Most of this courtyard was concrete, surrounded by skinny beds and sad plantings. The owner wanted to create the feel of a Provencal garden, with pea gravel, lavender and other grey-green plantings. We also wanted a drought-tolerant landscape that would not harbor mosquitoes, since it doesn't need...

Fastigiate yaupon hollies were moved from large pots into the ground; the teak bench, bamboo and Boston ivy on the wall were also saved. When the lavender, dianthus and white roses grow in, only the gravel in the center path will show.

The decorator and homeowner both wanted to study the scale of the fountain, so I ended up building a model out of scraps in my garage. Looking out the living room window, we all decided it was a little too tall....the kind of thing that's very hard to tell from a drawing!