Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design

by Kathy Oberg, Landscape Designer, Central Coast CA.
FairyYardmother[at]gmail[dot]com

Thank you for visiting my site. I enjoy bringing you pictures of gardens, plants, and ideas from sunny California. I love sharing after-photos that show how my landscape plans, plant lists and layouts come to life.
As a designer, I use plants to create drama, provide color and form, and compliment the architectural style of your home.
I strive to provide a buffer from sun, street, and neighbors while still fostering connections.
Inspired plant choices and site layout can make any space a success.
I am a Certified Watershed Wise Professional, with techniques to improve soil health and keep more water on your property.
I can help you makeover your patio, paths, planting areas, or entire property. I will consult with you, choose a look you love, and compose a plan and plant list to update your landscape, re-using what you already have wherever we can.
Each project is different because it is about making your space really shine.


Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Atwater Village Backyard


Here's a backyard design project that transformed a boring rectangle of dying grass into an inviting space with places to sit and an undulating pathway to get you there. These photos show off how much the garden can grow in less than 2 years.

It was time to ditch the lawn. My clients love colored foliage with interesting textures. They wanted drought-tolerant, easy plantings that bring lots of beneficial insects. I wanted to create a fun way to interact with the space and make it more interesting than a rectangle, so I came up with this design.


BEFORE
AFTER: Just Planted

I organized the space with DG pathways that allow you to meander and spend time in different areas, to find a place to sit and enjoy the bees, trees and flowers.

Things have filled in nicely now. The purple Euphorbias are becoming trees and the Lavender has gone crazy.

One and a half Years After Planting
Now it's time to do a little tweaking. We lost a couple ground covers and a few Blue Fescue, so we need to fill in some open soil here and there. There's also some weeding to do. But 80% of the plants were successful and are looking great.





Here's a detail of the bench with the Achillea next to it last Summer, approximately one year after planting. Those plants are smaller clumps right now, just coming back up for Spring at the time of this post. They will begin to flower again soon, and should flower all through late Spring and Summer, even into Fall.

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