First gardens - gardens of first time gardeners - includes related article

Sunset, March, 1996 by Kathleen Norris Brenzel

HOW: Sarah hired a landscape contractor to terrace the hillside, bring in topsoil, build steps and a deck, and install a lawn across the bottom of the garden. Then she added the drip tubing, and did all the planting. "I had read that fall is a good time to plant in order to help plants establish strong root systems and ensure a burst of growth in spring. Early planting and a wonderfully wet winter and spring did just that. I literally watched my garden grow before my eyes," she says. "By May, it was as close to an English garden as one could have in Mill Valley - a sea of color cascading down a winding path of steps." The garden took a year from start to bloom.

BEST IDEA: A sandbox, just 4 by 8 feet, that nestles against the house among flowers. "When the children outgrow it, we'll convert it to a planter box."

COST: About $25,000 (for terracing, retaining walls, fence, gate, deck, and labor), plus another $1,000 for drip tubing. Plants were extra.

MEDITERRANEAN NATURAL near the Southern California coast TED WELLS, Laguna Niguel, California

STARTED WITH: "A challenge! Overgrown, front and back," says Wells. Flat lawns and large trees crowded the 60- by 200-foot lot; ivy completely engulfed the house.

CREATED: "A garden that uses water wisely, that's low maintenance, and has a natural, Mediterranean look."

HOW: Got rid of the lawn, kept the eucalyptus and olive trees, and brought in new topsoil. To add order to the front garden, Wells designed a natural-colored block wall with a glass-paned French door as an entry gate. A simple arbor adjacent to it supports a bougainvillea. The rear garden is terraced with dry rock walls. Native and drought-resistant plants and scented geraniums fill in around them. Lady Banks' rose (yellow) and bearded iris add seasonal color. "During my yard redo, I gutted and rebuilt the entire house," Wells says. "I'm an architect and a masochist." The garden took four months of weekends to install, then about four years of constant tinkering to refine. Gardening is a "continual process of editing," says Wells. "The response from my neighbors, in a land of manicured lawns and perfectly sculpted trees, has been overwhelming," he says. "My garden has taught me to respect patience and natural beauty, and it's a perfect antidote for my 70-hour workweek."

BEST IDEA: Instant lighting. "In the evenings, I use propane camp lanterns in trees or along paths to light the yard. This [type of lighting] seems more in keeping with the natural look of the yard."

COST: "Didn't keep track. But I spent a lot every time I went to the nursery."

NEIGHBORLY FENCE

"A PRETTY PIECE OF ART" is what Lisa Murphy and Mark Jensen of Seattle call the freestanding trellis that discreetly marks the property line between their front yard and their neighbors'. Built of pressure-treated wood, it stands about 7 feet tall. To steady it against wind, Jensen set the 4-by-4 side posts 3 feet deep in concrete. The 2-by-6 top rail and 2-by-2 bottom rail were screwed to the posts; 2-by-2 centers were screwed in place between them. A pink-flowered rose, 'Constance Spry', clambers over the trellis and blooms in June.