Friday, April 1, 2016

Wide Shots - Inside Out

I looked back to see what I covered in my March wide shots post and discovered that there was no March wide shots post.  I guess Leap Day must have thrown off my internal calendar.  In any case, this month I thought I'd take a look at what the garden looks like from inside the house facing out and contrast that with shots of the same areas taken outside.

Our house is a mid-century modern construction with lots of windows, at least in the back looking toward the harbor.  It creates an open feeling between the house and the garden.  As I've mentioned in other posts, the garden is currently in floral overdrive, particularly in the front and back areas.  I'll start in the front and work my way around the house in a counter-clockwise fashion, skipping the areas that aren't directly visible from inside the house, like the back slope and the vegetable garden.

This is the view from the master bedroom looking across the front garden toward the south.  It looks best in the morning when the sun rising in the east creeps up from up the far side of the house.

This photo, taken from the area just to the other side of the driveway, was shot in the early afternoon when the front of the house is fully lit by the sun

This extended view shot was taken at the same time from the area alongside the garage.  I planted it this year after we removed the last of our lawn.  However, the roses (left, forefront) were in place when we bought the house.

The extended view looking in the opposite direction, back toward the garage

This photo shows the transition from the front to the southeast side garden


That arbor in the photo above leads into the southeast side garden, where I've recently been doing some work.  It's also the area most frequented by both the neighborhood raccoons and skunks.  They've been very industrious of late - perhaps they have new mouths to feed.  I've been trying to take the almost daily upheaval in stride but there was one day the mess left they left behind just about made me cry.  However, I was up very early last Saturday and Mr. Raccoon and I came face-to-face through the glass in the living room window.  He high-tailed it before I could get out the back door and hasn't been back since.  That hasn't stopped the skunks from visiting, though.  Catching them by surprise isn't a viable option.

View through a living room window looking beyond the side yard patio to the garden area beyond.  The bed just beyond the arbor on the right features the Callistemon 'Hot Pink' I recently moved from the backyard.

Photo taken from the backyard looking at the side yard.  You can see that I still have Magnolia cones surrounding some plants, like the newly transplanted Dasyliron and Callistemon, as protection against raccoon and skunk assaults.  These are by no means full-proof defenses but they do seem to slow the critters down a bit.


It's difficult to get good photos of the backyard through the glass.  The clearest views are available in the morning before the shade of the house casts a shadow over a portion of the area; however, the sun's glare creates reflections of the windows in those early morning photos.

This is one of my favorite views of the backyard, visible from the living room couch.  The photo was taken in the late afternoon when the bed in the foreground was already in shadow and the afternoon haze had settled on the harbor.

Photo taken from the backyard patio looking south.  The plants put in since the last of the lawn here was removed are slowly filling in.  The Lupinus propinquus in the foreground to the left of the fountain seems intent on taking over the entire bed.  It's also turned out to be more lavender than blue, which messes with my color scheme.

View looking in the opposite direction.  The giant mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) in the distance is beginning to leaf out.


My office also overlooks the backyard.

View from my office window looking roughly northeast.  There are mountains in the distance but they're invisible in this photo due to haze (as they are more often than not these days).

A longer view looking back toward the main backyard area


Finally, my husband's office/gym and our master bathroom overlook the dry garden on the northeast side.

View from the master bathroom window looking at the path that leads to the back slope.  The majority of the flower color in this area comes from Osteospermum of various kinds, Leptospermum scoparium (left, background) and "weeds" (Erigeron karvinskianus and Geranium incanum).

View of the area from the path leading to the dry garden from the backyard


That's it for this month's wide shots post.  I've done some work in the area adjacent to the street on the on the southwest side of the property too but I'll cover it separately in another post.

Best wishes for a great weekend!


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

33 comments:

  1. It's filling in so well, you must be very pleased. Do you reckon you'll get any more rain or is El Niño done now?

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    1. I'm still holding out hope for more rain based on the contention that weakening of the El Nino system could benefit SoCal. We got only one good soaking in March. The last system delivered no rain whatsoever in my location but there are 2 slight chances for rain late next week so fingers are crossed. Meanwhile, we've been notified that water restrictions will remain in effect until at least October.

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  2. That all looks so good! And you have great views to borrow from too. Thanks for sharing your garden!

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  3. Your garden has a wide open welcoming look to it.
    Our autumn weather means I can play musical chairs, and move around (or just yank out for mulch) the colours that offend my eyes.

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    1. I've been making quite a few plant moves myself, Diana, even though spring is a less optimal time to do this than fall.

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  4. Your wide views are always inspirational to me but this one, with the garden in floral overdrive and some different views is amazing! Such a beautiful space it's no wonder the raccoons and skunks love your garden!

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    1. Most likely, the raccoons and skunks love the fact that we've dug up virtually all of the garden over the past 5 years, making it all the easier for them to dig grubs in the loosened soil. But thanks for trying to put a positive spin on it, Peter!

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  5. Stunning, Kris. Such a beautiful place you've created. What do you use between the pavers, thyme? What is the red barked tree in the main backyard area?

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    1. I've used various kinds of creeping thyme between the pavers - my favorite (used when I can find it) is 'Minus' thyme, which stays very low. The red-barked tree is Arbutus 'Marina' - I inherited several of these with the house. It's a beautiful tree in all respects and very drought tolerant too.

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  6. It's wonderful to see how much you have done and how beautifully it is turning out. Either way from inside or out your garden is just beautiful.

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    1. Thanks, Shirley! I look forward to seeing my shrubs and perennials fill in. I'm hoping that that will both knit things together more effectively and make it more difficult for the raccoons and skunks to forage through my garden beds.

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  7. Enjoying the view of your gardens. Sure do have a different landscape than I do and I'm liking it.

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  8. My garden currently looks like a construction zone. Two sections are fenced off with plastic fencing so the grass paths the dogs destroyed can regrow. I also extended the rain garden - again - and that is still a work in progress. :o) Your garden reminds me of a quilt. I love it!

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    1. Oh, to have sufficient rain to justify a rain garden! This is probably the first time in 2 years that some part of my own garden hasn't looked like a construction zone, Tammy.

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  9. I love the way you've wrapped the plantings around the house; everything meshes well even when you have separate planting schemes!

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    1. I've been trying to repeat more of the plants to create more continuity in the landscape, Amy, but I'm afraid I'm just too much of a plant addict to go full bore in that direction.

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  10. Excellent! I think I understand the layout but hope to see it in person someday and will no doubt be surprised. Oh and I am jealous that you've got such great views of your garden from the house. I can see the front garden okay but the back garden is only visible from two small windows in the corner of the bedrooms. Poor planning by the builder!

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    1. Lots of windows are a characteristic of the mid-century building style, at least as it was interpreted in SoCal. The natural light was one of the major selling points for this house.

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  11. I've been toiling to keep up with posts recently and boy what a difference I can see in your garden Kris. Your effort is truly paying off now. Not a bad view amongst them. Everything is coming together I can imagine you having a huge grin on your face each time you go out the door. Well done, keep it up.

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    1. I do feel that it's coming together now that we're done with all that lawn, Angie. Now what I need to do is stop moving stuff around and let the plants knit themselves together into a landscape instead of merely a plant collection.

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  12. It looks fantastic!
    Nice view of your beautiful garden and harbor.
    Also see that you can fit a couple of plants and it is always good :)
    Have a nice day
    Mariana

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    1. Yes, there is still room to squeeze in plants here and there, Mariana! Although I should stop my planting this month as our temperatures are likely to rise steadily and make it harder for plants to establish, I probably will not stop until it gets too hot to work outside.

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  13. I hope you scared that raccoon away for good!
    I would never get anything accomplished in my house if I had views like yours; it would be impossible to pull myself away from the windows! You have created such a marvelous tapestry of color. It is especially amazing knowing the drought conditions you endure.

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    1. I expect the raccoon (or his cousin) will be back but for now I'm enjoying his absence, Deb. If only I could find a way to discourage the skunks from visiting too! I believe our rain total for the season-to-date is actually lower than last year's total here but at least NorCal got healthy rainfall and snow in this El Nino year.

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  14. that's a good way of looking at the garden. I use windows and the places we sit on the terrace when designing views. Your home has some wonderful views to admire.

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    1. Keeping the view of the harbor clear is one of my husband's main admonitions, Christina. If it was entirely up to me there would probably be some taller specimens in the backyard.

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  15. Your garden looks amazing from any vantage! The newer areas are already starting to look fuller, too. I always consider views from inside the house and from the patio when I'm planning. I try to consider long views from one area of the garden to another, too, but I know I don't do as well there as spontaneous placement and plant lust take over frequently.

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    1. Plant lust is also my biggest problem when it comes to creating a landscape, Evan.

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  16. I so love your garden. The space is amazing and well organised. I can imagine all the ohms when adoring the view.

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