For years, this small front yard in Oakland’s Maxwell Park neighborhood was not the happiest welcome home. The lawn had long died, the weeds took over, and the native clay soil just seemed to harden even more. Then one autumn, the owner sprang into action, ripping out the lawn himself, amending the heavy soil, and building a retaining wall and planter box to delineate the front yard from the sidewalk. When he and his wife were ready to make plant selections, they contacted me for guidance.

Together, we curated a sophisticated array of plants in a variety of textures and bold pops of burgundy as the main color story. The lineup was exciting! It included Cercis candensis ‘Forest Pansy,’ Leucadendron ‘Ebony,’ Loropetalum chinense, Cestrum newellii, Drimys winteri, Hydrangea quercifolia, Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty,’ Rubus calycinoides, Abutilon ‘Tiger Eye,’ and Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’. Next, I recommended a planting layout that would best complement a few boulders thoughtfully chosen by the client. I also wanted the plant selection to include plants that attracted pollinators. This design of showy, hardworking perennials filled in beautifully, its maximalism giving weeds little chance to rear their evil heads.