Tag: garden design

Lawn replacement gone wild with blue bottle ornaments

This astonishing landscape design was developed by the homeowner in an upscale neighborhood that is under strict watering limitations. She told me she had no art training so I think of her as a self-taught landscape designer, sort of a “Grandma Moses of garden planning”.

Blue Bottle lawn replacement Hot Gardens net
Encouraged by the water department, this homeowner replaced her lawn with drought tolerant plants and dozens upon dozens of garden ornaments. To one side there is a long row of ornamental  grasses.
Circular Flower Bed in Blue Bottle garden Hot Gardens net
Circles within circles seems to be her main design motif. At night lights surround these plant beds. See below.

Instead of planting an ordinary selection of cactus and succulents, she let her imagination take flight by adding blue bottles, wind spinners and, at night, lights encircling the plant beds. And, from the empty pots and bags of mulch still stacked around the garden it appears she isn’t done yet.

She inspired me to check out garden ornaments on Amazon and I found this attractive wind spinner and some interesting solar lighted lilies.

What do you think of this garden?

Garden ornaments for lawn replacement Hot Gardens net
The homeowner’s love of wind spinners is quite obvious.
Plumeria tree Hot Gardens net
Among all the cactus and succulents is this tropical plumeria tree. It requires more water than most of the other plants. All the plants in this garden appear very healthy.
Blue Bottles fan ornament in Pasadena Hot Gardens net
While the blue bottles are the most conspicuous visually, there are actually many more wind spinners in the garden.
When the homeowner/designer said she had added lights to the garden and invited me to come back after dark to see it, this is what I saw. It is a quite subtle light display.

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