Adams Family Garden

The Adams family has lived in this 1926 Mediterranean-style house for 28 years. In 2006 they undertook an extensive remodel. They knew the garden also needed an update, so they called upon landscape architect Joseph Marek to help. Together they created a series of courtyard gardens not only fitting to the house and their young family, but also reflective of their mutual love of all things Italian. The large circular concrete entry fountain, set in a sandstone and gravel courtyard, was designed and built to look as if it were original to the house. Olive trees and arbutus and rosemary hedges form the bones of the garden. Aloes, lavenders, and other drought-tolerant plants are also found here. California poppies sprout between the courtyard stones, reminding all of the garden's place in Southern California. Through an iron gate there is an outdoor dining room with another fountain, plus a small but highly productive kitchen garden. Here the family grows citrus, grapes, apples, and strawberries, as well as a variety of seasonal vegetable crops. Through another iron gate you enter the kitchen courtyard with a well-used Argentine grill and seating for guests. Since the garden's last appearance on Open Days in 2011, the garden has changed to reflect even more how we look at sustainability and climate change-and how the family has grown and now uses the space. All lawn has been removed from the garden, and all watering is done with drip irrigation. New drought-tolerant plantings in decomposed granite now fill the parkways on this corner lot. Now that the children are grown, the sport court and lawn have been removed from the back garden and replaced with a new bocce court, complete with overhead lighting for nighttime games, an outdoor bar, and the beginnings of a lemon-covered pergola inspired by the one at Lotusland in Montecito.

Open Days 2023: Saturday, May 6
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.