First they dug out 3 feet of their flat lot

Sunset, August, 1987

First they dug out 3 feet of their flat lot

A multilevel garden was their objective,but Elly and Ruben Martinez' lot in Campbell, California, was small and perfectly flat, and their rear garden contained only a 20-year-old Modesto ash and an uninspiring concrete slab.

Designer Richard Terril solved the problem,creating elevation changes by digging out a 3-foot-deep, 12-foot-square area. He used the excavated earth to form a series of raised beds; these give growing room to a rich variety of shade plants, which thrive beneath trellises covered with wisteria, jasmine, and clematis.

A small fountain in one corner makeswater music to enhance the sense of coolness and isolation from the city. Water circulates through a small pump in the brick pool to stoneware bowls made by a local potter.

After excavating, Terril dug a 2- by 4-footdry well, 5 feet deep, under the garden's lowest point and filled it with stones and sand to provide drainage from heavy rains or possible pool overflow. Side walls, raised beds, and stair risers are redwood; decks are cedar. Paved areas and stair treads are bricks firmly bedded on sand.

Photo: Water trickling from hand-thrown ceramicbasins spills into brick-lined quarter-circle, is recirculated by small submerged pump

Photo: Steps lead up to cedar deck and studio--guest house. Excavated earth fills raised beds. Opposite the steps, more raised beds edge side fence. Trellis supports clematis, jasmine, and wisteria. Main house's rear wall is visible at lower left