Ken and Sue Andrews were referred to us by another client. They live up in the hills of San Antonio Heights with incredible views or the San Gabriel Mountains, a vast natural wash area (for mountain rain run off) and a lovely view of the Pomona Valley. Their charming home is perfectly appointed, but the garden had overwhelmed both of them. We were called in to create a plan that they could implement themselves. The charge was to just give them some direction. Our secret weapon was Ken Andrews... who knew he could do just about anything---and he did! After the plans were completed, we thought to create a series of "before and after" sketches to give the couple an idea of what to expect. Their love of entertaining and enjoying the amazing sunsets was included in the plan, plus all had to be very easy to maintain. The area is full of native granite rocks, so that was the material we choose to line the path system. We also wanted the garden to have continuity with the style and color of the home, so we choose a material that is harder to find---gray decomposed granite for the paths and over flow areas. We also took advantage of classic principles of landscape architecture by moving people through the garden easily and with always something to walk towards. In addition, we decided for larger parties to add a side entrance, that would connect the front garden (being installed now) to the back garden. This takes full advantage of their property's size and views. We knew after our final presentation they they were excited, and we received emails about the progress, but we were stunned when we returned to find the garden just as we had designed. They are proud of their garden, and we are proud of them. For the planting design: We choose mostly California Natives, since the summers can be hot, and the winters cool. This area is the home of Sunkist (Growers association), so we incorporated the existing Citrus in the garden. where we didn't use natives, we choose ornamental succulents---plants with vibrant color that can take the heat, and require very little water. The photos below are from the first year.

Now, for those of you who may be interested in one of kind art for your garden, Ken would be our first choice. He has a true gift for creating amazing pieces for the garden. We thought it would have taken years for him to do all that he has done, but he just gets to work and makes it happen. If you are interested, we'd be happy to introduce you.

Enjoy the photos.. the front garden is on its' way!