Orinda Garden
I was back doing a bit of work in a garden from a couple years ago, took some photos.
The front included a lawn conversion.
I found a watercolor rendering in the ten year old real estate listing. I respect the watercolor technique but it’s a dated vision of suburbia. No one plays on a front yard lawn anymore, and guests should have a path to the front door that doesn’t squeeze them past the cars in the driveway.
The backyard has a bunch of different Japanese Maples
And a Redbud. Blooming when I first went by the garden this spring, in leaf when I went back to do the work.
This entry was posted on Saturday, June 7th, 2025 at 7:47 pm and is filed under lawn to garden, private gardens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
June 8th, 2025 at 8:55 am
The house makeover is stunning. The new plant palette is much improved, and I’m especially glad you got rid of that poor poorly located foundation shrub.
But I can’t help feeling that the “dated vision of suburbia” has more to offer kids, especially those lucky enough to have a friend or family member at home to throw a ball around with so they aren’t stuck staring at a screen.
Sadly, it seems that children, siblings, stay-at-home parents, and neighbor kids who aren’t constantly at aftercare are becoming rare these days – hence the dated feeling of having a navigable ground plane (which doesn’t have to be a manicured lawn) to throw a ball around in.
Probably this new design fits the current occupants better. And probably there will not be many families with children who want to or can afford to purchase the house after them. So it’s fine for them. I just mean that it’s a tragedy that the opportunity for many people to have the healthy and cherished experiences above is becoming a thing of the past.