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Garden Visit: A Front-Yard Food Forest in Alameda, CA

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Garden Visit: A Front-Yard Food Forest in Alameda, CA

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Garden Visit: A Front-Yard Food Forest in Alameda, CA

January 28, 2025

We’ve often swooned for Bay Area landscape design/build firm Pine House Edible Gardens lush and productive landscapes, but this project caught our eye because it is particularly relatable: a postage stamp-sized yard in front of a classic bungalow. The garden proves that even the smallest front yard can be a productive food forest and a feast for the eyes. 

When the clients approached Pine House, their front yard consisted of patchy lawn, a pair of tired deciduous magnolias, and not much else. They wanted a garden that could produce food, cut flowers, and act as a gathering space, a tall order for such a modest space. The couple also had differing aesthetic visions. “The wife was really drawn to minimalism, clean geometry, and the husband was more into just wild nature,” landscape architect Holly Kuljian, a principal at Pinehouse, recalls.

Kuljian filled the small front yard with a mix of edible and ornamental plants that make the most of every inch while still leaving some breathing space, satisfying the homeowners’ different visions. “We got so much into such a tiny space without it feeling too overwhelming,” she says.

Here are six ideas to steal front this front-yard food forest in Alameda, CA:

Photography Caitlin Atkinson for Pine House Edible Gardens, unless otherwise noted.

1. Figure out hardscaping first.

The uninspired front yard, before Pine House Edible Gardens&#8\2\17; redesign.
Above: The uninspired front yard, before Pine House Edible Gardens’ redesign.

Even in a small space, Kuljian starts with programming and circulation. The homeowners desired better circulation from the driveway to the front door, so Kuljian removed the old concrete paths and replaced them with poured concrete pavers. “Carving out the hardscape leaves us with where we can put our planting,” she says. The wide paths also create space for kids to play, so the old lawn won’t be missed.

2. Create legibility with negative space.

Statement plants like tree fern, ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud, giant bird of paradise, Leucadendron ‘Winter Red,’ Westringia, and Agave geminiflora mix with perennial edibles including various citrus trees, evergreen blueberries, lavender, and common myrtle in this front yard garden.
Above: Statement plants like tree fern, ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud, giant bird of paradise, Leucadendron ‘Winter Red,’ Westringia, and Agave geminiflora mix with perennial edibles including various citrus trees, evergreen blueberries, lavender, and common myrtle in this front yard garden.

Legibility is always important in a garden, but especially when you’re trying to fit a lot into a small space. Here, Kuljian used the geometry of the pavers to create clear forms in the yard. Kuljian planted Silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae) as a ground cover between the pavers both because it could handle the foot traffic of neighborhood children, but also because “it created some negative space, which is really important,” she says. 

3. Wrap the beds around the house.

The garden now extends around the side of the house with Cordyline ‘Soledad Purple’ growing next to the porch. Kuljian says, “It is such a perfect plant when you have a really narrow spot, where you want some height—and it&#8\2\17;s evergreen.”
Above: The garden now extends around the side of the house with Cordyline ‘Soledad Purple’ growing next to the porch. Kuljian says, “It is such a perfect plant when you have a really narrow spot, where you want some height—and it’s evergreen.”

The home’s existing garden beds and lawn ended at the corners of the house. To create more planting space, Kuljian removed a strip of concrete to wrap the foundation plantings around the corner of the house. While it was a matter of a few feet, the additional planting space now envelops the house for a much more immersive garden experience.

4. Consider your backdrop.

Lime green foliage contrasts with the home’s brick facade, while the burgundy leaves of the redbud tie the brick color into the plantings.
Above: Lime green foliage contrasts with the home’s brick facade, while the burgundy leaves of the redbud tie the brick color into the plantings.

This bungalow featured a ton of brick that Kuljian knew would be the backdrop for whatever she planted. She addressed the brick in two ways. First, by bringing in the opposite color, a bright, lime green through asparagus fern, Giant Leopard Plant, and giant birds of paradise. “The contrast really made plants pop,” she says. Second, Kuljian strategically wove some of the brick color into the garden, including the scarlet-colored leaves of the ‘Forest Pansy’ Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’).

5. Pack in the fruit trees.

Asparagus ferns grow at the base of this espaliered fig tree. Photograph by Jessica Comerford for Pine House Edible Gardens.
Above: Asparagus ferns grow at the base of this espaliered fig tree. Photograph by Jessica Comerford for Pine House Edible Gardens.

Kuljian says a small space is no excuse not to pack in the fruit trees. “Nowadays, there’s almost always a dwarf or a semi-dwarf of any fruit tree, whether it’s a dwarf citrus or a columnar apple,” she says. Here, Kuljian squeezed an espaliered Violette de Bordeaux fig, which is a naturally small variety, into a tiny bed beside the driveway. There is also a kumquat and a dwarf yuzu lime in the front garden.

6. Vary your textures.

Lacy asparagus fern, tree fern, and common myrtle are planted beside the broad leaf felt plant (Kalanchoe beharensis) and round-leaf Giant Leopard plant (Ligularia gigantea).
Above: Lacy asparagus fern, tree fern, and common myrtle are planted beside the broad leaf felt plant (Kalanchoe beharensis) and round-leaf Giant Leopard plant (Ligularia gigantea).

To keep things interesting in a small garden, Kuljian used what she calls a formulaic texture variation between fine-leaf plants and large-leaf plants.

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