An Edible Front Yard Garden

Palo Alto, California

Having lived long enough with a barely-used front lawn and lackluster shrubs, this homeowner was ready for a fresh start.

Taking advantage of her garden’s full-sun exposure, an edible front garden was created, punctuated throughout with colorful trees, evergreen shrubs, perennials, and grasses.

At the heart of this garden are three triangular raised beds built with stacked Napa fieldstones.

Natives such as Penstemon ‘Blue Springs’ and Sticky Monkey flower are woven throughout to encourage pollinators to visit.

Evergreen plants such as citrus, pineapple guava, and Berkeley sedge provide the garden with year-round structure, edibles, color, and scent.

* This garden is featured in the book: Groundbreaking Food Gardens (Nikki Jabbour, December 2013)