Even with all of the late season rain, we’re still in a drought. So here is inspiration to get rid of your lawn: the courtyard garden at Cava in Montecito. Terra cotta pots hold citrus, pittosporum, and boxwood. The garden beds contain more citrus, rosemary, lavender, lambs ears, bougainvillea, roses, agave attenuata, and succulents. This is an easy, happy little garden that will smell amazing on a warm, sunny day.
This beautiful, lush garden fills an awkward spot between a fence and the street. Mediterranean Fan Palms (Chamaerops humilis) are underplanted with Agave attenuata and a swath of silver-blue Senecio mandraliscae. Once the plants are established, this needs virtually no maintenance, just infrequent cleanups and very occasional watering.
Spotted this one outside Raoul, a home and textiles shop in Santa Barbara. I love the idea of a bright paint color instead of the usual black, white, or dark green. I think a bright paint color calls for something happy and carefree like lavender, and definitely an upright grower so you can show off the container. The other great idea here: instead of waiting forever for a topiary to shape up, underplant a citrus with lavender or rosemary.
This is a beautiful, simple, serene way to style a front porch or back patio. The soft blues of the containers echo the paint color on the windows and doors. The arrangement of the containers is almost, but not quite, symmetrical. The containers are each slightly different, and there are two palm varieties. Furniture and accessories are natural tones: wood, wicker, and jute.
I love the wicker pendant lights (this is a covered patio). These bentwood pendants from West Elm would look great too.
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