It is hard to imagine looking at the photos, but this Santa Barbara garden started out as an large expanse of dead lawn. I just looked at the before photos and could hardly believe it. With that as a backstory, perhaps you can appreciate this transformation even more. That is exactly what this was, a transformation into a garden with drought tolerant plants, gravel paths and a faux creekbed. Drought tolerant plants including California natives and Mediterranean favorites fill the garden with year-round color. Arbutus marina, evergreen pear, Manzanita, Mexican sage, Rosemary and other perennial color fill this garden with a variety of color, texture and fragrance.
The creekbed is a permaculture technique for handling and diverting rain water, keeping it on the property and directing water into the earth instead of running off. An essential element in a drought tolerant garden is using plants that don’t need much water, but also conserving and preserving water that we do get. Gravel paths are also a key part of water conservation, as they allow rain to permeate and go back into the earth. The final step of a drought tolerant landscape is a deep layer of mulch. Mulch preserves moisture, protects plants’ roots and also builds soil.
Fill your garden with joy! Lisa and Chris
