Putt, swim, play paddle tennis, relax … here's a garden that was planned for action

Sunset, April, 1989

The big surprise for visitors to Linda and Jim Brandt's 4,800-square-foot garden is the variety of activities possible there.

When they moved into their house, the area was just a large, thirsty patch of lawn dotted by an oak and a small patio. For a family with three active children and a love for entertaining, it wasn't very useful, "We all had a different idea of what we wanted in the garden," says Mrs. Brandt. "So we decided to try and please everyone, in a way that would integrate all the interests. That's when we called in landscape architect Don Boos. He fitted all the pieces together."

Now the garden is a year-round action center for the whole family. In one corner is an all-purpose court for badminton, basketball, paddle tennis, or volleyball; a self-draining, rubber-like surface and night lights make it usable at any time.

The new, much smaller lawn is put to good use as a five-hole putting green, of creeping bent grass planted in sandy soil. To drill holes for the cups, Dr. Brandt borrowed a tool from a golf course.

The central swimming pool's water slide is partly stuccoed to match the house's architectural style. A nonslip tile staircase leads up to the top of the slide; belowstairs storage holds sports equipment. To save on heating and water bills, solar collectors supplement the pool heater, and an automatic pool cover holds in heat and helps reduce evaporation.

For entertaining or just feeding the gang, an outdoor kitchen was added to the back of the house. The wrap-around open counter doubles as tabletop and serving area.

In their sports garden, the Brandts planted easy-care daylilies, ferns, hibiscus, liriope, and podocarpus watered by automatic sprinklers. Large pots of flowers provide seasonal color.