Landscaping a Mediterranean Home – Part Three

The Natural Look

by Teresa Firelight

One of my neighbors, Laureen Trueheart, landscaped her Mediterranean yard in a very natural way. She did not add many man-made structures (other than on top of already existing ones). She managed to blend her work seamlessly into the environment, and still look warm and inviting. The effect is stunning.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Laureen did such a magnificent job on her home. I contacted her and discovered that she has been a landscaping and decorating professional for many years now. She does this for both private regions and individual customers and has a LOT of experience making lovely places in second life.

Let’s start by looking at her front yard. The house she landed came with a very high front fence. It had the potential to look more like a prison than an elegant house. But Laureen made landscaping decisions that kept the place looking lovely.

She added a lovely wrought iron gate and beautiful plants along the wall. Laureen chose not to add a sidewalk or pathway between the gate and house. Instead, she dotted the ground with little clusters of grass “KIDD LONG GRASS * Wild Sword * Scattered” from Kidd Grass Garden. This gives a very natural look.

She lined the fence with some very interesting trees and bushes, with natural-looking flowers and boulders scattered in. For example, the front right corner includes the Animated Juniper Tree V2  from Meshed Up, a Greek Fir from Fundati. In addition, Laureen added several bushes and ground cover plants from several different creators.

The front right side has a more pronounced corner garden, with several plants and shrubs and garden rocks. It also has two very interesting trees. The centerpiece is a Flamboyant tree with red blossoms, from 3D Trees. The other tree is another Animated Juniper tree. (It is the same tree as on the left side but is placed at a different angle and looks like another tree.) These trees are all very dramatic and interesting to look at, and they make the front yard captivating.

Laureen placed some potted plants and a bicycle on the front patio. Then she added an enhancement that really makes the building pop – the brick trim from the MB LH - Mediterranean - Bella Vista -Bella Rosa Corner box. This is a simple attachment, but it seems to add a lot of depth and character to the building.

The back yard (pictured above) is a continuation of the nature theme. She did a fair amount of structural work, but it is subtly blended into the overall look. She built a covered patio and a Jacuzzi area. They are both structures, yet they are built in such a way that they don't “feel” like added structures.

Laureen was also smart with the “natural” plants. She lined the side fences with bushes, shrubs and small trees. She sprinkled small patches of the same grass she used in the front yard. In addition, Laureen placed more dramatic tree and garden pieces in the back yard. She added some pets, such as a few static dogs and some kittycats running around the yard. The pets give the place that “someone really lives here” feeling.

We will look quickly at the structures and then talk about how she blends her landscaping into the theme’s surroundings.

Laureen used the MB LH - Mediterranean - Bella Vista - Bella Rosa Terrace for the covered terrace part of her back patio. Of course, being a skilled builder, she made a few modifications to it, including some re-texturing. She furnished it in an interesting way – She placed a pizza oven against the house wall, and a round table/chairs and some plants under the terrace. She also put some patio furniture and plants on the uncovered portion of the back patio.

Of course, no luxury home would be complete without a jacuzzi, so Laureen added one. It is along the side fence and surrounded by some bushes and ground cover. She used the DaD - Outdoor Jacuzzi Set and colored the towels and pillows green to best blend in with the plants.

We already talked about the front yard plants and how Laureen used a combination of several plants from different creators to achieve a very natural effect. She also did this in the back yard and highlighted several trees. She put rocks, ground cover and flowers around them to help them blend in. Above is a picture of two of them from the right side of the back yard. The trees in this picture are (Fundati) Yucca Tree 2 from (Fundati) Yucca Set + Extras and Konoha - Olea elena - T3 (moss) from Konoha - Olea elena (Olive trees).

I would like to close by revisiting how Laureen blends her landscaping into the theme’s mole landscaping. The above picture illustrates this. The tree and flowers in the picture are Laureen’s but the cactui are mole landscaping. She has extended them slightly off her parcel to blend them together with the mole’s build. She was able to do this because they are linked to other plants on her parcel. This helped blend her stuff together with the surroundings.

In case you are curious, the tree is from Meshed Up, and is the Faux Split Leaf Tree Small V2 and the flowers are from two creators. The lavender is from Lunaria and is Lavender Field Animated and center flowers are Konoha -"Jest" Weeds - Small Rectangle {512}.

In closing, I hope you will be inspired by Laureen’s style. I know I was!

I love how she avoided the many brick and cement structures that most of us have been using. I love how she made her yard come alive by using well placed plants and flowers.

Comments

[Deborah]

I am in awe at what she has done!Now I want to redecorate my yard. What beautiful work! Thank you for another great article<3

[Laureen Trueheart]

Thank you Teresa for the wonderful article and all the amazing photos you made from my work, I am very happy and thankful to be part of your blog.♥

[Stella Carver]

Wow. I'm beyond impressed- makes me want to redo my whole place!!

[AmandaT]

Loved what Lauren did and what a great Article Teresa!