The park we planted around the house

Our neighbors are probably very relieved that we finally populated the dirt with ground cover,hardscaping, low voltage lights and plants. The front is all planting - no lawn - because it fits the style of the house and it's environmentally responsible. We also think it looks really good.



The bouganvilla is planted where one lived before the remodel and is wired to climb up to the second story of the house. We hope it thrives as it will bring a burst of color to the front of the house. Stay tuned.

In the back, we created four spaces - a large patio for eating and entertaining with considerable seating available on wall tops. We have a fountain and fire pit area for more intimate conversation and contemplation. Across the back is the "field" as the boys call it. This is where they play ball, roll around and basically own the area. There are shrubs growing across the back to color that rear fence with green. Off to the site is the gardening area where there are fruit trees and two large planters. The only thing left to do is the drip irrigation for the planters and we'll get this done this weekend.



Finally, at night, everything is beautifully lit. The pergola has down lights and the privet tree has an uplight right through the middle. There is an overhead, gas heater attached to the pergola to bring some warmth to cool, Northern California evenings. It's a yard that draws us outside to be together, to play and to relax.

Hardscaping Complete

We started the landscaping in December and there was a lot of clean-up and prep work - mostly not photo worthy. Now we have the hardscaping pretty much completed. In front, the wall is done and we think very pretty. We also added a trash/recycling paved area so that things weren't so messy. And the curved path is well used. Lighting will come soon.



In back, we now have a huge patio with a small pergola. We are trying to figure out where on the pergola to mount the giant overhead heater. We are thinking of adding iron work to hold it. Thoughts? Suggestions?





We also have two fountains and a firepit (gas/wood). They match the look of the house and create a peaceful, meditative spot in the yard. The giant slate stepping stones lead to what will be a mid-sized lawn. Perfect for soccer, football and general play. We also had the outdoor kitchen covered in matching stone to the house and WOW, what a difference. Hope you enjoy.

Spring, Summer and Time for Planting

We've been living in the house for almost 10 months now and we do love it. My parents were in town from mid-August to mid-September and the September portion was started by the healthy birth of my sister's daughter Emma - so my Mom was with my sister's family and my Dad was living with ours. The fact that he was comfortable and we were comfortable and everyone had enough personal space to enjoy being together was a testament to our semi-private guest suite. Love it.

We were lucky that my former company was acquired and Neal's Grandparents wanted to contribute to our home - the combination enabled us to get serious about landscaping. Yes, it's been a dirt sand lot for the last 10 months. Many thanks for our patient neighbors. It's incredible what can grow without regular water. Mostly weeds, but the cherry tomatoes that sprouted in the front lawn were surprisingly good.

We retained Rick Fath (rickfath@yahoo.com) to design the front and back yards. We decided that we'd be ecologically sensitive and go with a drought-resistant, lawn-free front yard and limit the amount of lawn in the backyard so that it's fun to play, but not an eco-disaster. So - the backyard has a deck that leads to the patio with a pergola with integrated heat and lighting (so we can dine outside 9 months a year). Surrounding the patio are gardens and stepping stones. The back third of the property kept the paved area (for biking, scootering, basketball) and added open lawn. I think we need nets over the new fences to catch the balls the boys are hitting easily "out of the park". Ideas? Something that can come down most of the time so that it's not an eyesore.

Stay tuned for photos.