Recent mudslides swept over large areas of Santa Barbara. Many of our cherished gardens were dramatically impacted or lost by these events. Cleaning up and restoring these gardens is a painstaking task that will continue for many years to come.
Once the storms cleared, we were contacted by a long-term client to help restore their garden. An area of their oak woodland garden was inundated with soil, branches and boulders. Clearing the dirt and debris was the first step in restoring the garden. Once cleared, a new design was created that included a dry stream bed as a channel for future water overflow.
Boulders and stones were arranged along the edges and bottom creating a natural dry stream bed.
Grasses, flowering shrubs, perennials, and ground covers soften and drape the bouldery banks. Pennisetum 'Fairy Tails', Blue Ground Morning Glory, Grey-green Catmint, Sliver Lambs Ear, Native Sedge, and White Iris knit together the slopes and banks of the new dry creek. California Lilac, Crimson Spot Rockrose, Plum colored Heuchera, everblooming Hardy Geranium, and Autumn Moor Grass transition the garden into the surrounding Oak Woodland.
A small wooden bridge spans the new dry creek and connects one side of the garden with the other.
Recent mudslides impacted many of our cherished gardens. As our heartbreak heals, new gardens rise up from the dirt and debris.