I love a project

Nothing makes me happier than having a project. As if I can't think up enough on my own, I now have HGTV. It's very addicting. Everyday my husband says Oh no, not that again. But I love Curb Appeal, Designed to Sell, Designing for the Sexes, Designers Challenge...do you see a pattern here? I've been designing gardens for many years, I love my private space. Other people seem to like what I do and it's easy to get sucked into a project for someone else. I once worked on a guys yard for two years, my grandchildren call it the job that never ends. It was great fun, no budget and I got to do whatever I wanted.


Here are a couple of projects I did in my front yard, I had a seating wall and arched stone gateway built. Then I hired a couple of kids to help me. We put in a flagstone patio and path, lighting and lots of plants. My husband helped me build the trellis. It's redwood that I ripped on my table saw and screwed together with coated deck screws. I have a grape vine and a passion vine planted on it. When I landscaped the front, I wanted it to look like the edge of the desert. I had recently completed a botany class called Plants of the Southwest Deserts. I was in love with all the native species. Not many desert gardens looked good. Unfortunately, a lot of people plant a tree, spread gravel and drop a boulder on the yard and think they have a desert landscape. As a photographer, I notice things. I think Mother Nature is the best gardener. When I'm hiking, I will photograph natural settings that I think can be translated to the home landscape. I created rolling elevations and buried the boulders in my yard making them look as if they're erupting from the soil. Nearby plantings of native grasses or other plants give them a more natural look. My biggest turnoff is the alien boulders that dropped from outer space. I also like to create a transition from the public space to the private space. It only has to be a visual barrier, not a wall. Small plants planted in masses can create a big impact.

I never had any training in landscape design but I've bought a lot of books along the way and I guess you could say I'm self taught. The results look pretty good if I do say so myself. A lot of people stop to ask questions when I'm working in the yard. But it's all in the planning and the execution. Maintenance is a drag but part of the game. Make no mistake, a desert landscape is low water use but not low maintenance. The big payoff is the satisfaction I get when the plants mature and I see my vision become reality.