Front and Back Makeover: Coastal Garden Reimagined

Sunny Front Yard Dining, Private Backyard Retreat

On a coastal Santa Cruz lot, John and Libby Alexander moved outdoor dining to the sunny west-facing front yard and reserved the backyard for occasional entertaining. Landscape architect Michael Bliss designed a contemporary landscape complementing the midcentury modern home after an extensive remodel.

Staggered Walls for Privacy and Style

The front yard's most striking feature is a series of 6-foot-tall staggered concrete walls echoing the home's multilevel, tilting rooflines. These provide shelter for the dining area, define the entry without imposing, and create generous planting pockets for burgundy and green foliage. Four connecting, offset terraces lead to the front door, with blue moor grass (Sesleria caerulea) growing between cracks.

Gardening Under Oaks

The backyard borders a creek shaded by coast live oaks. Bliss kept the design simple and naturalistic, building the rear patio at interior floor level with square-cut flagstone in a geometric pattern. Beyond, square steppingstones transition through gravel to oak woodland. Several oaks were integrated with giant chain fern and unthirsty natives like manzanita and ceanothus.

Finishing Touches

• Outdoor kitchen: Stainless steel barbecue, granite countertops, cafe table, heat lamp, and a new door connecting to the indoor kitchen.
• Herb garden: Chives, marjoram, oregano, thyme in a sunny spot near the kitchen and dining patio.
• Lighting: Uplighting beneath oaks and a Japanese maple; downlighting above New Zealand flax.
• Wall caps: Stonelike caps from Napa Valley Cast Stone refine the front walls.

Designer: Michael Bliss, Pacific Grove, CA (michael@bernardtrainor.com)