Embracing Heritage: Arts and Crafts Garden Renovation in San Luis Obispo

Restoring Regional Character

Landscape architect Jeffrey Gordon Smith believes in cherishing unique heritage. He renovated a San Luis Obispo garden that had “Martha’s Vineyard charm” but fought its architectural style and ignored surrounding scenery. Using stone, plants, and paint, he restored Arts and Crafts character and tied the garden to tawny hills behind.

Front Yard on a Pedestal

Removed picket fence, elevated garden base behind a front retaining wall—typical of Arts and Crafts era. Recessed mortar creates illusion of dry-stacked flagstone (Lincoln Multi). New flagstone steps and piers match; house paint picks up flagstone tones. Symmetry governs both sides except existing locust tree. Biennial tower of jewels (Echium wildpretii) is managed for balance.

Backyard Water Channel

Faced existing block wall with flagstone, added second higher retaining wall. A shallow water channel divides the garden symmetrically: bubbles from a bowl, spills to a circular pool, disappears under stone, reappears as a rivulet, flows to a wall, spills into a reservoir under a new deck. Flagstones along the runnel flipped to show darker undersides. Senecio and snow-in-summer edge the channel; Mexican weeping bamboo and Pittosporum tenuifolium screen perimeters. The garden has a Zen-like feel but is “California all the way.”