recent job

KE’s job has been pretty much a dream. Great client, great property, and all the plants are happy! This has been the weirdest year of weather, and not every project I’ve worked on have grown in as much as they normally do by this time of year. I guess the constant blanket of fog in August was not conducive to fabulous growing. In any event, this job has been great. I love deigning projects for men.

Men = foliage color.

Men = succulents.

Men = dark colors and no pink!

It’s heaven. The pic above are simple spanish lavender, agave attenuata, black smoke bush and a ‘lime light’ viburnum. The soil in this part of HMB is a gorgeous clay, loam which (minus the gophers) makes for perfect growing conditions. I’m not a huge fan of bark (shown – cedar chips) as a mulch, but it was insisted upon, and at the least smells great when you walk on it.

Wide, long bands of spanish lavender, carex grass and black iris (among others) – run along side the vast lawn. The quick growing perennials and grasses will fill in fast, creating a giant, textured sweep throughout the entire back garden. I am not a huge fan of lawn for many reasons – but if one insists upon lawn (and one did!) than No-Mow is the only way to go. Mow it once a year and it looks fabulous. Little water, even less fertilizer and it grows long and lush rapidly. It truly is the prefect lawn for a picnic or naked lounging (so I’ve been told). The pic below was after it was just installed, so it’s much shorter and yellower than it will be in a few weeks.

The dudleyas line the hand-cut, blue tumbled stone pathway beautifully. I’m excited to see them grow in and mix about with the layers of thyme and echeveria.