Water Wiser (continued)
Photo: Jack Coyier
All, says Gimmy, are drought-tolerant and suited to the Zone 10 climate. They also harmonize visually. “In plants adapted to the same conditions,” she explains, “you see similar characteristics—for example, soft greens and a frosty coating to the leaves for protection against the sun.”
The garden’s color palette blends oranges and golds—in the blooms of aloes and kangaroo paws, in the fleshy leaves of echeverias— with the cool silvers of other succulents, tall grasses and shrubs. Many of the plants—agaves, aeoniums, senecio—are highly sculptural, which connects them to the inside of the house. “I collect art,” the owner says, “and I wanted the garden to read as part of the collection as your eye moves from the indoors out.”
Just as critical to him was carrying the strong geometry of his Tshaped house into the landscape, creating courtyards, strolling paths and patios for parties. Gimmy linked these new spaces with warmtoned Palm Springs gravel—embedded in terrace pavers, loose in the seams of walks and as topdressing for planting beds.
The planting is colorful, low-maintenance and often surprising (flowering unexpectedly throughout the year). Only the bush germander needs trimming, three times annually; the grasses require a single cutback in late winter. The owner mows his small lawn himself, with an old-fashioned, nonpolluting push mower. And though his garden pleasures have increased exponentially, reducing the turf has trimmed his water bill by 40 percent.
Click here to view the resources for this article.
Subscribe to ELLE DECOR magazine
MORE METROPOLITAN HOME ARTICLES
