to drain away.

The natural stone walkway in the center is a necessity. It makes the home more inviting and welcomes guests to the front door. It also gives more parking space by allowing walking access from the street.

The design of the lawn area flows in curves that meet as though there is no walkway dividing the two areas. This helps create unity and continuity in landscapes where a sidewalk separates a yard.


This picture of the finished landscaping is from the street looking toward the home and far right of the front yard. It shows how we used the Feather Reed Grass to frame the view of the Russian Olive and retaining wall. Of all the pictures I took of this landscaping, this is one of my favorite views.

 Take notice of the many textures in this picture. While the landscape is very simple and repetitive in its plant selection, the different textures add so much interest and contrast.

My choice of plants here is a mix between what I know will work in my area and a few new discoveries. It's basically Lambs Ear, Rosemary, Mediterranean Palms, Pink Verbena, Feather Reed Grass, Russian Olive Trees, Heliopsis, and Blue Salvia.



This landscaping picture shows the view from the home looking toward the street. From this view, The height of the Feather Reed Grass helps to define the boundaries of the walkway and the front yard of the home.

Plant Selection in front yard landscaping can sometimes be a little different than for backyard landscaping. In the front we concentrate more on framing and accenting the home and creating boundaries with plants. In the backyard, the landscaping plants might concentrate more on framing individual


This Picture shows the landscaping from a whole different angle. From here you can get a feel for the shape of the yard and the walkway. You can also see the different colors and textures used.
In all the pictures of this landscape you'll notice the simplicity and repetition of the plant selection. I can't say too much about the principle of simplicity. It just makes things easier and is much more appealing.

There's nothing complicated about this design. If you look at the main design picture, the lawn area may look a little complicated. However, if you'll notice, the shape of the lawn was created by creating a bed that followed the boundaries of the front yard.

Also, splitting the lawn area with the walkway gives this landscape a whole new dimension. In this case, we created the walkway through the lawn. In other instances where the sidewalk already exists, you can simply create your beds and edges to flow "through" the walkway. This will help create unity on both sides of the yard.

The lawn here is a Hybrid Bermuda sod.