Meet Me at the Oasis

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....