native meadow

urbanite leading to the front door creates a permeable and sustainable pathway.

large pieces of flagstone create this wonderful backyard gathering space with tree stump seating surrounding a fire.

urbanite was used to create a functional patio space in this client's backyard.

various pavers with pebble fillers were used here to create an interesting pathway leading to the wooden deck // we used urbanite as well to create bench seating under the large tree.

the client here had existing pavers that we arranged in a useable + artistic way to create a functional patio space.

flagstone was arranged here to create a permeable pathway leading to the side gate // mulch was added to the surrounding areas for water retention.

permeable flagstone patio space

flagstone creates the main pathway for this front yard.

custom wood trellis + stair railing.

custom wood + corrugated metal raised veggie beds with integrated wood/cable gate to keep the dog away from the food production.

custom irrigation manifold cover made of reclaimed wood and finished with succulents.

custom rough-cut redwood and corrugated metal planter beds with steel cables were designed for herbs and vegetables filling the main space. The far corner of the backyard has banana trees with a central composting bin which continuously fertilizes and regenerates the soil for the fruit trees.

fresh backyard harvest

native goji berries

urban backyard food forest

harvest from coco peat // coco peat is a sustainable and alternative option to potting soil made from coconut fibers leftover from the coconut processing industry. It has high water retention with aeration properties and has a slightly acidic pH that a variety of plants prefer.

fresh figs!!!

planting edibles.

scarlet runner beans.

this native landscape incorporates a dry creek bed to manage and capture the rainwater runoff.

this side-scape is full of native plants includes a dry creek bed to manage + distribute rainwater.

this frontyard incorporates a dry streambed to manage the rainwater runoff.

this dry creek bed flows throughout this landscape to capture and distribute rain runoff.

Calliandra eriophylla (commonly known as fairy duster)

doesn't it look like a fairy duster?  this bright red flowering native plant is a low spreading shrub.

Eriogonum crocatum (commonly known as Conejo buckwheat or Saffron Buckwheat) 

This beautiful fractal plant is a rare species of wild Buckwheat and is endemic to the southern California area.

Borago officinalis (commonly known as Borage or Starflower)

The purple flowers are edible and super delish!  they almost taste like cucumber.

Stachy's bullata (commonly known as Hedge nettle)

Eriogonum fasciculatum (commonly known as California Buckwheat)

this species of wild buckwheat with a friendly little pollinator.

Dudleya pulverulenta (commonly known as chalk lettuce)

a very common succulent plant to see around southern california.

Eriophyllum confertifolium (commonly known as Golden yarrow)

reclaimed wood from pallets was used to build this custom irrigation manifold cover.

railroad ties were used in this small backyard space to create functional and artistic raised planter beds.

this close up shows the use of broken drain grates to create an artistic element in these railroad tie planter beds.

railroad ties are dug into the ground to create the perimeter of this planter

this photo is an example of how much a landscape can fill in within a year of planting. once the plants get established, they really begin to grow into their own and the full vision of the original design reveals itself.  the original landscape was planted by Apiana Native Landscapes and we maintain the site on a monthly basis.

This beautiful native front yard slope with 6 fruit trees at the top is less than a year old and hasn't been watered (by municipal water) since last fall.  The top image shows the space just after installation and the bottom picture is less than a year later showing the plants established in their environment.  The shower drainage system was retrofitted into a greywater system and there is a rain barrel on the side of the house to harvest the rainfall.  The dry creek doubles as rain tank over flow and shower greywater catchment which directly feeds the fruit trees. 

the native plants here were put in last summer (2016) and have only been in the ground for only about 9 months.  they have not been irrigated since last fall and have been watered by rainwater overflow and greywater up top.

this video is a mini tour showing where the rain tank stores water, where the greywater overflow is, and how the entire system is integrated with the landscape to feed the fruit trees and native plants.

a little tour showing the greywater system: 
here is the basin that comes from the shower and waters the loquat tree, persimmon tree and native plants. another basin waters the lemon tree and overflows down the creek to water both the pomegranate and fig trees.

this video is a little tour of this newly completed patio space.  this space features a cedar plank bench, poured in place fire pit, and patio railroad tie perimeters for the planters.