A Tropical Garden in Los Angeles, Slide Show

To read more about this garden, designed by KAA Design, read "A Tropical Garden in Los Angeles." 

A street view of the house, where a sea of Tulbaghia violacea awaits visitors. Bluestone retaining wall planters hold tall, wispy Grevillea ‘Long John,’ at right, and on the opposite side of the limestone steps are phormium and blooming jacaranda.

Just to the west of the formal dining area, a jewel box garden offers a study in textures. The lacy silhouette of the Japanese maple contrasts the sleek bluestone walls, the ragged-edged volcanic schist, and the base of water-tumbled Mexican river pebbles. 

Outside the entryway, five granite boulders are meant to evoke the five Confucian virtues.

A tall cluster of tufted papyrus adds drama to the koi pond, which runs parallel to the ipe pool deck. On the far side of the pool, two Sutherland chaises are covered in Perennials outdoor fabric and set against a backdrop of giant birds of paradise, tibouchina, and several types of palms. 

A low wall separates the lanai from the outdoor kitchen, where a large planter is home to a blue hesper palm and trailing sedum.

Pennsylvania bluestone walls edge the seating cluster adjacent to the dining area. Plantings of tall papyrus and clumped mondo grass soften the precision of the hardscaping’s geometric lines and perpendicular angles.