Tour 5 Stunning Palo Alto Gardens: Water-Wise, Wild & Wonderful

For the 30th annual Gamble Garden Spring Tour, five private Palo Alto landscapes opened their gates—each a masterclass in designing for California's climate and the homeowners' lives. From a LEED Platinum water-recycling showcase to a tropical aquatic paradise, a woodland retreat, a family bocce haven, and a traditional English garden with hidden surprises, these gardens prove there's no place like a well-designed home.

1. LEED Platinum House – Sustainable Spanish Revival

Design: Joni L. Janecki & Associates

This new Spanish-style home hides cutting-edge sustainability: a 10,000-gallon cistern captures rainwater and greywater for drip irrigation (except edibles). Unthirsty Mediterranean natives—rosemary, germander, olive trees—complement the architecture. Permeable gravel minimizes runoff. A private ivy-walled courtyard with custom iron gate and fountain feels worlds away from the street.

2. Tranquil Water Garden – Aquatic Island Escape

Design: Eric Blanz, Blanzscape

Replacing a failed lawn, this garden now features two ponds bursting with lotus, water lilies, papyrus, koi, and turtles. Bamboo screens the boundaries. Bluestone paths wind to a curtained cabana with solid roof, heaters, and lanterns—usable year-round. Mirrors expand the sense of space. A chandelier-turned-succulent-planter and heart-shaped copper water feature add whimsy. An outdoor shower with ferns completes the resort feel.

3. Woodlands Surround an Intimate Garden Space

Design: Dedra Hauser, Enchanted Gardens

A meandering flagstone walk through leatherleaf ferns and mondo grass leads to a backyard transformed from muddy to magical. Multiple intimate spaces—patio with pierced brick water feature, bluestone-capped seat walls, lap pool, arbor—flow together via raised beds. The designer edited out thirsty photinia and liquidambar, revealing an original brick wall. Smoke tree and heavenly bamboo add burgundy/red accents. Drought-tolerant woodland plants replace water-hungry ones over time.

4. Garden With a Resort Feel – Play & Produce

Design: Christian B. Hedberg, CBH Design

Glassed-in gates, limestone pavers with thyme/moss, and a heritage redwood-swing set the tone. A Native Mow Free fescue blend uses 50% less water, mowed twice yearly. The backyard centers on a ¾-regulation bocce court flanked by redwoods. An enclosed vegetable garden keeps wildlife out; chaise longues and a pool invite relaxation. A tiled staircase leads to a casita with game storage beneath.

5. Family Garden With Hidden Surprises

Design: Marilee Gaffney (landscape); Jackie Gray (seasonal color)

A Tudor home inspires a formal English front garden with arbor, boxwood topiaries, and a custom swinging bench. The backyard flips the script: a new lawn (replacing a pool) for twin toddlers to run, a brick bike track circling the yard, a playset, and a screened redwood raised bed for tomatoes, strawberries, and espaliered fruit. Handprint/footprint stepping stones and butterfly-doored screened beds add personal magic.

Five gardens, five visions—all rooted in place, climate, and the lives lived within them.