Mission Style

Stucco archways, a thick wooden gate, tile work and an Arizona flagstone pathway combine to create the details for this Mission style landscape, designed in 2005. Carefully selected California natives such as Dark Star California Lilac, Bees Bliss Sage, and Shasta Sulfur Buckwheat compliment the style and provide contrasting foliage colors with year round structure. The hot, sunny front yard is designed to be very drought tolerant and thrive on minimal summer water, yet provide a pleasing accent to the home.

The rear yard incorporates a mix of edible vegetables, grapes, and California natives, as well as a hot tub and patio. The hot west bedroom windows are screened with deciduous fruit trees and wine barrels serve as vegetable planters. A custom-designed wood seat and trellis integrate with the spa. Native California grapes on the trellis provide privacy, while maintaining star gazing views.

The side yard of this ‘zero lot line’ home is generous in width and serves as the main family entertainment space. The owners selected custom tiles to accent the stucco wall and container planting softens the Arizona flagstone patio. The flagstone patio is installed on a compacted sand base, which is a completely stable surface that also saves resources and is less expensive than pouring a concrete slab.