Before and After: Tropical Spanish

After

This is a newly planted back patio and tiny yard space outside a 1920's Spanish bungalow in Los Angeles. We immediately talked about improving the fireplace because it was such a focal point for the space. Adding color and tiles seemed like a great idea, while completing necessary repairs.

Before

All the plants in the space had grown upward toward the sunlight, creating an unattractive mess of branches at eye level, while most of the foliage and flowers were high above.
One of my goals was to make sure there would be a lot of attractive foliage and flowers at eye level and below for years to come.

Right Side Before

Right Side After

Left Side After

We discussed a few different planting schemes. After the wall color was completed, we settled on a tropical theme with colored foliage and varied leaf textures. The clients are very fond of ferns, so we used sword ferns, asparagus ferns, and mother ferns.

There was a storage shed and water heater on the patio, making a small space even smaller. The patio was covered in tile and sheds were removed to create space for a sitting area.

Before

After

Still to come: some pictures at night. Tropical plants light up so nicely at night! The clients tell me it's just wonderful to enjoy a fire in the fireplace in the evening out here.