Sunset Magazine's idea gardens

Sunset, May, 1999 by Kathleen N. Brenzel, Peter O. Whiteley

Sunset and the Arboretum of Los Angeles County team up again to showcase the latest designs for outdoor living in the West

Photographs of beautiful gardens may inspire, but there's nothing like a walk down a real garden path to bring design ideas to life. That's the intent of Sunset's new demonstration garden at the Arboretum of Los Angeles County.

For more than 40 years, our garden - just inside the entrance to the arboretum's parklike grounds - has provided visitors with ideas for everything from paving and fencing to water features, furnishings, and plantings. Scores of visitors (including classes of landscape design students) have collected ideas here.

But times change. So do garden styles, materials, and the way we use our outdoor spaces. In 1996, Sunset and the arboretum staff, under the direction of arboretum superintendent John Provine, began planning the new gardens. Sunset editors identified the types of outdoor living spaces that today's homeowners want most. Then, to bring widespread community thinking to the project, we invited Southern California landscape architects to submit plans. In 1998, we leveled the old garden to make way for the new ones.

The master plan divides the 1 1/2-acre space into eight small gardens plus an education/demonstration area, all linked by a serpentine walkway. Each garden presents a theme that translates well to a broad range of residential situations. In each garden you'll see the latest products for landscaping and outdoor living, from synthetic wood decking to state-of-the-art barbecues.

On the following pages are ideas from the gardens that you can use no matter where in the West you live. And if travels take you to the Arcadia area, drop by the garden for a visit.

Arboretum of Los Angeles County, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, CA; 9-4:30 daily. $5, $3 students and ages 62 and over, $1 ages 5-12. (626) 821-3222.

Sunset Magazine Demonstration Garden

Visit and take away ideas

Gardening under the Oaks

Inspired by California's native oak woodland, this garden shows plants growing as they might in their native habitat. Ornamental grasses planted among stones change their appearance with the seasons; they're as beautiful when dry and brown in fall as they are when green. Other plantings are minimal, drought-resistant, and appropriate for this timeless California environment.

A straw bale wall in the background has an undulating surface of hand-laid plaster. Subtle "petroglyph" paintings of animals that once might have lived among the oaks embellish its adobe-colored surface.

Sculptural rock pyramids indicate the presence of man. In the spaces between the stones are native succulents.

Design: Jana Ruzicka, Hortulus, Laguna Beach, CA

Deck Garden

Decks have long been popular in Southern California. This one - embraced by water features and lush plantings and edged on one side by a bronze-red wall - is as beautiful as it is environmentally friendly.

Made of recycled plastic and wood pulp, the decking rests on a foundation that uses an existing concrete stem wall. The metal frames of the benches were salvaged from the waste stream, and the tops are of certified redwood. Low-voltage lighting, sculptural elements, handmade pavers, and an arbor of redwood (from an environmentally certified source) also enrich the space.

Design: Jane MacDonald Adrian, Environmental Interests, La Crescenta, CA

Dining and Entertainment Patio

Dining and Entertainment Patio. This timeless patio has all the comforts of home: a state-of-the-art barbecue with tile counter and sink, a firepit for toasting marshmallows, a water feature for a touch of serenity, and an outdoor fireplace to gather around on chilly evenings. Anchoring each of these elements are large, manmade boulders, manufactured on the site.

In the background is a screen, made of recycled timbers colored with copper verdigris paint, and underfoot is a stained, embossed concrete floor as interesting as a Persian carpet. The fireplace, counter base, and wall are formed with Rastra blocks (made of recycled plastic foam and cement).

Small beds and planting pockets around the garden contain a richly textured mix of succulents and drought-tolerant plants.

The garden is both fun and functional.

Design: Nick Williams, Nick Williams & Associates, Tarzana, CA

Courtyard Garden

The classic elements of life - water, fire, earth, and air - come together in this luxuriant small garden.

As you enter through copper gates, designed to mimic reeds and pussy willows that grow near creeks, the comforting sound of spilling water greets you. The water cascades from a shallow copper bowl atop a tall sculpture in a densely planted pond. With the flip of a switch, a blue-orange flame bursts from the center of the bowl, infusing the garden with a magical, rosy glow. Fragrant citrus trees grow in urns on either side of the courtyard; behind them, lush plantings include azaleas, espaliered Sasanqua camellias, and dwarf mondo grass. Against the back wall, the notched hearth of a tall fireplace provides intimate tete-a-tete seating. Low night lighting and metal sculptures contribute to the courtyard's magic.