Saturday, June 24, 2017, 10 am – 5 pm

 

My garden is fairly new. When I moved from St. Louis six years ago, it was so overgrown that I didn't realize I had an ocean view!

I've always been an avid gardener, but I had to educate myself on coastal, hillside gardening. Some challenges were wind, drought, critters, and invasive species. The property was covered with ivy and wild blackberry. After much clearing and trial and error, specific plants started to emerge as winners: heath, bergenia, lavender, erigeron (Santa Barbara Daisy), succulents, grevilleas (plants that originate from Australia do very well here), agapanthus, and grasses which add movement to the garden.

I didn't want to struggle with a garden this size so low maintenance was a must (no lawn mowers, weed eaters, or leaf blowers). Plants had to “behave themselves" by keeping them low (to enjoy the vistas) and neat (for easy weeding).

To create a tranquil, calm landscape, I chose a limited palette and mass plantings. I wanted one's eye to flow uphill or down seamlessly and to have views from all vantage points. I love having pleasing vignettes of the garden from inside the cottage as well.