Montecito Hedgerow

In the center of the Montecito “Hedgerow district”, this garden was in desperate need of a new landscape design. There was too much lawn, flax and of all things, Mexican feather grass (which is a very invasive plant-not good) The back was dominated by a small bocce court and raised vegetable beds. The garden had no vibe, no story, no life.

Fortunately, the client is a docent at Lotusland so was very much into bringing the garden back to life organically, yay! And as a dog lived there, we didn’t want to use anything that was toxic to animals.

We started by removing most of the lawn and the plants that weren’t thriving. The house is of a cottage style so the new garden design needed to reflect that style. We transplanted an Olive tree from the back planted roses and lavender in front, using the “Dan Bifano rose planting formula” (available at Island Seed and Feed in Goleta).

The beds are filled with Oakleaf hydrangea, duranta and a few Arbutus marina and Pittosporum tobira.

In the back we removed the Bocce court and created a DG courtyard and paths, raised beds for herbs and planted an informal perennial flowering border using nepeta and teucrium and a cutting garden using Shasta Daisy, lemon verbena, Pentas, Heliotrope, bearded iris and fruit trees. We added herbs such as lavender, sage and thyme. Oakleaf hydrangea, Annabelle hydrangea and camellias are planted in the shade of the majestic Coastal Live Oak. The end result a lush, fragrant, colorful, flowering garden that is beautiful all year.

An antique hand carved stone trough (from Eye of the Day Garden Design Center) was transformed into a small fire pit. The existing fire pit was converted to one using natural gas (we do not recommend wood fire pits-not in Montecito). And speaking of Eye of the Day, I found the perfect fountain for the courtyard and two Gladding McBean glazed pots planted with citrus completed the look we wanted.

And most importantly, the client is thrilled with her little garden oasis.

Enjoy!
xo Lisa