About the Garden

The Story of the Garden
Ellen Speert and her husband Paul Henry live in a former avocado and orange grove near the beach in Encinitas. Their narrow, sloping lot covers a bit more than an acre and ends in a natural canyon.

The couple purchased their home in 1981. Ellen started a vegetable garden even before escrow closed. From there, the couple created a family garden just outside the back door.

Over time, they’ve expanded down the hill to meet the needs of their family and of Ellen’s growing art therapy practice. Today, their garden is a series of outdoor rooms each with its own distinct style, plants, and garden art.

About the Garden
Terracing is a great way to accommodate a slope like the one in this garden. Terraces also offer opportunities for creating interesting garden rooms.

Speert placed the thirstiest plants nearest the house. Further into the garden are California natives mixed with plants from other Mediterranean climates. All of these plants are beautiful, they are also low maintenance / and they’re drought tolerant.

This close to the ocean, one might expect to find a water feature in the garden. But in such an arid environment Ellen can’t justify using water for its aesthetic value. Instead, she has represented water in metaphor by using mirrors, pebbles and garden art.

Art serves as focal points throughout this garden. Pieces are placed to make visitors stop and take notice.

Few home gardens feature a labyrinth. This one is based on ancient designs that use walking paths for spiritual and emotional discovery.

Learn More >