Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Agave’

GARDEN TOUR: THORNTON LADD HOME

Posted in Garden Design, Garden Tours, tagged , , , , , on May 6, 2016| Leave a Comment »

unnamed-10

The garden was designed by the late Owen Peters in 1990 and surrounds a Thornton Ladd-designed modernist house completed around 1950. The garden was then again updated in 2012 by Amy Korn and Matt Randolph of Korn Randolph, as well as by landscape designer Judy Horton.

unnamed-18The Agaves were my favorite, along with Purple Smoke Bush in the background — so pretty. Other plants in this area of the garden are: Westringia, Olive, White Crepe Myrtles, Rosemary, Waxleaf and deciduous flowering Magnolia.

unnamed-17 unnamed-16 unnamed-15 unnamed-13

A big thank you to The Garden Conversancy’s volunteers, as well as all the hosts who so kindly opened up their homes to allow us into their private world for a day.

This Saturday, it’s the Los Angeles Open Days tour, which covers mostly the westside of Los Angeles. If anyone is interested in going, click here for more information.

Read Full Post »

An Overgrown Courtyard Turned Simple Rock Garden

Posted in Home, Projects, tagged , , , , on September 15, 2012| 2 Comments »

The client’s wish —

a rock garden with cactus and as little maintenance as possible.

Before

After

Every garden needs a focal point. With this courtyard, since it was long and narrow, the focal point is a floating bed centered in the middle. We used Barrel Cactus and Agave for both the low maintenance factor, as well as for their sculptural element.

As this garden matures the perfectly shaped barrel cactus will continue to grow wider and a bit taller, while the Agave will reach up to 4 to 5 feet — demanding quite a presence.

The Golden Barrel Cactus, Echinocactus Grusunii

Red Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus Glaucescens

Red Barrel Cactus and Agave

At the end of the garden, Red Colorado boulders were added for color and interest.

For this garden we kept the plant material minimal, however, they are picked with purpose. The cacti supply that wonderful sculptural element while the Nandina (above) serve several purposes. As the Nandina mature they will spread out creating a screen masking the home’s foundation and electrical boxes. They will frame the courtyard, directing one’s eyes towards the focal point bed in the middle, and, they will help soften the overall space.

Thank you to the client who was wonderful to work with, and to Perry Shankle with Perry Shankle Landscaping, who put all my ideas into motion!

Read Full Post »

%d bloggers like this: