THE ACUPUNCTURE GARDEN

This was a haggard parking lot behind an acupuncture clinic and a restaurant, which our client hoped to turn into a tranquil garden space to use for qi gong and movement classes. The cinder block wall is west-facing and radiates heat, and the soil was gritty and poor, filled with gravel, glass, and decades of trash, so the border there had to be adapted to a measure of cruelty. We used California, American Southwest, and Mediterranean native flowering plants to create a soft, textured cottage feel even in harsh conditions. The border turns, and the toughness gives way to a shadier, gentler bed beneath a loquat tree. Here, we planted foxgloves, ferns, grasses, and sprays of pale pink coral bells.