Solution:

I designed a lush garden of Californian and Australian natives that would draw in pollinators. Concrete stepping stones connected the pedestrian gate to the part of the driveway closest to the front door. A paved pad with a wooden enclosure was added for trash bins, making them accessible from the driveway but inconspicuous from inside the new garden.

A two-person bench swing under a shady pergola offered seating, an arbor marked a proper entrance to the space, and the broken fountain was re-purposed as a multi-tiered planter for succulents. Boulders were brought in to give the flat, rectangular space a more natural feel, and shrubs in a variety of sizes provided enclosure, giving the space purposeful privacy and a setting suitable for morning coffee, catching up with a friend, or watching butterflies.