A garden welcome

This morning as I came home from walking the dog, I was just so pleased at how the front garden looks I had to take some photos and share them with you.

Our front yard is on a slope that drops away from the street. Several large coast live oaks grow there, their wide-spread branches shading the hillside. From our gate at the street, graceful steps and a broad stone path lead to our door. This entryway was designed by our good friends John and Anthea at Native Designs Landscape in Topanga.


Here a Japanese maple grows by the path. This is the only time of the year this maple looks good - it's really not suited for our climate. Beyond it, several acanthus send up their flower spikes, and clumps of Pacific Coast hybrid iris are in bloom under the large oak.

Once down the path, turn and look up the hill back to the gate. The yellow blooms of Western columbine and the white flowers of Carpenteria Californica, the native tree-anemone of California, shine in the dappled shade beneath the oaks.

It's a beautiful spring day, isn't it?