Finished this project between Christmas and New Year. The home is a very interesting town-home on 4 levels with balconies. Modern with lots of windows. The way the house sits at an angel on the lot is a theme the architect carried through the home design. This is a photo from the brochure. This is a good shot to show how the home sits on the lot. We worked on Unit B. And here is a sample floor plan to help you orient yourself. The home looks towards downtown Houston. The landscaping that came with the home was not all that bad but the homeowner wanted something that was more modern using natives and that would be very low maintenance. Here is the before. And another. She was not a fan of the two palms or the irises. And didn’t care for the brown chop stone with the gray diamond gravel. She did like that they were natural materials. We went with a dark gray chop-stone to pick up on the gray tones on the house. Here is a fun shot from above. You can see there is more order. The tree in the top right corner is actually the wrong one. The guys pulled a Savannah holly instead of a Possumhaw holly. It did change the next day. When the gate is closed across the drive way you can see through the fence and the pop of red will draw you eye into the garden. Here is the design to compare with.

Looks like we matched the neighbor’s truck too! You will notice we have added beach pebbles to the space between the driveway and landing. They are also around the basin of the fountain. This is what the transition looked like before. It was a bit uneven and the loose gravel would get onto the driveway. I suggested we used beach pebbles and mortar them in place. I think this looks more neat and clean but also it is more stable. This is the top floor and one of the two Bichon Frise puppies. Here the client wanted something to block the view of the neighbor’s roof. It doesn’t get a lot of light, being on the sheltered north side of the house. It was a challenge to figure out what we could do with this unique space. I decided on Black bamboo. I worried about putting anything too heavy so I found these Hayneedle Poly-Stone containers online. They picked up on the brown of the wall. I should have taken a picture from the same angle. Going down to the second floor, which is the main living space, we were asked to add a couple of containers to an empty corner.  We needed something that didn’t distract from this cool modern outdoor furniture. I picked plant that need very little water because the homeowner travels. And again I ended up online at Hayneedle to find the right containers. I think these turned out perfectly.  Back down to the ground some finishing shots. Here we have the right tree. A Paco’s Red Possumhaw Holly ,Ilex decidua. I love the way they change through the year and as it matures it will be a little mini mart for birds with its bright red berries. Along the wall under the window are 5 Gulf Muhly, Muhlenbergia Capillaris. It was one of the plants the homeowner really liked. Around the holly tree are purple and white Trailing Lantana. I repeated this in the opposite front corner. The grass around the fountain is Mexican Feather grass, Nassella Tenuissima. I have often heard it called Ponytail grass. It usually turns golden in winter. Here is the corner near the street. A trio of Dwarf Yaupon hollies and more lantana. We removed the existing Dianella outside the fence but left the gravel to keep the cost down.  We planted more Gulf Muhly which will look great once they fill in. That is a wrap. Not big changes but our client was super happy with the result. I will be checking to see how it grows in.

Happy Gardening.