This house is a labor of love + grit + determination by the homeowners. The landscape design part is a collaborative project for me, with my beloved incredibly talented design-minded friend and her legit landscape architect mom. I’m happy to be a small part of bringing this beautiful vision to fruition. So let’s focus on the plants. With views of the hills and Santa Cruz Mountains, the lot is an amazingly sunny south-facing space. The newly renovated midcentury modern home is built into the hillside yielding a space surrounded by heritage oaks and the actual California Pepper Trees that made me fall in love with the non-native, drought-tolerant beauties.

Existing plant highlights that will remain: Schinus molle, Pistacia chinensis, Quercus agrifolia. New plant highlights include: Casuarina glauca 'Cousin It', Acacia iteaphylla, Cussonia paniculata v. sinuata. Photos and updates to come.

Los Altos Hills, California Zone 9b

Plants: Anacardiaceae, Araliaceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Rhamnaceae

all photography below by JetKat