The frontyard as aromatherapy
Plants from the Mediterranean area that thrive in L.A.s climate, garden designer Mayita Dinos says, are not exceptionally floriferous; they dont bloom exuberantly like English gardens do. They tend to be more subdued and all about different shades of green: silver-green, blue-green, gray-green. Euphorbia characias wulfenii attracts a bee in a Mediterranean-style garden in Windsor Square. (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Rosemary, lavender, citrus and other scents are signature elements of a Mediterranean garden. They create a sense of place based on scent, Dinos says. Its a kind of aromatherapy, a sensory experience thats typical of Mediterranean gardens. An aromatic hedge of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Blue Spire) edges a terrace. (Carlos Chavez/ Los Angeles Times)
Potted plants, including lemons, kumquats and succulents such as this Aeonium decorate two levels of terraces of the garden. (Carlos Chavez/ Los Angeles Times)
A grand stairway rises from the street to the two levels of terraces built as outdoor rooms that precede arrival at the entry. The lower terrace, with its splashing fountain a tiled spigot that pours into a glazed Gladding, McBean ceramic pot has a floor of pebbles. Scissor stairs lead to the upper, more formal terrace, with its floor of pavers cut into the same diamond pattern that starts at the street level and repeats on all the landings. (Carlos Chavez/ Los Angeles Times)
