Landscape Design
Patio of the Week
A Stylish Low-Water, No-Fuss Landscape
Courtyards for dining, relaxing and entertaining foster easy indoor-outdoor living for a family of four
When a young family purchased a home in sunny Newport Beach, California, they knew they wanted a garden that would foster a relaxed, indoor-outdoor lifestyle and didn’t need a lot of water or maintenance to look good. Landscape designer Chris Fenmore of Garden Studio Design helped them achieve their goal with a Mediterranean-style landscape consisting of a series of outdoor rooms and a no-fuss plant palette chosen to thrive in Southern California’s dry heat. We caught up with the designer, who walked us through the stylish result and shared her tips for designing a lower-maintenance garden. (Hint: Go for foliage over flowers.)
Front Yard
Fenmore proposed a design that would enclose the front yard to create a courtyard, with dense new hedge plantings to boost privacy. “The idea was, once you walked into the gate off of the street, the front courtyard became a part of the living space,” she says.
A 6-foot-tall hedge planting of Indian laurel (Ficus microcarpa var. nitida) and attractive, low-water plants sit far off the street. Plants include pillars of waxleaf privet (Ligustrum japonicum ‘Texanum’), spiky ‘Blue Glow’ agave (Agave ‘Blue Glow’), dwarf pittosporum (Pittosporum crassifolium ‘Compactum’), ‘Golf Ball’ kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’) and ‘Morning Light’ coast rosemary (Westringia fruticosa ‘Morning Light’).
The new stone pilasters and solid wood gate create a sense of arrival to the home.
Fenmore proposed a design that would enclose the front yard to create a courtyard, with dense new hedge plantings to boost privacy. “The idea was, once you walked into the gate off of the street, the front courtyard became a part of the living space,” she says.
A 6-foot-tall hedge planting of Indian laurel (Ficus microcarpa var. nitida) and attractive, low-water plants sit far off the street. Plants include pillars of waxleaf privet (Ligustrum japonicum ‘Texanum’), spiky ‘Blue Glow’ agave (Agave ‘Blue Glow’), dwarf pittosporum (Pittosporum crassifolium ‘Compactum’), ‘Golf Ball’ kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’) and ‘Morning Light’ coast rosemary (Westringia fruticosa ‘Morning Light’).
The new stone pilasters and solid wood gate create a sense of arrival to the home.
Entry Courtyard
Inside, the front garden feels wonderfully private. The sound of a bubbling fountain masks the noise of cars driving past, and a deep seating area invites visitors to kick back and relax.
The installation team used concrete with a sand finish (Davis concrete ‘Miami Buff’) to create the courtyard floor, which was also used for the entry path.
Inside, the front garden feels wonderfully private. The sound of a bubbling fountain masks the noise of cars driving past, and a deep seating area invites visitors to kick back and relax.
The installation team used concrete with a sand finish (Davis concrete ‘Miami Buff’) to create the courtyard floor, which was also used for the entry path.
The concrete pad beneath the seating area measures 11 feet by 12 feet 8 inches — large enough for a pair of low-slung outdoor sofas and a teak coffee table. Large metal-framed French doors create a smooth connection from the outdoor lounge to the indoor dining room.
Low-Water Plantings
Beds filled with low-water plantings surround the courtyard with mounds of green and the occasional hit of orange from Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ succulents. “The garden has a slightly arid plant palette without being a cactus garden,” Fenmore says. “I call this a foliage-based garden. We relied on foliage, not flowers, to gain interest.”
Plants featuring a variety of foliage colors and textures include Little Ollie dwarf olive (Olea europaea ‘Montra’), ‘Smokey’ coast rosemary (Westringia fruticosa ‘Smokey’), ‘Morning Light’ coast rosemary (W. fruticosa ‘Morning Light’), ‘Golf Ball’ kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’) and ‘Blue Glow’ agave (Agave ‘Blue Glow’).
Low-growing silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae) blankets the ground between shrubs, keeping down weeds.
Beds filled with low-water plantings surround the courtyard with mounds of green and the occasional hit of orange from Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ succulents. “The garden has a slightly arid plant palette without being a cactus garden,” Fenmore says. “I call this a foliage-based garden. We relied on foliage, not flowers, to gain interest.”
Plants featuring a variety of foliage colors and textures include Little Ollie dwarf olive (Olea europaea ‘Montra’), ‘Smokey’ coast rosemary (Westringia fruticosa ‘Smokey’), ‘Morning Light’ coast rosemary (W. fruticosa ‘Morning Light’), ‘Golf Ball’ kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’) and ‘Blue Glow’ agave (Agave ‘Blue Glow’).
Low-growing silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae) blankets the ground between shrubs, keeping down weeds.
Fenmore preserved a mature jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), shown here, from the original landscape. The South American native tree erupts in hundreds of purple flowers from April to June and is the largest show of blooms anywhere in the garden. A layer of gravel gives the area below the tree a finished look that’s perfectly in-keeping with a Mediterranean-style courtyard. Plus, the combination of gravel and foundation plantings takes far less water and care than what could easily have been a front lawn.
Backyard
The homeowners opened up the back of the house as part of their remodel and installed extra-large sliding doors to create a better connection with the backyard. When the doors stay open, such as when the family is entertaining, guests can easily move from living room to courtyard garden. “Essentially the whole interior space leading to the outdoor space feels like one space,” Fenmore says.
The homeowners opened up the back of the house as part of their remodel and installed extra-large sliding doors to create a better connection with the backyard. When the doors stay open, such as when the family is entertaining, guests can easily move from living room to courtyard garden. “Essentially the whole interior space leading to the outdoor space feels like one space,” Fenmore says.
The backyard’s design mimics that of the front yard, with concrete patios in a sand finish bordered by Mediterranean-style plantings and a sprinkling of potted plants. The two patios, connected by flagstone pavers edged with artificial turf, establish two outdoor rooms: one for dining and one as a fireside lounge.
Outdoor Dining Area
The dining patio measures 13 feet by 20 feet and sits closest to the house, alongside the new outdoor kitchen. A large olive tree gives the garden a sense of maturity. Custom outdoor lighting fixtures developed by Garden Studio edge the patios and subtly light the surrounding Indian laurel hedges (Ficus microcarpa var. nitida) in the evening.
The dining patio measures 13 feet by 20 feet and sits closest to the house, alongside the new outdoor kitchen. A large olive tree gives the garden a sense of maturity. Custom outdoor lighting fixtures developed by Garden Studio edge the patios and subtly light the surrounding Indian laurel hedges (Ficus microcarpa var. nitida) in the evening.
Fireplace Lounge
The second backyard seating area centers around a gas-burning, smoke-free outdoor hearth that was built into the low retaining wall that runs along the property’s back border. The hearth, measuring 10 feet wide by 5 feet tall, serves as a visual anchor for the backyard and an inviting spot for parents to kick back and relax while still keeping an eye on their little ones.
The second backyard seating area centers around a gas-burning, smoke-free outdoor hearth that was built into the low retaining wall that runs along the property’s back border. The hearth, measuring 10 feet wide by 5 feet tall, serves as a visual anchor for the backyard and an inviting spot for parents to kick back and relax while still keeping an eye on their little ones.
The team covered the back corner of the garden with artificial turf (Diamond Pro Series by Tiger Turf ) to give the couple’s two young kids and their friends an area to play that is a low-water, low-maintenance alternative to a traditional lawn.
All in all, it’s a garden meant to be lived in and enjoyed and, the designer reports, that is just what the young family is doing.
All in all, it’s a garden meant to be lived in and enjoyed and, the designer reports, that is just what the young family is doing.
5 Design Tips for Creating a Low-Water, Low-Maintenance Garden
1. Plant more shrubs, fewer annuals and perennials. Giving a shrub a trim a few times a year takes far less effort than replanting annuals every season. “We really never use annuals anymore,” Fenmore says. “If a client wants perennials, we use them sparingly.”
2. Rely on foliage for interest. Skip the flower deadheading and seasonal care of perennials by having a larger proportion of beds planted with foliage plants. Choose a variety of leaf sizes, colors and shapes for visual interest and enough evergreens to keep the garden looking good year-round.
3. Choose unfussy plants that are well-suited to your climate. If nature can provide what a plant needs, you’ll have less work. Look for plants that are native to your region (which also offer benefits to native wildlife) or are well-adapted to your climate.
4. Reduce lawn size or eliminate it completely. Traditional turf lawns take up more water, fertilizer and maintenance time than any other area of a garden. Try replacing portions of a lawn with a low-water ground cover or convert to artificial turf.
5. Take up planting space with patios. Cut down on water use and plant maintenance by converting some spots to patios or open areas covered by gravel or mulch.
1. Plant more shrubs, fewer annuals and perennials. Giving a shrub a trim a few times a year takes far less effort than replanting annuals every season. “We really never use annuals anymore,” Fenmore says. “If a client wants perennials, we use them sparingly.”
2. Rely on foliage for interest. Skip the flower deadheading and seasonal care of perennials by having a larger proportion of beds planted with foliage plants. Choose a variety of leaf sizes, colors and shapes for visual interest and enough evergreens to keep the garden looking good year-round.
3. Choose unfussy plants that are well-suited to your climate. If nature can provide what a plant needs, you’ll have less work. Look for plants that are native to your region (which also offer benefits to native wildlife) or are well-adapted to your climate.
4. Reduce lawn size or eliminate it completely. Traditional turf lawns take up more water, fertilizer and maintenance time than any other area of a garden. Try replacing portions of a lawn with a low-water ground cover or convert to artificial turf.
5. Take up planting space with patios. Cut down on water use and plant maintenance by converting some spots to patios or open areas covered by gravel or mulch.
Landscape at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with two young children
Location: Newport Beach, California
Size: Lot: 9,452 square feet (878 square meters); front yard: 2,768 square feet (257 square meters); backyard: 3,197 square feet (297 square meters)
Landscape design: Chris Fenmore of Garden Studio Design
Landscape installation: Tim Husband of Instant Landscape
Following a home remodel, which took the house down to the studs and left the landscape largely a construction site, the homeowners turned their attention to the outdoor space. The landscape hadn’t been updated much since the Spanish-style home was built in the 1960s and did little to inspire indoor-outdoor living. “All the plantings were tired and old,” Fenmore says. “The only thing we saved was the large anchor tree in the front yard.”