RANCHO PATRICIA

A Mediterranean-ish garden for the Coachella Valley.

As part of a larger revamp of their 70’s Spanish-style ranch house, these clients came to us to imagine a new future for the massive lawn in their front yard.

We tinkered with the idea of a wholly native Sonoran garden but were ultimately inspired by existing architecture to create a garden that feels Mediterranean but includes both native plants and plants from other very hot and dry climates.

Seeking to reduce the amount of material brought to and from the site, an existing berm (leftover from when previous owners dug out the pool) was dispersed into several ‘outcrops’ that provide structure and interest to the garden. Large boulders armor street-facing sides of these smaller berms that then gently slope back towards the center of the yard and the house. Smaller perennials, grasses and succulents tuck in and around the boulders while larger shrubs, cacti and trees.