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Rugged beauty: sturdy foliage holds up to big paws and looks good all year long

Sunset, Dec, 2004 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

Terry Gardner's backyard in Oakland is as pretty as it is dog-friendly. Evergreen plants stand up to occasional romps from the owner's dog--a big Bouvier des Flandres. And a well-hidden dog run behind the fence at the top of the steps keeps the pooch out of the greenery when the owner isn't home.

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When Gardner first met with landscape designer Richard Sullivan, the goal was to spruce up the unused slope adjacent to a patio while accommodating the dog. Sullivan leveled the top of the slope and installed a lawn, then built stairs of 3-inch-thick, randomly cut chunks of Connecticut bluestone on the base rock. Foliage plants, chosen for toughness, texture, and year-round good looks, include Rubus pentalobus 'Emerald Carpet', which covers the slope and creeps between the stone steps. It bears small white flowers in spring, followed by salmon-colored berries. Loropetalum chinense provides a bright contrast at the top of the hill. And around the lawn, tree ferns, banana plants, and a floss silk tree thrive in Oakland's nearly frost-free climate (Sunset climate zone 17).

Grapestake fencing, which blends nicely with the landscaping, encloses the 12-foot-wide by 40-foot-long dog run; a trumpet vine drapes a leafy curtain of greenery over its top.

DESIGN: Enchanting Planting, Orinda, CA (925/258-5500)

PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS J. STORY

Rugged beauty: sturdy foliage holds up to big paws and looks good all year long

Sunset, Dec, 2004 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

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