Ribes, Douglas Iris, Canyon Prince Wild Rye, Snapdragon, and Penstemon
A rock patio compliments the Native plantings.
Fragrant Ribes sanguineum and Ribes aureum with Iris douglasiana.
Elymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince' offers stunning blue with Galvezia speciosa in the background.
Dymondia margaretae Silver Carpet grows to soften the edges of the Urbanite.
Cercis occidentalis Western Redbud grows in the shade of the fence.
The finished patio and new plantings. Summer 09'.
The homeowners found the best spot to relax with a new bench.
Verbena lilacina
In the shade grows Salvia spathacea, Acer cicinatum, and a mix of native ferns and bunch grass.
New blue fines and recycled gravel offer path around the fescue meadow.
Ribes speciosum, Manzanita, and Cercis.
This is the hillside after sheet mulching. Also pictured is the new path fines and recycled gravel connecting to the patio.
Wheeler Farms organic compost and a fine bark were used for the hillside sheet mulching process.
The hillside with cardboard and erosion mat. After sheet mulching, the hillside was seeded with native grasses for erosion control.
The "urbanite" transition to the front walkway before planting.
Once the patio is finished the other slab connecting to the gate entrance was worked into natural forms as a transition to the new raised patio.
Flagstone patio set and waiting for grout.
The stone was hand cut, placed, and numbered before masoning.
Screeding concrete into the reused brick web.
The masoned ledger coarse before backfill.
Just before pouring to level. The ledger has been set and is also ready for backfilling. Because the old slabs I built on were not proper level, a string line and level was used for setting all the brick and ledger... one by one.
Once both slabs and bricks are scrubbed clean, they are masoned into the web that was backfilled with concrete before the new stone was set. You can see here, the rocks and stone ledger being added as well as the first step to the house has been removed for the new level.
The before picture of the Portolla Valley residence. Showing the concrete slabs that were broken into the new form and used as urbanite for the patio and path project. Left alone, the slabs offer a foundation to build a new patio without having to remove them and pour a new slab. The goal was to use as little new concrete as possible. The surrounding brick path was pulled up and scrubbed to be used as a spacer between the slabs and the new stone patio.
