The planting

2023-02-01 -

1 Succulent circle

The owner had collected a range of succulents that she wanted to consolidate, now housed within the tufa stone circle. “They now look like a giant table arrangement from inside the house.” The owner supervised the planting, and Scott’s team added fillers and trailing plants that drape down the side and give a little softness to the walls.

2 Native plants

The property uses a grey water and rainwater harvesting system as a source of irrigation, devised in conjunction with a water management company. The key to water saving on this project, however, was the plant selection. “Native plants don’t need much irrigation,” explains Scott. “California normally gets its rain in the winter, between November and March, and that’s what they’re adapted to. We have no rain between April and October, but native plants don’t need water in summer, as they go dormant or lose their leaves. That said, our recent dry winters means there’s an increasing need for irrigation then.”

Scott used a handful of plant groups, including salvias, grasses and ceanothus. “Within those, different species and varieties add layers and beauty.” Large Cleveland salvias (Salvia clevelandii) are a key plant as they are big, bold and weed-smothering. “They have a strong, musky scent and I’ve grown to love them more than lavender.” The native deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens), which has tall flower spikes, is another key plant – “Despite its name, deer don’t eat it” – alongside the state plant, California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), which self-seeds freely. Ten new live oaks

were added and California pipevine (Aristolochia californica) trails in the trees’ understorey. Scott also used a handful of drought-tolerant, non-native plants, including Salvia x jamensis (sometimes sold as Salvia greggii), which is native to Texas and Mexico and comes in a wide range of colours.

“Having lived on the site for around ten years, the clients were familiar with the wildlife that passed through – primarily deer,” says Scott. “You can manage that if you have a palette of plants that might be nibbled occasionally, while the real food sources are elsewhere.” The clients already had a handle on what deer eat, so the garden has suffered only a few losses. “Deer ate a native redbud that we planted at the back of the house, but ignored one at the front.” Scott and the clients selected almost 40 native, drought-tolerant plants, planted in bold drifts, that would appeal to the birds, bees and butterflies of the adjoining nature reserve.

3 Green roof

On top of the studio’s flat roof Scott created a meadow garden using eight different grasses, plus native wildflowers and bulbs that were chosen in collaboration with the clients and US grass expert John Greenlee. Providing interest throughout the year, it also helps to merge buildings with garden, and with the landscape beyond. It is planted using a tray system, with a

22cm depth at its deepest point to accommodate grasses. The plants, mostly plugs and small plants in 9cm pots, were laid out on site, for an organic look. The shortest plants are near the deck in front of the bedroom, while the tallest grasses are at the end farthest from the house. Drip irrigation is used in summer, when the temperatures are typically above 30°C. “The plants are always green, for the visual effect but also for fire safety,” explains Scott.