Inspired by trips to
Joshua Tree National
Park, the Fitzwilliams
turned their front yard
into a desertlike space
filled with succulents
and cactus.
More tips for planting and caring for the prickly prizes of
the drought-tolerant garden: sunset.com/cactus101.colors pop well against the navy blue paint
color selected for the house. Plants such as
yellow-orange Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on
Fire’; blue-gray Agave ‘Blue Glow’; golden
barrel cactus; Kalanchoe luciae, with its red-
edged foliage; or the aptly named copper-
tone stonecrop add to the vibrant, lively
feeling the Fitzwilliams wanted.
Another unifying theme: Planters. “The
pots bring the plants into living spaces. They
can be featured in corners to dress up bare
walls, they can hide unsightly utilities, and
they can accent a space with color or an in-
teresting shape,” says Jasmine. Potted cactus
and other succulents are next to nearly every
chair or seating area throughout the garden.
“I don’t like being too far from my babies at
any given moment,” she says.
To wrap up the project, Scott applied his
tech mind-set to old-fashioned DIY. “I’d
design what he was going to make, then he’dput it into SketchUp, we’d make adjust-
ments, and then he’d build it,” say Jasmine.
The couple started with the outdoor dining
table. Then they worked on building potting
benches, wiring the outdoor lighting, and
making a cover for the firepit. “We didn’t
know we had it in us until we just started
designing and building.”
Uncovering new skills made their cactus
garden a rewarding project, connecting the
Fitzwilliams not only to each other but
also to the neighborhood around them.
Passersby stop to ask about plants or chat
about the color of the house; others drive
by and give the garden a shout-out. “It’s
great when someone just hollers out their
car window, ‘nice garden,’ ‘those are great
plants,’ or ‘love the color of the house’ as
they drive by,” says Jasmine. “I guess be-
cause we’re from Canada we have a special
appreciation for the desert look and the
unique flora. I love that our garden reflects
our desert adventures and shares them
with others.”