California dream: fresh ideas for outdoor living from two trendsetting gardens

Something wonderful is happening in California gardens. It's not just that gardeners are turning more often to nature's landscape for inspiration, or that we're growing interesting plants like shimmery grasses and shapely succulents in fresh ways. It's what landscape architect and contractor Owen Dell of Santa Barbara calls "an increasing artistry in garden design, an upwelling of inventiveness." And, adds Dell, "Imagination is blossoming. Our gardens are becoming more fun, less uptight. We're really swinging."

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Landscape designer Greg Sanchez might agree; while revamping a garden in Century City, California, he discovered some circular pavers left on the property by the previous owners. "I knew I wanted to use them, but I didn't know how," he says. Ultimately, those simple pavers inspired the garden's entire design. For a yard in San Diego, artists Don and Jill Young employed their sense of color and form to create a landscape with something interesting to look at around every corner.

Playful and inventive, these gardens have it all--including ideas you can adapt.

CENTURY CITY

Playful geometry

If the garden behind Ann and Sandy Blanchard's sleek, contemporary home has a theme, it might be called "circles and bubbles." A circular lawn framed with a bold poured-concrete strip lies in the center of the backyard. Pavers of various sizes embellish the wide, adjacent path; from a second-story window, they appear to float like bubbles through a river of gravel (near right). Planting beds between the lawn and patio are curved. Another bed--filled with blue Senecio mandraliscae, phormium tenax, and agaves--is circular.

"We wanted to loosen up the garden to play off the home's angular design," says landscape designer Greg Sanchez. The circles have a practical side too: "They visually tie together three outdoor rooms--a dining patio, a firepit patio, and the children's play area."

But geometry is only half of the backyard's story. "The owners love hot colors, so we played with those," Sanchez says. In the curved planting beds, yellow kangaroo paws rise above tufts of blue fescue. Golden Helichrysum petiolare 'Limelight' carries the path's line around the lawn. In contrast to the backyard's rounded shapes, the front yard is all about angular drama.

"We wanted to make the garden more visually exciting." says Ann Blanchard. And that it is. "It's lush, yet open--serene and tropical, with a feeling of romance."

DESIGN: Greg Sanchez, GDS Designs, Los Angeles (www.gdsdesigns.com or 323/466-4266)

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Landscape lessons

Think twice about discarding building materials such as used brick or broken concrete that you unearth or remove during landscape renovation; they might find beautiful new uses. In the Blanchard garden, for example, Greg Sanchez moved circular pavers he found into a wide section of pathway (far left).

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Divide the garden into a series of rooms according to function. The firepit patio (A) is for relaxing and entertaining. The front yard (B) is pure drama; owners Sandy and Ann Blanchard pose there with their boys--Ryland, 2, and Reiss, 6--in front of agaves.

Before getting rid of overgrown plants, try to visualize their potential. With a little pruning, they might be worth saving. In the Blanchards' front yard, a few shapeless pittosporums were removed and others were pruned to reveal trunk and branch structure. A wall behind them (C) accentuates the plants' shapes, and uplights add nighttime drama. Near the dining patio (page 116), Sanchez added more philodendrons to enhance the presence of an existing plant.

Just a few foliage plants can create texture and serenity. In the Blanchards' garden, 'Limelight' helichrysum adds a light green fringe around a deep green lawn (D). Another key tip: Place plants with care. Spiny agaves (E) are limited to the front yard, while softer plants grow in back, where the children play.

Landscape pros are saying ...

* Let the site inform your garden's style. Then let every element--from paving and water features to trees, shrubs, furnishings, and fireplace--conform to the cohesive style. If one object clashes with the others, the overall design doesn't work. Beyond that, create a sense of oasis.--Bernard Trainor, Bernard Trainor + Associates, Monterey, CA

* Visually tie the house to the garden so there's a natural flow between the two. Avoid steps between indoors and outdoors, and place elements like fountains or a great urn where they'll draw your attention, inviting you outdoors. Also, don't try to pack too much into your space; a well-designed garden is like a good sauce that the chef must reduce before its essential flavor comes through.--R. Michael Schneider, Orange Street Studio, Los Angeles