A Hillside Meadow Garden

Los Altos, California

As a passionate gardener, the homeowner wanted her garden to reflect both her love of plants and a desire to respect the environment.

The first step in refresh her existing garden was to replace a large, little-used, thirsty lawn with a meadow filled with various grasses, natives, and perennials. In addition to year-round beauty, this robust meadow attracts a variety of pollinators to the rest of her garden, helping to ensure ample cut flowers for her home.

A steeply terraced garden was created to provide screening from the neighboring property, filled with evergreen and flowering shrubs that provide a year-round tapestry of color with very little maintenance.

A sloped garden was installed to casually blend with the grove of nearby apricot trees, signaling the end of the formal garden and beginning of the orchard.  Filled with Australian and native plants, this bed provides year-round flowers and colorful foliage.

* This garden is featured Horticulture magazine, January 2013, as well as the award-winning Lawn Gone! Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard (Pam Penick, 2013)