2024 Contest Winner

Homeowner	Shannon N
Location	Chula Vista
Yard	Front Side and Back

Project

Shannon transformed her outdoor space into a lush garden with pea gravel walkways, and water-wise features that attract native wildlife. She moved into the home in 2002 as the original owner and had only bare dirt in the yard. She expanded her side yard to part of the front and installed a retaining wall and concrete patio with an entry gate and outdoor fireplace. Today, the well-maintained front yard features a small riverbed and bright green water-wise plants. Past the entry gate, a large canopy wraps around a long dining table near the fireplace where she regularly hosts outdoor family dinners.

In the backyard, a cascade waterfall encompasses a sloped hill with a pond at the bottom, raised planters for growing vegetables are laid out in the center near a sitting area, and low-water-use shrubs add color throughout the yard. Rainwater provides enough water during winter and spring to leave the irrigation system off. Mulching every year helps retain moisture and keeps the weeds to a minimum. Her home’s water usage decreased by about 42% when comparing the initial 11-year period in the household to the subsequent 11 years.

Plants Used

Cape Rush, Rosemary, Jerusalem Sage, Penstemon, Blue Fescue, Society Garlic, Kaffir Lilly, Juniper, Crape Myrtle, Pineapple Guava, Swane’s Golden Italian Cypress, Lemon Cypress Leyland Cypress, Arizona Cypress, Canary Island Pine, Bear’s Breeches, Lion Ear, Tree Mallow, Japanese Boxwood, Silver Sheen, Foxtail Agave, Foxtail Fern, India Hawthorn, Indian Laurel, Gazania, Lavender, Yarrow, Coprosma repens ‘Marble Queen’, Little John Bottle Brush, Pride of Madeira, Mexican Feather Grass