After four years and many lessons learned, our front yard has filled in and requires only occasional maintenance. Original concepts for the yard included: Plant selection: Plants that fit a profile of drought resistant; evergreen; attracts pollinators, particularly butterflies and hummingbirds; and native if possible. Perennials and annuals were selected for their ease of maintenance. I found out options by going to my local nurseries, touring local gardens through gardening clubs (the Bay Friendly Garden Tours offers great examples of innovative garden designs), and reading through multiple California specific landscape books. Since this time, East Bay Municipal Utility District (MUD) has published a very useful book, Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates, which features native California and Mediterranean plants, lots of photos and garden examples.
 
The green fence: Our neighborhood suffers occasional bouts of crime so a clear boundary is a good idea. It prevents garbage from being thrown into the yard and it gives a screen of privacy. However, a fence that abutts a sidewalk can appear unfriendly. We want a friendly community. So I proposed a boundary of greenery.


 
The Path: I decided I wanted a curved path to create focal points that would highlight certain featured plants or objects, like the birdhouse. Understandably Dipak was skeptical when I started digging the path with only a pile of bricks nearby and an internet print out of instructions in my back pocket. However, a brick path is fairly simple to create and, believe it or not, the information on the internet is sufficient to accomplish the task. It did require heavy labor though. We had to dig the path out 18-24inches deep in hard clay soil, which was like scraping granite with a spoon. We also had to lay river rocks, a drain pipe and sand before laying the bricks. Then some of the bricks had to be cut to fit the ends of the path. This required a circular saw, a brick cutting blade and some nerve.
 
Yard Shape: I am not big on flat yards with lots of right angles. I like curves and a more diverse terrain. I knew I wanted to round off the corners but when I dug the path I decided to try to sculpt with the displaced dirt. I was not certain that the dirt would stay in place but figured between the roots of plants and the landscape fabric it would be held down. The exceptions to the design include a small patch of lawn and roses, both of which are heavy feeders requiring more water and nutrition, but Dipak likes lawns and roses, and I like Dipak. Love weakens me. My original lawn was a native blue fescue but I did not know what I was doing and it did not work out. I instead planted seeds of a common fescue blend for high traffic areas. I am still researching possibilities for grasses that may work better. Sunset Magazine recently featured a no mow lawn seed mix which does not require as much maintenance but is still water needy. The search continues.
 

 
The end result is a front yard with a woodsy look that attracts small wildlife including a population of Chestnut Backed Chickadees that has returned three years in a row to raise chicks in our birdhouse.