Almost 2 years after we bought our house, we finally landscaped our backyard. It's so nice to have a little (emphasis on "Little") oasis in the middle of our busy lives to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, or a glass of wine in the evening.
Before
You've always got to have a Before shot. It makes the reveal that much more dramatic...
Did I mention it was a small backyard? Hey, I live in the middle of Los Angeles, so it's more like a really big balcony.
After
Pretty....
Mmmm...lemons...can't wait till they're ripe. Can you say Marga-rita?
The view sitting on the love seat. We still have to buy a table for outside the sliding doors.
Creating a little mystery with the edge blur function... We still have to paint the back wall--Kato is planning to create a bas relief.
It will take a while for everything to grow in. We will be planting a little herb garden here.
We have bougainvillea planted on the 4 corners of the pergola that we will train up the sides to cover the top.
The purple flowers attract hummingbirds--so our kitties will have some amusement. (Poe is on the left and Mandu on the right--their little brother is sleeping somewhere).
Ahhh, something nice to come home to...
My husband is an architect and he designed the layout. If you're interested in hiring a seriously talented architect send me an email!! The landscape designer is Robert Fisher owner of Root 2 Bloom here in LA. He was wonderful to work with and I love that he's into xeriscape landscaping. He's doing our front yard as well, so I'll be posting more before and after pics!
A note on my "After" shots: I took a great Digital SLR class on Saturday from Julia Dean Photo Workshop. The instructor (Amanda Keller Konya) taught us in such a clear, simple yet incredibly informative manner. I had many "aha" moments. I normally use the AV setting (aperture priority), but this time it was all Manual--which seemed so intimidating prior to class. I still need some practice, but I barely had to touch up these shots. I look forward to my future posts looking just a little better....
