Vignette

"An improvised litter box below a bay window," said Craig after he asked me to help him with his garden.

Not quite King Augeas's stables, but enough to make excavation a first step. After that, a device to keep the cats and dirt separated. Craig suggested wire mesh, while I proposed bricks and pavers.

Craig's aesthetic, as far as I could tell, is pre-Columbian meso-moderne, so that's what I gave him.

With my protective motif in place, the next step was to fill the cracks with sand and dirt, then sedum and succulents. Because most of the area was sheltered by the bay window, I would place terra cotta pots in selected areas.

Material cost: under $100.