Santa Barbara Contemporary

Hard to imagine, but this Santa Barbara landscape began as lawn and massive 10’ wide hedges and an entry of chain link and barbed wire. If I showed the before photos, you would think I was making it up. 

We started by removing all of the old, overgrown pittosporum hedges and created a split level outdoor living area with a fire pit on the upper level. The water feature was meant to be part of the allure of the garden, positioned as it is at the end of the entry walkway, it draws the eye and thus the visitor to the front door. I was able to find the perfect antique fountain spout at The Sacred Space in Summlerland to finish the look we were trying to achieve. 

This locale can get very hot in the summer, so trees were used to create shade instead of an overhead pergola. 

There were many, many challenges, chiefly, there was no obvious entry and route to the front door. The solution was to create an actual gateway to the property. The entrance was designed to pick up on the slight Contemporary Asian vibe of the garage. We located an antique door for the final touch. The entry is framed by two Pyrus Kawakamii which add to the exotic and add softness to the lines of the entry structure. 

There were other issues such as undesirable views of the two story house behind and the need to create privacy and security for her two dogs. 

The garden itself is fairly simple using Japanese Maples, Pyrus Kawakamii, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Pittosporum Tobira, Heuchera, Frequent flyer white iris and perimeter hedges of Podocarpus.