Curated California & Mediterranean Plant Sets
See how our gardens grow. These lawn replacement after photos show just how wild your next yard can be.
Looking for inspiration to transform your yard from wasteland to low-water wonder? Check out the After photos of California Wild Garden's curated plant sets. From edible oasis to succulent savvy entertaining-ready courtyards. These fast lawn replacement landscaping solutions deliver the results you are looking for.
1.5 Years After : Royal Californian
This fun twist on our Royal Californian curated plant set featured extra grasses and wildflowers to punch up the colors even more. The customer ordered a custom plan to work with their existing trees. And a swale that was added near the center of the slope for turf replacement rebate rainwater harvesting feature. Which helps to distribute irrigation throughout the landscape and provide the great drainage these incredible California native plants need to thrive. They used a sheet mulch technique too. The rebate covered the entire install - except for about $1500 in mulch - because the home owners did the install themselves.
DESCRIPTION
This California native wildflower garden blooms from late winter to late summer. With ornamental grasses pluming in fall. Fast growing sages and monkey flowers fill-out in the first year. With larger Ceanothus lilacs and silver groundcovers taking their time to get to mature size throughout the first few years. Glendale, CA. FULL SUN.
This California native wildflower garden blooms from late winter to late summer. With ornamental grasses pluming in fall. Fast growing sages and monkey flowers fill-out in the first year. With larger Ceanothus lilacs and silver groundcovers taking their time to get to mature size throughout the first few years. Glendale, CA. FULL SUN.
6 Months After: Blossom 365 & Royal Californian
This large front yard transformed into a beautiful wildflower garden after 6 months of the install planning and prep work required to get a Watersmart rebate in San Diego County. The old lawn was covered with landscape fabric and a thick layer of bark mulch which the plants were planted into. Now they use a fraction of the water thanks to drip irrigation and maintenance is reduced to occasional weeding. We can't wait to check on this garden in a year to see how it has filled in!
DESCRIPTION
This large half-dead Escondido lawn was converted into a beautiful bird sanctuary using 2 curated plant sets (one medium, one large). Some Phylla nodiflora lawn and a small accent area of blue fescue grass with an olive tree and an added gravel driveway. Dave, the homeowner, got a big turf replacement rebate and did his own layout. "I didn't really know what I was doing," he said, "I just tried to group things together in 2's and 3's." And boy did it work!
This large half-dead Escondido lawn was converted into a beautiful bird sanctuary using 2 curated plant sets (one medium, one large). Some Phylla nodiflora lawn and a small accent area of blue fescue grass with an olive tree and an added gravel driveway. Dave, the homeowner, got a big turf replacement rebate and did his own layout. "I didn't really know what I was doing," he said, "I just tried to group things together in 2's and 3's." And boy did it work!
1-2 Years After: Superbloom Selfie & Xeric Modern
Pulling-off the natural look can take skill. Bigger blends of color and free-ranging plant shapes do best in gradual transitions of size and hue. Start with a base of a few different species that blend well. Then add a couple of plants with contrasting shapes (or accent trees) in strategic spots that either frame the landscape or enhance privacy.
4 Years After: Old School Orchard
To be honest, the only thing Old School about this curated edible plant set is the fruit! Delivering a perfect blend of produce aisle staples, these California-friendly fruit trees are complimented with pollinator and insect habitat ready herbs, flowers and native ornamental grasses to ensure your crops stay as healthy and resilient as possible. This customer added her own annual vegetable beds at center. And a chicken coop to keep up fertility. A soil improving hedge along the back comes standard with this plant blend. Meaning pruning it and spreading the mulch also helps feed your plants.
DESCRIPTION
A mix of heat-tolerant fruit trees including: apples, apricots, pluots and pear is balanced out with culinary herbs, pollinator-attracting wildflowers and apid-eating-insect-supporting ornamental grasses.
A mix of heat-tolerant fruit trees including: apples, apricots, pluots and pear is balanced out with culinary herbs, pollinator-attracting wildflowers and apid-eating-insect-supporting ornamental grasses.
More After's
Great cactus-featuring gardens really take the cake. Cactus and succulents are the soldiers of the plant world. Storing huge amounts of water in their fleshy foliage to help moderate surrounding soil moisture. The key to showing off their best angles? BIG contrasts (of leaf shape, color and form). Simple backdrops also really up the ante.
Want Even More After Photos?
Browse our shop to look at more low-water landscaping inspiration pix or California Native Lawn after pictures.
