Michelle's Garden Rehab: Creating a Mood Board - Gardenista
The contractors left my yard looking as bleak and barren as Black Rock City the week after Burning Man. The other day while I was Goggling (as my father puts it), I stumbled across a garden in Los Angeles, created by Grow Outdoor Design, with lots of good ideas: This is a garden that invites passersby to stop for a chat. Image via Grow Outdoor Design. Ignore the jasmine attacking the living room window—I’m going to deal with that tomorrow. Image via Grow Outdoor Design. In Los Angeles, Grow Outdoor Design created a walkway bordered by gravel and decomposed granite, which makes a nice crunchy sound—and feels good—underfoot. My front walk (L) doesn’t meander; it’s an abrupt chute connecting the street to the house. My front walk, old pavers and brick, is impermeable; water pools in low spots during the rainy season. Image via Los Angeles Times. In the Grow Outdoor Design garden, stepping stones create a permeable path that aids drainage. In the Grow Outdoor Design garden, different leaf shapes and textures create interest. Images via Grow Outdoor Design. Unlike the grass-free front yard, the Los Angeles garden has lawn—or “turf,” as they say, which somehow sounds more environmentally friendly and less water-hoggy—behind the house. Image via Los Angeles Times.