A planting plan was done for this mid-century residence in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea.  The house had just received an interior and exterior renovation, including a new seating area in the large front yard on the ocean side of the house—the most useable space on the property.   This patio, with a generous stone firepit, is set into a series of Carmel-stone retaining walls.  Colorful South African and Australian shrubs and groundcovers fill the surrounding beds. To reduce the amount of car-oriented hardscape the nearby driveway is made of  ‘Hollywood strips’ filled with a dense grassy planting.