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A San Francisco Modern Contemporary Garden Design

Land & Garden's design services by Laura Clemons, was brought in to design a modern and contemporary garden design for a San Francisco customer's back yard space, behind their two story residence.

The customer was on a budget and wanted a solution that met their needs. So we came up with a design, materials list and plant list, which would allow them to build the garden slowly in project phases on their own working from our low cost design.

To initially give the customer ideas we created a design proposal document, full of images to make decisions from: images ranged from garden designs, outdoor rooms, lighting, to plants and structures. This gave the customer ideas as to what they were looking for in the redesign the back of their property, and also allowed them to make decisions as to finalizing a sketch and plan. We then did hand-drawn sketches -which took less billable time than our computer drawings; and provided a materials and plant list that would allow them to choose, budget and shop for what they wanted, when they were ready to install in phases (Lists provided below.)

The goal for the design was to generate an outdoor living space and gardening areas with long lines, walkways and privacy. We created a design with a rear deck for entertaining and barbequing with an arbor above, and off to the side, a cement water basin with an attractive and textural wood wall above it.

The garden pathways are covered in decomposed granite and the garden areas full of plants ranging in height, texture and colors, limited to a palette of yellows, oranges, purples to blacks.

The design also incorporates 3 foot square, cement walking pads edged with black river rock; vine covered fencing on two sides with a third wall of rust colored corrugated galvanized metal panels hung horizontally; a large rectangle of sod grass next to a large rear deck for entertaining covered with a black structural arbor.

A rectangular large wall piece of textured wood slats adds dimension color and texture at the end of the deck and hangs on the galvanized fence wall. While colored landscape glass fills a cement water basin below it; as it's surrounded flax and ornamental grasses. The various garden areas are to be filled with textured and flowering plants, succulents, grasses and shrubs ranging in tones from yellow, oranges, purples and blacks. Enhanced with Italian cypress, a lemon tree and olive trees...all with pathways covered in decomposed granite.

Design Proposal - Images for Design Inspiration

The following images are not ours but were the source of design direction and inspiration for our Design Proposal Document - Step 1.

In this image, use of a cement rectangular water trough, the decomposed granite walkways, green covered walls contrasting with earthy rust colored horizontal lines of adjacent wall, all went into our design.

Love, love the rear hanging wood wall made from wood boards gives a modern and easy to build, wonderful focal point. Our version of a wood wall is hung off to the left side fenced wall, as we have an arbor proposed for the right side of the rear deck. The cement square pads leading to a rear step up deck also incorporated into our design.

Use of cement low rectangular structure to hold water basin surrounded by black rivers stones incorporated into our proposal as well as the horizontal lines of the rear fence, and long decomposed granite walkways.

We loved the side over-hanging, black painted wood arbor and vine covered walls to reveal a few of our design ideas using this image.

In this picture the ideas we are presenting are the types of plants that add colors in tones of oranges, purples and blacks such as: Ipomoea batatas; Pennisetum ‘Jade Princess’; Sanguisorba tenuifolia; Sambucus nigra ‘Aurea’; Rhus typhina ‘Laciniata’; Acer triflorum; Aconitum carmichaelii; Pennisetum glaucum ‘Jester’; Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Taurus’; Zinnia ‘Profusion Orange’; and Sanvitalia.

This image we found gives an idea to the use of succulents, great for California Bay Area gardens -such as the orange coral firesticks, which can provide year round texture and foliage color tones of yellows, oranges and purples.

This image we found for the client, details the proposed black river rock stones to be used around edgings of pathways and decks in the design; and the galvanized panels hung horizontally would be extended in our design on the far left wall end to end, yet painted an earthy rust color.

Of course the design had to include a few of the beautiful Pride of Madiera Plants - great for coastal San Francisco gardens!

Our design incorporates lighting, illuminating the garden at night for entertaining. We love the idea of lighting up one long wall: we propose adding tube lighting along the solid galvanized fenced wall we incorporate for one side of the garden. The other two garden walls would be covered with and planted for vines such as Jasminum polyanthemum (pink bud jasmine); Clematis armandii; Passiflora (Passion flower) and Bignonia (crossvine). The vine covered walls could have lower garden lights at ground level, lighting up into the vines.

The Materials List

Smooth 2” Black River Rock - for edges of walkways deck/patios areas and grass area.

Corrugated Galvanized Metal Panels - for left side fence; hang horizontally, painted in rust color finish

Sod Grass 17 x 4 feet - for rectangular lawn area by deck

4x4” Wire Grid Fencing - hang on panels of fencing for rear and right side fence walls - or use trellis sections to allow vines to grow up fencing to create green walls.

Deck, Decorative Wood Panel Wall and Arbor - TBD for cost and labor - colors suggested: rust or black stained finishes

Colored Landscape Glass to fill Cement Water Basin - glass in various colors available from www.landngarden.com

Cement or other water basin for fitting between left side rear fence/deck area

Decomposed granite OR 1/2” pebble gravel for flattened/tapped walkway areas: amount, TBD - landscape mesh underneath is optional and costly

Tube encased clear white lighting to be suspended along or within solid galvanized fenced wall. Rows of ground level lights against other two vine covered walls, lighting up into the vines. (Electric box supporting lighting needs to be installed as well).

Note: use mix of Compost Dirt, Peat Moss, Slow Release Fertilizer, Steer Manure, with liquid Vitamin B at time of planting as key ingredients to adding to the base of all plants when installing.

The Plant List

Below plants are in the bronze, reds, purples, golds scheme...

Perennials, Ornamental Grasses and Succulents

For inner garden triangular shape areas

Pride of Madiera - large purple spike flowers
New Zealand Flax - burgundy foliage
Bronze Heuchera Groundcover
CAREX testacea- 'Orange New Zealand Sedge'
IMPERATA cylindrica -Japanese Blood Grass- 'Red Baron'
STIPA tenuissima - 'Mexican Feather' Grass - around water basin
Yellow Agave - 1-3 - grows Large
Paddle plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora)
'Zwartkop' tree aeonium
Firesticks (Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Rosea’)
CIpomoea batatas
Pennisetum ‘Jade Princess’
Sanguisorba tenuifolia
Sambucus nigra ‘Aurea’
Rhus typhina ‘Laciniata’
Acer triflorum
Aconitum carmichaelii
Pennisetum glaucum ‘Jester’
Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Taurus’
Zinnia ‘Profusion Orange’
Sanvitalia
Red Tip Aloe w/ Red Blooms
Tradescantia Pallida (purple trailing taller groundcover)
Aeonium Arborium - Red Flower taller stakes
Aeonium Poldark
Echeveria - cultivar purple, red, lavendar curly edges
Sedum Telephium - red flowers
Kangaroo Plant - orange blossoms
Euphorbia Tirucalli
Euphorbia characias wulfenii
EUPHORBIA AMYGDALOIDES VAR. 'CRAIGIEBURN'

Ornamental Grasses

Against side and rear fence walls

Yellow: Carex oshimensis, 'Evergold'
Black: Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' -'Black Mondo Grass'

Vines

Against fencing & arbor/pergola

Jasminum polyanthemum (pink bud jasmine)
Clematis armandii
Passiflora (Passion flower)
Bignonia (crossvine)
Wisteria with purple blossoms -can be aggressive -may not be enough room

Trees
Against Left Wall

Olive trees
Italian Cypress
Fruit Trees - where desired

Trees Against Right Wall & Walkway

Italian Cypress

Optional Hedges / Tall Plants

Against fences and inner garden triangle areas

Pittosporum tenuifolium
Dodonaea Atropurpurea (Hopseed)
Feijoa (Pineapple Guava)
Callistemon (Bottlebrush)
Myrica (California waxmyrtle)

Send us an email to design your garden if you are in California or Douglas County, Nevada.

If you are in the Lake Tahoe region, we can come up with a high-altitude, snow tolerant landscape design.

Contact: sales@landngarden.com

View our Garden Design Portfolio: we are slowing adding to our portfolio on Flickr:

Landscape Design Portfolio

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Get more terrarium ideas on YouTube.