Yard of the Week: Lush, Drought-Tolerant Garden Replaces a Pool
Originally posted on Houzz.
Taking a dip in your own backyard pool is a dream for many people. But for Mark Sandelson, a large swimming pool that consumed his entire Santa Monica, California, yard left little room for plants, outdoor living spaces or anything else. “All he really had was a huge swimming pool. He never used the pool, so he never used the garden,” landscape designer Catherine Bosler says.
The homeowner’s main goal was to get the pool out and replace it with a garden. With few additional requests from Sandelson, Bosler set to work creating a lush, plant-filled — yet unthirsty — landscape inspired by the English countryside.
Photos by Daniel Bosler
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark Sandelson
Location: Santa Monica, California
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters)
Landscape designer: Bosler Earth Design
Before: This view across the yard shows how expansive the pool was. There was a small concrete patio and some perimeter plantings, but that was about it. “I’d looked at this pool for 25 years and been in it once,” Sandelson says. “I never enjoyed it. I spent money on maintaining it and keeping it clean, and my water bills were absurd. I felt, ‘What is the point of this?’ ”
After: In this photo taken from the same angle, you can see how much the new design departs from the original yard. A network of paths cuts through layers of lush, drought-tolerant plantings to connect outdoor seating areas.
“Being British, he loves gardens,” Bosler says of the homeowner. When they were starting the project, Sandelson sent Bosler a photo of an English country garden for inspiration. “It had different heights. I didn’t want flat. I wanted color and height,” Sandelson says. “I want to look at something that’s soft and alive.”
It might feel out of place for a Southern California yard to take inspiration from an English garden, but Bosler embraced the challenge and adapted the style to perfectly suit the locale. “I looked at the color and texture in an English garden,” and there was a softness she wanted to infuse the space with, she says. She then turned to native and drought-tolerant plants, many from Australia and South Africa, to create the palette.
With the pool gone (after numerous permits, inspections and approvals by the city), Bosler could create room for outdoor lounging. A new raised deck features a built-in bench and fire pit for post-sunset relaxing. She placed a new hot tub in the corner of the yard, nestled next to the house and deck so the homeowner can step right in.
Climbing jasmine weaves through the cable railing panel between the deck and hot tub, which will fill in and soften the space with greenery. ‘Silver Sheen’ kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Sheen’, USDA zones 8 to 11; find your zone) grows between the back fence and the deck screen. A path of pavers framed by walkable silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae, zones 9 to 11) leads out into the yard.
Built-in shelving stores towels and other essentials to give the hot tub area a spa-like feel.
Jasmine, dwarf eucalyptus and lavender grow around the hot tub. “It’s a scent garden that you can smell from the spa and the office,” which opens to the backyard, Bosler says.
Just a few steps off the deck, a covered lounge is a space for relaxing, reading and enjoying the garden. The clean-lined steel shade structure nods to the home’s modern architecture, with the rustic log roof covering and vines twining up the sides adding to the romantic English garden feel.
A wood screen along the back edge of the pergola grows twisted jasmine (Jasminum tortuosum, zones 9 to 11) and conceals the trunks of some existing ficus trees (which provide great privacy). The tree with standout red foliage in the corner is a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, zones 5 to 8).
Bold cement floor tiles by Clé pop in the space and create a rug-like effect. When choosing the tile pattern and color, Bosler was inspired by artist Victor Vasarely, one of the founders of the Op Art movement, as well as the home’s decor and style. The design brings a modern aesthetic into the garden and balances the soft English style.
A copper fountain between the deck and reading lounge brings the soothing sound of water to the space. In addition to drawing in human visitors, the fountain also welcomes local wildlife. “I always want to attract hummingbirds and butterflies,” Bosler says.
Another way Bosler invited wildlife into the garden is by planting native milkweed (Asclepius sp.), yarrow (Achillea sp.), grevillea and sage (Salvia sp.). “One of the first things that happened when the project finished was that two monarch butterflies showed up. I just watched them fly in circles,” Sandelson says, adding that he immediately bought and planted milkweed seeds to attract more of them.
Permeable decomposed granite paths weave through the backyard and connect the outdoor spaces. Bosler prefers to use metal edging rather than plastic, which she says can melt in the heat and lose its shape.
The soft, billowy plants seen in this photo include lavender-flowering blue hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii, zones 9 to 11); pink-flowering ‘Berzerkeley’ sage (Salvia microphylla ‘Berzerkeley’, zones 8 to 11); and white-flowering gaura (Gaura lindheimeri, zones 5 to 9).
A covered dining area provides another outdoor destination. The cloth-covered roof can open and close depending on the weather and the homeowner’s preference. “We wanted the sun to be able to get there sometimes,” Bosler says.
The custom live-edge wood dining table was built by Avoco Construction, which also made the two shade structures in the yard.
Before: Looking toward the house before the renovation, you can see a small grill area on the right side of the photo.
After: Bosler kept the outdoor kitchen in the same general area but reoriented it against the wall for a more open layout. The efficient design features a grill, mini fridge and sink. Wood clads the side of the unit, with under-counter storage and fridge tucked in.
A pair of lounge chairs allows the homeowner to take advantage of a sunny spot in the yard.
Before: A smooth connection between the interiors and the landscape was something Bosler wanted to accomplish in this project, with design and decor choices from inside the home flowing into the garden and vice versa.
This photo taken before the renovation shows Sandelson’s view from his home office. Bosler wanted to enhance what he saw and make both spaces feel like they’re blending together.
After: This is the view Sandelson now has when he sits at his desk every day. He notes that looking at the garden from inside has brought him so much more joy than he ever imagined. “It’s like seeing a painting that I really love,” he says.
The project was completed during the pandemic, and it transformed how Sandelson enjoyed his home. “I got to open those windows and bring my computer outside. That’s where I was,” he says.
