After an extensive remodel, the owners contracted BioGardener to install a plan using a design a friend had created.  The ultimate goal was to cut down any need for mowing without creating a desert wasteland zeroscape. 

Two patios, one for entertaining and one for a quiet outdoor hideaway, were constructed using decomposed granite and flagstone, each accessed by a granite/ river rock/ flagstone walkway.  Flowerbeds were created to surround the walkways and patios using carefully selected native and adapted plants that can tolerate heat and shade, yet still provide blooms without needing supplemental watering: dwarf wax myrtle, Turk’s caps, Texas betony, beautyberry, crossvine, and pigeonberry, among others.  A drip system was installed to aid in   establishment during the first summer. 
A wire mesh trellis structure supported by cedar posts was constructedon the private patio and planted with crossvine, with an emphasis on large metal hardware attachments to contrast the lush plantings surrounding it.