Dino’s World
Installation November 2025
Project Scope
After purchasing this modern home on a corner lot in Santa Monica, we helped this couple take their front yard from a messy afterthought to a thoughtful (mostly) native garden with some funky cactus and other desert plants. Unfortunately, some large existing Paperbark trees had to be removed due to their proximity to the house but we were able to build a small retaining wall to match the home and plant three Strawberry trees in the front yard as a replacement.
demo
new concrete walkway
creekbed, drainage connection + boulder installation
irrigation, planting + mulch
Project Details
🌎 Santa Monica
🏡 Front yard — 1,200 sq ft
☀️ Full sun + dappled shade
💧 Drip irrigation
Plant List
Pots
Britton’s Dudleya - Dudleya brittonii (silver form)
Howard McMinn Manzanita - Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'
Jelly Bean Gold Monkeyflower - Diplacus 'Jelly Bean Gold'
Santa Barbara Island Dudleya - Dudleya traskiae
Russian River Coyote Mint - Monardella villosa ‘Russian River’
White Cloud Santa Cruz Manzanita - Arctostaphylos viridissima 'White Cloud'
Wood Strawberry - Fragaria vesca
Parkways
California Fuchsia - Epilobium canum
California Fuchsia ‘Calistoga’ - Epilobium canum ‘Calistoga’
Yarrow - Achillea millefolium
Paprika Yarrow - Achillea millefolium 'Paprika'
Aromas Sage - Salvia clevelandii 'Aromas'
Bush Poppy - Dendromecon rigida
Clustered Field Sedge - Carex praegracilis
Coral Aloe - Aloe striata
'Ian Bush' Manzanita - Arctostaphylos ‘Ian Bush’
Island Snapdragon - Gambelia speciosa
‘John Dourley’ Manzanita - Arctostaphylos ‘John Dourley’
Joyce Coulter Ceanothus - Ceanothus 'Joyce Coulter'
Moonshine Yarrow - Achillea 'Moonshine' (non-native)
Pacific Aster 'Point St George' - Symphyotrichum chilense 'Point St George'
Pacific Aster 'Purple Haze' - Symphyotrichum chilense 'Purple Haze' and 'Point St George'
Pozo Blue Sage - Salvia 'Pozo Blue'
Ray Hartman Ceanothus - Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’
Red Buckwheat - Eriogonum grande var. rubescens
Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat - Eriogonum arborescens
Strawberry Tree - Arbutus marina (non-native)
Thor Sage - Salvia 'Thor'
Totem Cactus - Pachycereus schottii 'Monstrosus' (non-native)
Toyon - Heteromeles arbutifolia
Tree Aloe - Aloidendron barberae (non-native)
Western Fescue - Festuca occidentalis
Winnifred Gilman Sage - Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman'
Before
After
Details…
