The Hard-Working Girl's Garden

The Powers Garden

The owner, a consulting arborist, took an exposed weed-patched lot on an arterial and created privacy screens that block out the hullabaloo. She did as much of the back-breaking work as she could before enlisting help from family and friends. Her to-do list included: defining beds, building berms, digging French drains, rototilling, mixing and pouring concrete for steps and driveway, constructing a garden shed, laying a brick wall, amending the soil with 10 yards of cow manure and planting whatever she could salvage and recycle from the leavings of others. There was also the small matter of removing a 65-foot Douglas Fir that had cracked the foundation of her house. The result is an eclectic garden based upon contrasting color and year-long interest.

The broken concrete path leads into the front yard where one is struck by a red leaf Japanese Maple and Himalayan Honeysuckle that harmonize with the deep-red front door. Next to the railing thrives a snowball viburnum, one of the few plants original to the property. To the right is a Karpick red maple (Acer rubrum 'Karpick') rescued from a highway widening project. As you wander around the front garden, look for yellow-blooming Buddleia globosa, oak leaf hydrangea, crabapple and photinia.

Nandina marks the corner leading into the tropical south side with Staghorn sumac, Mexican orange, Banana plant, palms and cannas to remind the owner of her Floridian upbringing. A "hot colored" border with Japanese blood grass, Drimys winteri and variegated salvia lead the visitor to the dining area. A screen of discarded negative-space artist panels, Rosa glauca, a hops vine and bamboo guarantee privacy.

The backyard includes a white bed against the house and a blue and yellow garden in front of the rear fence. The white garden glows in moonlight, accented by a "Bella Luna" sculpture. The northeast corner is anchored by a rare tree-Hippophae rhamnoides and an Atlas broom. A hedged holly's dense growth blocks an objectionable view. Bamboo and Corsican hellebore perform the same protective function on the north side as you exit.

This gardener, on a tight budget, has sweated and toiled to meet the challenge of obliterating the unsightly to claim her own neighbor-friendly views.