This front yard in Oakland’s Maxwell Park neighborhood demonstrates how visually impactful even the smallest of gardening spaces can have. The project kicked off with aesthetic pruning of the citrus, pomegranate, strawberry guava and Japanese maple trees that frame the space. Next up, the path was replaced with bluestone pavers accented with a low retaining wall of moss rock boulders. To the left of the path, the flat main planting area was mounded to help slow water runoff and to help lead the eye through the garden. A portion of this was carved out in the shape of a half-circle, edged, and filled with pea gravel to provide a charming playspace for the homeowners’ young children. A selection of larger boulders was just the right finishing touch.

Plants: Alyogyne huegelii 'Santa Cruz,’ Salvia nemorosa 'East Friesland,’ Trichostema 'Midnight Magic,’ Calylophus drummondianus, Carex tumulicola, Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose,’ Festuca idahoensis 'Siskiyou Blue’ and 'Elijah Blue,’ Ruellia brittoniana, Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’ and Lavandula allardii 'Meerlo.’