What makes a garden regionally appropriate? Fifteen private gardens
designed by leading landscape architects answer that question for arid Southern California by directly addressing the climate, landscape, and
culture they inhabit. Whether small or large, urban or rural, luxurious
or low budget, these resilient outdoor spaces are finely attuned to the Mediterranean climate and the indoor-outdoor lifestyle for which Southern
California is known. They make use of local building materials and
craftspeople and offer their owners a unique emotional connection to
nature. Firmly planted in time and place, the projects, complete with
plans, define not so much a style as an experience and thrive with
little effort from their owners.