Designer: Georgia Madden, Feyerabend and Madden
Location: Dublin, California
Sunset Zone: 14
This home's south-facing lawn provides little privacy or shade and needs a lot of water. Georgia Madden suggests replacing the lawn with an array of climate appropriate native plants. By varying the size, color, and seasonal color of the shrubs, her design screens the house from the street, and creates the illusion of depth in this narrow yard. A new path from the street emphasizes the home's entry. A Strawberry tree complements the faade of the house, while providing privacy inside.
Planting Tip: To help the new plants thrive, Georgia recommends amending the soil with 1 inch of compost, choosing climate-appropriate plants, and covering bare soil with 3 inches of mulch.
Irrigation Tip: To provide even coverage for small groundcover plants, try in-line drip emitters on a grid under mulch. See the irrigation plan for more information.
About the Designer: Georgia Madden has been Bay-Friendly Qualified since 2010. For over 20 years, her firm has provided landscape design services to residential clients in the Bay Area. In addition to design, she offers long-term maintenance advice and a high level of expertise with succulent planting and native grasses as lawn alternatives.