I Want a California-Inspired Garden — These Are the 5 Things a Los Angeles-Based Landscaper Says Are a Must-Have, and How to Adapt Them Even If You Live in the City

I think what draws me most to a California-style garden — aside from their obvious beauty — is the instant swathe of warmth I feel when I think about them. I immediately start imagining myself lying outstretched on a lounger, relaxing in the cozy glow of the sun, surrounded by blue skies and greenery. Better yet, when carefully designed, they're actually relatively low-maintenance, too, which is exactly what I need for my currently chaotic outdoor space.

Trouble is, I live in the UK — a far cry from the Californian climate. However, while there's nothing that can be done about the weather we are served this side of the horizon, there are, as it turns out, ways that you can replicate the look and feel of a Cali-cool-style modern garden, even if the space you're working with is small and in the depths of the city.

I asked Nate Fox, the lead designer at Foxterra Design — a modern landscape architecture firm based in Orange County, California — how I could recreate the California aesthetic in my (often overlooked) garden. He shared five simple ways to do it, and I'm taking them all on board.

1. Native and Drought-Tolerant Plants

"California landscaping lives and dies by its relationship with water," says Nate. "I always anchor my softscape designs with native plants like Salvia, Agave, and Manzanita because they're built for our climate and virtually maintenance-free once established.

"In a city garden or courtyard, you can do the same thing in containers or raised planters. A single architectural Agave in a terracotta pot on a balcony is pure California, zero lawn required."

This Large Agave Plant on eBay paired with an Ullu Terracotta Planter from nkuku is a match made in Cali-cool heaven — the planter comes with drainage holes, too, as proper drainage is key for the Agave plant, along with winter protection, and with terracotta planters a key component of California landscape design, this combo is a win-win.

I'm already envisaging large planters in my outdoor space filled with olive trees — and I might start with this Olea Europaea Olive Tree at B&Q; easy to care for, beautiful to look at, and giving me all the California-style vibes I need.

Nate Fox

Nate Fox is the lead designer at the modern landscape architecture firm, Foxterra Design. Founded with his brother, Justin, in Orange County, California, the company has grown into a powerhouse operation with a 30-person team executing over 100 projects annually across California, Florida, Costa Rica, and beyond. With a striking contemporary aesthetic — from serene waterfall installations to jaw-dropping statements like suspending a Ferrari in the center of a pool — the firm has attracted both aspirational homeowners and celebrity clients alike. 

2. The Indoor-Outdoor Connection

Another cornerstone of Californian design is indoor-outdoor living. "The California lifestyle is really about dissolving the line between inside and out," Nate explains. "In my residential projects, I'll orient a patio lounge directly off a kitchen or living room, so entertaining just flows.

"In a smaller urban space, even a ground-floor apartment with a patio, you can achieve the same feeling with a sliding or bifold door, consistent flooring material on both sides, and good outdoor lighting that makes the space feel like a room." This has also made me decide I absolutely must buy an outdoor rug this year.

Plus, it's not just in California that the blurring of indoor and outdoor living spaces is key — a major outdoor furniture trend for 2026 is that blurred line between our interiors and our exteriors. Pieces are still designed to withstand the weather, all while looking just as at home indoors as on your patio.

It comes down to creating spaces that are comfortable, relaxing, and that also speak to our personal style. I fear that, over the years, I have leaned too heavily on the practical elements of my outdoor space, which hasn't done much for its visual appeal.

But I'm ready to invest in some new garden furniture — and I'm now thinking of my outdoor space as an additional room of my home in a way I haven't really before; I have already purchased this Rechargeable Outdoor Table Lamp from H&M to get me started, though.

3. A Water Feature

This one might require a bit of convincing on my part for my husband to be on board — but I'm all for it, particularly as incorporating a water feature is a great way to make your garden feel more private.

"There's an irony in the fact that water, something so precious in California, is also a cornerstone of its garden culture," Nate shares. "A well-placed fountain or recirculating water bowl brings sound, movement, and a sense of calm that's very much part of the California outdoor living tradition.

"In a city space, it's one of the highest-impact additions you can make. Even a small ceramic bowl fountain on a balcony or courtyard wall drowns out street noise and instantly makes the space feel like a retreat."

With a strong wellness focus in this year's garden trends, I feel this could be the perfect addition to my outdoor space to instill that sense of calm it's currently lacking (it's frankly chaotic right now); plus, anything that could reduce the road noise is winning big in my view.

4. Warm, Layered Outdoor Lighting

Few things will create as much impact as good garden lighting. When I added festoon lighting to my outdoor space a few years ago, it was transformative. But I will need to take it up a notch this year to create a layered lighting scheme befitting of a Californian garden retreat.

As Nate explains, "Californians live outside well into the evening, and good lighting is what makes that possible. In my projects, I always layer it: a statement outdoor floor lamp to anchor a seating area, task lighting for a grill or dining table, and low accent lighting to pick out planting or hardscape at night.

"In a smaller urban setting, this approach is just as achievable and arguably even more transformative, since a well-lit compact terrace feels far larger and more inviting after dark than one with a single overhead bulb."

My husband and I were actually discussing outdoor uplighters at the weekend, so I'm now convinced that this is exactly what our space needs, along with some well-placed floor and table lamps, too, of course.

5. A Citrus Tree (or at Least One Edible)

"No California garden feels complete to me without something you can eat," says Nate, and I couldn't agree more. "A lemon or Meyer lime tree is the quintessential LA backyard moment.

"There's something about picking citrus at home that feels deeply Californian. For city dwellers, a dwarf citrus like a Kumquat in a large pot on a terrace works perfectly. It gives scent, structure, year-round interest, and the occasional cocktail garnish. That's a hard combination to beat."

That's exactly what my indoor lemon plant (that is no more) was used for — an excellent cocktail garnish (or ingredient), but it's time for me to go bigger, better, and go outdoors with one.

This Lemon Tree from Dobies is deliciously fragrant and has a great tolerance for low temperatures — and Suttons has a wide selection of citrus trees, too, so if you're going to board the citrus train, like me, you can take your pick on the type of fruit and a size that suits your space.

Ultimately, I've learnt that the key to achieving a California-style garden is in curating a space with calm at the forefront of mind — comfortable seating, ambient lighting, low-maintenance planting, and a space that feels intrinsically linked with me and the rest of my home; and now I'm ready to create it.

If you're keen to learn more about feel-good outdoor spaces, these are the five things that landscape designers build into a wellness garden. And for more design advice for your garden and beyond, why not sign up to our newsletter, and they'll be delivered straight to your inbox.