Tom Braun is a neighbor to one of our other clients. We seem to be just passed around and we love it! Tom had a good idea of what he wanted--a water-wise garden, one he can enjoy taking care of himself. We began this project with a consultation, then sketches and plans. After he reviewed and approved the plans we began the "demo" phase (where we clean up and remove anything unsuitable for the new garden). Generally, we never remove everything that is there, in this case Tom already had removed much of the existing garden for us, so we basically had a clean slate. What was there, were some wonderfully mature citrus trees that we pruned properly and fed (with an organic fertilizer).

After the demo, we began creating spaces with so called "Claremont Potatoes" (fantastic native rock). Michael is the Master of the Rock, in that he arranges them with beautiful purpose. One of the main features of the garden is a long linear path for a California Perennial Garden. Our plant selection was based on classic landscape architectural principles....meaning we chose particular plants that grow to certain heights and width---ones that fit into the landscape without becoming overgrown in three years. In addition to the size requirements, we selected plants that love the sun, shade and everything in-between. Each plant was also selected because of its' unique flower or foliage color. The garden is surrounded by a stucco wall, which we painted a black iron color so it would recede in the garden. It is a magical color... I particularly love black and green together. See photos below. We included art into the garden, a modern granite lantern, and a traditional granite vessel became a fountain. Both features are placed to provide relief from the garden and become sculpture. Tom wanted to grow Rosa Rugosa (water-wise vine Roses). To accommodate this request we built an simple framed arbor with a copper wire top to hold the vigorous Roses. We also constructed a beautiful pine fence (that replicates the siding of the house) to create a private garden off the master bedroom. Working in Toms garden was a wonderful experience. We feel quite blessed to have another happy and appreciative client. Below are some photos right after this project was finished.