Creating a Tropical Backyard Oasis in Los Angeles

A Hollywood-Inspired Paradise

California native Greg Asbagh fell in love with tropical scenery while watching Elvis movies—Blue Hawaii was a favorite for its lush landscapes. A Caribbean honeymoon and subsequent trips to the tropics deepened his fascination. When Greg and his wife Maria moved to coastal Southern California, where the mild climate supports kentia palms and plumerias, he seized the chance to build his own backyard resort.

The Pool: A Lagoon-Like Centerpiece

The project began with a large pool featuring multiple waterfalls and a swim-through grotto. Its bottom blends aqua and black pebbles to disguise the shallow depth, while black artificial rock simulates lava along the sides. Black Buckingham slate surrounds the pool, creating a natural continuation of the basin.

Layers of Tropical Greenery

What truly makes the space feel authentic is the dense, multi-layered planting. Greg started with a canopy of palms and flowering trees, added an understory of ferns, philodendrons, and ti plants, and finished with a floor of bromeliads, New Guinea impatiens, and the traditional Hawaiian groundcover Moses-in-the-boat. “It’s a true tropical garden,” Greg says. “Not an inch of bare earth showing.”