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- The Spruce featured this artful and art-filled La Crescenta home as an exemplar of Spanish Colonial architecture. The garden that wraps it amplifies the architecture’s distinctive charms, from the terra cotta tile roof and ironworks to the intricate tile of its stairways.
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- The neighborhood is free of sidewalks and parkways, so to add curb appeal outside the home’s gates meant removing pavement. In addition to adding “curb” appeal, this thin strip of Hummingbird Sage allows stormwater to enter the groundwater table and attracts both hummingbirds and butterflies.
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- From late May to September, these delicate branches fill with magenta trumpet-like blooms. Like the California lilac, the blooms call the eyes to the home’s distinctive roofline and create second story shading and privacy.
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- Wrought fencing, a hallmark of Spanish Colonial design, once allowed a full view of the garden from the street. Now established trees are joined by California Lilac and Coffeeberry in adding a layer of privacy around the meadow.
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- The terra cotta tile roof as well as the Spanish tile of the front stairs focused the color palette. In spring, the California Lilac behind the stairs mirrors the blue in the tile. In summer and fall, that service is provided by California native Oregon Grape.
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- The owner planted a rare California Lilac (ceanothus) near the home. It’s blooms are particularly delicate. The more dense, robin’s egg blue blooms of a second lilac, California Mountain Lilac (Ceanothus `Ray Hartman’), serves as a privacy screen near the fence.
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- In addition to the blue, the tile of the doorway has pops of bright yellow.
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- Oregon grape draws the eye to these flashes of yellow too! In spring, its dense, dark green foliage fills with bright sun-yellow clusters of blooms. In summer, they will be replaced by clusters of blue berries.
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- The lush, leafy garden amplifies the garden’s sense of privacy, peace and vitality.
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- Throughout the garden, in sun and in shade, the buzz of hummingbird wings and the distinctive, fresh, sweet scent of Hummingbird Sage fills the air.
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- An IdealMow meadow of hardy Carex pansa fills much of the first tier of the two-tiered, expansive backyard. It maintains its lush color year round, despite needing only 20 percent of the water needed by turf grass. A bevy of California native sages and other blooms wraps the meadow, softening the Spanish tile-topped garden wall.
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- The owners’ collection of local, joyful garden art anchors the space.
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- In addition to the shrubbery that wraps the meadow, California native Morning Glory covers the garden walls with lush greenery and delightful, trumpet-like blooms. By softening the hard wall, it adds to the garden’s serenity.
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- A winter bloomer, Lilac Verbena ensures the garden always has something to delight pollinators – and human eyes.
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- An expansive mural by Erik Junker can be seen from both tiers of the garden just under the elevated canopies of trees. At the meadow’s edge an ever-blooming and berrying array of native foliage softens the wall separating the two tiers. Blooms and berries once again complement the colors in the tile and mural.
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- Almost blue Cleveland Sage (Salvia Clevelandii) draws birds, butterflies and bees. It scents the air with an earthy mint scent and, like Indian Mallow, fills a space with silvery foliage to contrast with both the green of the meadow and tile-work.
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- In the back garden, yellow in the tile inspired the selection of Indian Mallow. Its silver foliage offers beautiful contrast to terra cotta tiles as well as the mural. A top performer, Indian Mallow blooms 10 months of the year.
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- Both the solar-panel covered pergola and the lush, leafy verdant foliage help cool the garden for enjoyment and to save climate-control related energy in the home.
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- The poolside mural by Erik Junker references the owners’ passion for Los Angeles and the nature that inhabits this beautiful city. It depicts LA’s wildlife as well as California native oak trees and blooms.
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- Succulents so prevalent they are often thought to be native to Los Angeles sit in contained gardens at poolside. This allows them to be protected when the garden’s temperatures drop below their preferred temperature or receive “too much” rain. They also add a nice pop of color!
