Garden gift

I have one of those greenhouse windows over the sink in my kitchen. For years it was an embarrassing tableau of dying or dead plants, odd-shaped dishware, and lost-and-found items waiting to be reunited with their owners. My mother-in-law came to the rescue (or maybe she just couldn't stand it anymore). For my birthday a couple of years ago, she snuck into my house, got rid of everything in the window, and replaced it with a beautiful collection of succulents in simple pots, backed by a colorful platter that picked up the shades of the aeonium and aloes. There was a card leaning against one of the pots.

It was perfect. I had never thought of combining so many succulents like this, and it made me appreciate a new palette of plants. The serenity of the scene changed the way I thought about the window, and even the kitchen. It was suddenly a place I wanted to be in. I think that's what the best garden ideas, indoors and out, seem to do: transform a place in your home to something alive with new possibility.

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When someone asks me what Sunset's garden style is, I find it difficult to answer. It's regional, of course, covering the uniqueness of living in the West. But that can mean conifers and Japanese maples, blasts of colorful perennials, or subtle sculptural plantings. When we select gardens to feature, we look for unusual combinations or surprises, whatever the palette.

We also look for gardens that feel like they fit the West's current lifestyle. The L.A. garden we feature on page 158 represents one trend that designer R. Michael Schneider sees growing: simplicity. "As the world gets crazier, people want personal spaces of peace and tranquility," he says.

For owners John and Rita Emerson, their new garden draws them outside more than ever before. "We never used to sit outdoors at our other house," Rita says. "Now, we're out here all the time, to dine, read, and relax." No matter what your personal style, that's a gift.

Katie Tamony

COPYRIGHT 2004 Sunset Publishing Corp.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group