Carmel Cottage
Nestled in Carmel-by-the-Sea, this property was a fun micro-landscape project. The largest planting area was around 100 sq. ft. The property had well established pathways, fences, and focal trees which defined the space, and it just needed some plantings to welcome butterflies, birds, and people to enjoy the space.
HABITAT TYPE
Pine Forest • Urban
DESIGN CONSTRAINTS
Sandy loam • Coastal influence (fog, temperature) • Deep Shade • Intense Sun Exposure
DESIGN FEATURES
Bird Bath • Low Maintenance Landscape
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES
Pollinator Garden • Rain Garden • CA Native and Drought Tolerant Non-Native Plants • Permeable Pathways • Increased Biodiversity • Soil Ecological Health • Adaptive Management
Two chairs are nestled in the corner of the front garden with an ideal vantage point of the plantings
This was such a fun transformation from a open mostly bare space at the start to a lush flowering meadow with Juncos nesting in the understory by the next spring.
The backyard has very small planting pockets among a wood deck and flagstone patio which offer another fun opportunity to create plantings in both full shade and intense sun only 10 ft from each other.
The addition of large planters throughout the backyard added interest and color to the existing structure of the landscape.
Featured Plants
Front:
Blue Fescue 'Blue Select' • Coral Bells 'Crimson Curls' • Deer Fern • Japanese Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' • Rozanne Geranium
Back:
Hellebore • CA Poppy ‘Purple Gleam’ • Peach Yarrow • Showy Penstemon
Pots:
Japanese Maple • Meyer Lemon • Silver Falls • Verbena lilacina
