Lush Cactus Garden

Berkeley, CA
This is Christel’s home garden in Berkeley—the owner and principal designer of Outside Collective. The front yard reflects her affinity for bold graphic patterns and sculptural plant forms. A lush green palette is punctuated with pops of orange that echo the warmth of the cedar siding and entry stairs. Round concrete step stones punctuate a field of black basalt gravel. Structural species such as yucca, cacti, and agave provide strong form, while ornamental grasses, acacia, podocarpus, arbutus, and olive introduce softness, texture, and screening.
A predominantly green palette is punctuated with pops of orange that echo the warmth of the cedar siding and entry stairs. Round concrete step stones punctuate a field of black basalt gravel. Olive, lomandra, and yucca add form and color to the composition.
White cacti add drama and verticality in mostly green palette. Arbutus and podocarpus screen the large building next door.
White cacti add drama and verticality. Round concrete step stones punctuate a field of black basalt gravel. Spiky yucca add additional graphic form to this modern garden in Berkeley.
White cacti, agave and yucca add sculptural form. A line of Podocarpus soften a tall screening fence.
A predominantly green palette is punctuated with pops of orange that echo the warmth of the cedar siding and entry stairs. White cacti, agave and a Coast Live Oak add sculptural form.
Acacias bring volume and fine texture at the base of cacti, agaves, and yucca, softening their strong forms. Black basalt creates a dark, contrasting backdrop, while airy crape myrtles filter views of homes across the street.
White cacti add drama and verticality. Acacias, olive, and manzanita add volume and texture in this modern Berkeley garden.
The bark of a crape myrtle and thin blades of ornamental grasses add pops of orange that echo the warmth of the cedar siding. The sculptural forms of yucca and silvery hues of dudleya provide a graphic backdrop.
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