Modern Oak Hill Garden
A new-build's bare, graded lot, transformed into a layered native garden that now frames a simple dining terrace.
New construction in Oak Hill often leaves a lot stripped of everything except a few token trees. This property was no exception — a flat pad of compacted caliche with a single retained live oak near the property line. Our planting plan rebuilds soil health across the site while establishing a layered garden of canopy, understory, and groundcover species suited to the area's thin, rocky soil.
A simple limestone gravel terrace off the back of the house holds a table, chairs, and a large market umbrella — intentionally modest, since the clients wanted the planting itself to be the main event rather than an elaborate structure. Four-nerve daisy, black-foot daisy, and Mexican feathergrass fill the beds closest to the terrace, chosen for both drought tolerance and a soft, informal texture against the home's angular architecture.
Because the garden was planted from largely one-gallon and five-gallon stock, it will keep filling in over its first several years — the clients were shown a two-year and five-year projection alongside the planting plan so they'd know what to expect.
The Barton Hills Residence
Just Closed on a New Build?
We work with several Oak Hill and Southwest Austin builders and know the soil conditions well.