This Stunning Garden with Zen Vibes Uses Shockingly Little Water

A backyard cottage has a high squeal factor, but that’s not the only reason to build one. For an installation at Sunset’s 2015 Celebration Weekend event, we remodeled a small structure, the kind of place that homeowners all over the West are using as guest cottages or rentals (think extra income and grass-roots housing relief). Around it, we designed a low-water yard where calm reigns—and the lawn isn’t missed.

A love of order and tranquility inspired this low-water yard, designed by Sunset garden editors Johanna Silver and Lauren Dunec Hoang in collaboration with landscape designer Josh Heiser (pictured left to right). It features three destinations—lounge, small dining area, and “looking garden” of mass-planted beds—united by green and silver foliage. Click ahead for their tips and tricks for getting the look.

Resources

• Garden design. Lauren Dunec Hoang, Johanna Silver, sunset.com; Josh Heiser, 
o’donnell lane, llC, odonnell-lane.com.
• Landscape materials. Belgard Hardscapes, belgard.com; 
Lyngsø Garden Materials, Inc., lyngsogarden.com.
• Steel planters.
 Steel Geisha Designs, steelgeishadesigns.com.
• Plant material. 
Monrovia, monrovia.com
; Sunset Western Garden Collection, sunsetwesterngardencollection.com; Big Tree Movers, 
treemovers.com.
• Cushions and awning fabric. 
Sunbrella, sunbrella.com.
• Cushions and awning manufacturing. 
In Stitches Design Solutions, 408/472-6369.
• Bonsai. 
Gardens at Lake Merritt Bonsai, gsbf-lakemerritt.org.
• Kokedama. 
The Sill, thesill.com.
• Containers.
 Pottery Merchant, potterymerchant.com; Potted Store, pottedstore.com.
• Furniture. 
Bend Goods, bendgoods.com; 
Boxhill, shopboxhill.com.
• Garden installation. 
C. Ramos Landscaping, 831/809-2693
.

Planter beds on either side surround an outdoor dining room, creating a sense of intimacy and enclosure.

A long bench, topped with cushions and pillows, provides space for informal gathering or an afternoon nap. Chinese pistache, planted on either side of the bench, offer a shady canopy.

Create a graphic effect by planting large chunks of a single type of plant. Built in custom-made steel containers, shaggy Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’ sits in back, while variegated Agave attenuata ‘Ray of Light’ shines in front. Both plants are extremely low-water, and with no branches to trip or flowers to deadhead, they’re also incredibly low-maintenance.

Rosette-shaped Tillandsia offer a wow factor with zero soil. Place a few as part of a tablescape or put them on display in outdoor shelves, such as the recycled fruit crates seen here. Submerge them in water overnight once a week and let them air-dry fully. They’ll be happy outdoors in the summer, but move them inside before any chance of frost.

Low-water planting beds can still be verdant and lush. Here, feathery Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’ hangs over the stone beds. Silvery pearl bluebush (Maireana sedifolia) provides upright structure, and Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Wrinkled Blue' adds height in the center of the bed.

Circles abound in this potted vignette that includes a round fiber-concrete container, a boxwood plant, and several mortar-covered ceramic globes. The round shapes provide consistency and unity to the garden.

An Agave attenuata planted above lush, green Pittosporum tobira ‘Wheeler’s Dwarf’ creates a dramatic focal point to the planting bed.

More: Ultimate guide to succulents

Mexican river rocks laid on their side serve as a graphic top-dressing for the trees. Water still percolates through the stones, and no soil is exposed, reducing evaporation.

Planted in a graphic clump, an old low-water favorite, Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’, looks modern and tranquil. It’s especially gorgeous in the evening, when the backlighting makes each clump appear to have its own glowing aura.

Add a touch of the wild to your garden by surrounding a boulder with a few plants, such as the Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’ seen here. To add a modern touch, we included a concrete-dipped ceramic globe.

Place a wall inside the footprint of the garden in order to enclose a lounge space, creating the sense of an outdoor room. Here, a 12-foot-long slate walls is a great backdrop for the bench, picking up the hues in the stone beds and fencing in other parts of the garden.

Fences don’t need to be straight. We added visual interest by curving 20-foot-long cedar boards into a gently curved fence. Bonus: We created a small nook for storage just behind.

Permeable paving lets water percolate through to the ground. To make things a little more exciting, mix materials. Here we laid 12-foot-square pavers as a straight path amidst a sea of quartz gravel.

To ensure that this Agave potatorum 'Kissho Kan' wouldn’t get lost in the mix, we planted it in an Orbit planter, placed on a Leggy stand (both available from pottedstore.com).

Rather than grabbing thirsty flowers for container arrangements, keep your containers simple and low-water to echo the tranquil theme. Here a Pittosporum tobira 'Shima' and an Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’ sit in round pots. An airplant rests on a container, and two cement-covered globes add interest without adding any maintenance.

Make an outdoor shelving unit by connecting recycled fruit crates with 1-inch galvanized piping that screw together. Fill the shelves with a mix of your favorite garden goodies, such as bonsai specimen (on loan from the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt), moss-wrapped ferns (from The Sill), airplants and potted succulents.

The Farmhouse Lounge Chair from LA-based Bend Goods (bendgoods.com) is as comfortable as it is good looking. By its side sits a sleek Pebble Coffee Table from West Elm (westelm.com).

More: 22 ideas for outdoor furniture

Stack stone, such as the Chief Cliff dry stack, seen here, to create organic-looking planter beds that contain soil and provide important space for root growth. Stone available from Lyngso (lyngsogarden.com).

Four Dan Wood Stools offer casual seating around a Hive Cement Dining Table. The mixed materials create an informal feel, while the muted colors ensure the space still feels sophisticated and high style. Stools and table available from Boxhill (shopboxhill.com).

More: 21 ideas for outdoor dining rooms