Landscape Design
Meet a Front Yard Designed for Gathering
Hanging out with neighbors comes naturally in front of a Southern California home, thanks to comfortable zones and beautiful plantings
When you live in a Southern California beach town and an ocean view is right outside your door, it makes sense to turn your front yard into a gathering spot. That was the thinking of Sacha McCrae, homeowner and principal of Living Gardens Landscape Design. “The front is where friends and neighbors gather. The back of the house is a more intimate family space,” she says.
To capture the view of the Pacific, McCrae built an ipe wood deck that sits 6 inches off the ground. For furnishings she played off the soft color of the existing patio.
Teak patio furniture: Regatta Collection, Crate & Barrel
Teak patio furniture: Regatta Collection, Crate & Barrel
A succulent garden planted in a painted wood frame adds texture.
In frost-free San Clemente, bower vines thrive.
After several seasons of growth, the mature vines now provide a lush, green backdrop. Everything is on a drip system, says McCrae, but rather than use a timer, she prefers to turn the irrigation on manually to water only when necessary.
The seating area around the fire pit is a favorite spot for kids. “They like the little bit of separation,” says McCrae. The gravel surface is very forgiving of drips and spills, so no one has to fret about dripping s’mores.
Stepping stones edge the driveway, with elfin thyme (Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin’) providing soft tufting in the pockets between the stones. The summertime bloomer tolerates drought as well as light foot traffic.
See how to create a neighborly front yard
See how to create a neighborly front yard
A border combines yarrow (Achillea), shasta daisy (Leucanthemum), Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima), foxtail agave (Agave attenuata), a mix of fescues (Festuca spp) and gaura (Gaura lindheimeri ‘Alba’) against a pittosporum hedge.
McCrae kept existing brick counters and sited the grill between them. They make a handy surface for dishing up dinner.
The shade structure over the patio already existed, but McCrae added a striking vertical planter on one side to screen the space even more. It’s built of painted cedar 2-by-8s and lined with a waterproof pond liner that has drainage holes.
A stylish array of succulents inhabits the planter.
Echeveria and fescue are tucked between the hot tub and the recycled brick paving.
In the work area, McCrae creates planted succulent arrangements to sell. She stages her work on a potting bench she designed herself.
Who lives here: Sacha McCrae; her husband, Rob; and their son, Josh
Location: San Clemente, California
Size: 4,600 square feet (427 square meters) combined front and backyards
The Front Yard
The front yard is divided into separate zones — a stone patio, a raised deck and a seating area around a fire pit — giving each area the feel of a destination. When McCrae started her yard renovation four years ago, the patio against the house was existing, but the deck and fire pit areas were an overgrown hodgepodge.
White armchairs: West Elm