Landscape Design
Before and Afters
Edible Gardens
Yard of the Week: Low-Water Mediterranean Style and a Food Forest
A landscape designer transforms a blank-slate Southern California space into a colorful, drought-tolerant sanctuary
When landscape designer Briana Lyon first laid eyes on this Pasadena, California, yard, she could see why the homeowners hardly spent any time in it — the space was uninviting and unappealing. Taking cues from the Spanish Revival style of the house, she created Mediterranean-style courtyards in the area closest to the back of the house. She also gave the homeowners a no-mow, drought-tolerant lawn, as well as a food forest where they grow fruit, vegetables and herbs. Now the couple and their young daughter enjoy spending as much time outside as possible, relaxing, recharging, dining, entertaining, kicking the soccer ball, gardening, harvesting, meandering and playing “tea party.”
After: Lyon created a lawn area where the couple’s daughter and dog could play, and treated the space closer to the house as a Mediterranean-style courtyard. There’s also a food forest — a type of edible garden that features a diversity of plant types and layers — tucked behind the garage. “We packed a lot in back here,” she says.
The “lawn” is a low-water ground cover called Kurapia. “This is a super-water-saving alternative to grass. It is a Japanese cousin of a native California weed that is non-invasive and requires very low water once established,” Lyon says. “It only has to be watered once a week for about half the year, and even less once it’s established.”
The two trees seen here between the lawn and the patio gardens are strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo, USDA zones 7 to 10; find your zone). The magenta vine on the left is an existing bougainvillea.
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The “lawn” is a low-water ground cover called Kurapia. “This is a super-water-saving alternative to grass. It is a Japanese cousin of a native California weed that is non-invasive and requires very low water once established,” Lyon says. “It only has to be watered once a week for about half the year, and even less once it’s established.”
The two trees seen here between the lawn and the patio gardens are strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo, USDA zones 7 to 10; find your zone). The magenta vine on the left is an existing bougainvillea.
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The family also uses the Kurapia-planted area for playing soccer, as the lawn alternative can handle foot traffic. The garage is on the left, and the trellis behind it marks the entry to the food forest.
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While Lyon originally had planned for more of a traditional structured courtyard layout with a patio in the center, the location of a gas main made that impossible. Instead, she designed two gathering spaces: a dining area (under the umbrella on the right) and a lounge area (on the left). Paths meander between densely planted, fragrant and colorful planting beds to connect the two outdoor rooms.
Lyon was inspired by the style of the 1930s Spanish Revival house, and she also incorporated a few feng shui principles. “The garden has a warm center because of the warm-colored gravel,” she says. “It has an earth type of energy that welcomes people to gather. And the walkways have an easy flow.”
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A large pot in the center of the garden contains a special fig tree. The homeowners are from Greece, and this plant was gifted to them by family. A palo verde tree (Parkinsonia sp.) adds brilliant yellow blooms to the garden. “This is a California desert native that contrasts so well with the purple flowers and native sages,” Lyon says. She incorporated as many drought-tolerant California native plants in the design as she could.
Another part of the garden project was building a small terrace off the primary bedroom. Lyon added walls for privacy and hand-painted Spanish tiles to fit with the Spanish style of the architecture; the terrace also was inspired by patios in Greece. The homeowners “have a little bistro table up there where they have their morning coffee,” she says. The other entrance to the garden is off the kitchen, located along the side yard to the right of the house.
Another part of the garden project was building a small terrace off the primary bedroom. Lyon added walls for privacy and hand-painted Spanish tiles to fit with the Spanish style of the architecture; the terrace also was inspired by patios in Greece. The homeowners “have a little bistro table up there where they have their morning coffee,” she says. The other entrance to the garden is off the kitchen, located along the side yard to the right of the house.
Purple-flowering catmint, salvia and lavender stand out among silvery foliage. Some of Lyons’ favorite silvery plants for dry gardens include wormwood (Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, zones 6 to 9), catmint (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’, zones 3 to 8), lavender (Lavandula ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’, zones 7 to 9), native purple sage (Salvia leucophylla, zones 6 to 10) and pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana, zones 8 to 10). “The lavender, catmint [and] sages add fragrance to the garden, and the pineapple guava provides edible flowers,” she says.
The path’s gravel color is called California Gold. “It is a very warm color with a small percentage of purple and grays in it for a nice variation,” Lyon says. The team dug out 3 to 4 inches and lined the paths with landscape fabric. Lyon added Bender Board edging to the beds to keep the gravel contained to the paths; it’s a composite material that looks like wood.
“My clients knew they’d want to have a lot of their meals out on the patio and host most of their get-togethers out here. They’ve also hosted Girl Scout meetings, and they have had father-daughter tea parties on the lawn,” Lyon says.
The beds are dense with plants; Lyon took an architectural approach with the understory, middle story and overstory to create structure. “I planted thickly to crowd out weeds and to protect the soil moisture — the more it is shaded, the more the soil retains moisture,” Lyon says. “I wanted to make sure there was always something blooming throughout the seasons. We also wanted the garden to attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.”
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Create a Lovely Wildlife-Friendly Garden in a Yard of Any Size
Here is the view toward the outdoor lounge.
After: A trellis and pergola mark the entry to the new food forest, which features a diversity of plant types and layers meant to mimic how plants might grow in nature. Three types of grape vines climb the trellises. Lyon also incorporated roses that have special meaning for the family.
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Lyon got the family started with some edible plants and flowers, such as marigolds to discourage pests, but they’ve taken it from there. The garden now includes native currants, figs, three types of grapes, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and artichokes.
Edibles in the raised bed include basil, kale, strawberries and beans. Passion fruit vines climb up the wood-and-wire trellis next to the garage.
The food forest also has citrus, apricot, apple, plum and persimmon trees. Lyon added soil-improving species to keep the soil rich. These include a California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica, zones 7 to 10), Catalina currants (Ribes viburnifolium, Zone 8), California lilac (Ceanothus sp.), sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus, zones 7 to 10) and alpine strawberry plants.
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The homeowner and her daughter tend to the Catalina currant plant that climbs the fence.
After: Lyon eliminated the lawn, making the yard more colorful and drought-tolerant. She repeated some of the plants she used out back and added blooming plants, including pride of Madeira (Echium candicans, zones 9 to 10) and spurge (Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii, zones 6 to 8).
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The new front walk has a graceful curve. And the plantings make the trip to the front door a journey of discovery.
Family gardening is now a favorite activity. “The wife works in a hospital and has had very long, tough days during the pandemic. She told me that she’d walk outside as soon as she got home and feel like she could breathe again for the first time all day. The garden became a sanctuary for her,” Lyon says. “This was such a great feel-good, give-back kind of project for me.”
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Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their young daughter and their dog
Location: Pasadena, California
Lot size: 8,000 square feet (743 square meters)
Landscape designer: Briana Lyon of Califia Ecodesign
Backyard Lounge and Play Area
Before: “My clients weren’t using their backyard at all. The patio was too small and it was cracked, and there was a large dead maple tree,” Lyon says. “They wanted to grow a lot of food in the garden, they didn’t want to have to use a lot of water, and they wanted a lawn where their young daughter and dog could play.”