An Eastern Motif
In the fall of 2009, Gloria Sanchez of Sloat Garden Center’s design department got a call from a Novato home owner who wanted to continue the Asian motif in the garden begun by her father and to integrate the three pine trees he’d planted in the front yard more than 30 years ago.
The two-story hillside home has two extreme microclimates—-a front garden exposed to deer, full sun and afternoon winds, and a fenced back garden shaded by a canopy of redwood and cypress trees.
When you think of all the beautiful Japanese gardens in foggy San Francisco, it’s difficult to imagine installing one in Novato’s hot climate. Can it work?
Gloria Sanchez: Yes, there are a lot of similarities, especially with the windswept elements. And there are a number of plants that work well —mugo pine, pittosporum, nandina.
Any challenges?
GS: A drainage canal that ran the length of the backyard! But working with a negative aspect of a site can very often make it the most distinctive part of the design. We made it into a “creek bed” by painting the exposed concrete sides with a product called Moss Mikshake to encourage moss to grow, filling the center with rocks and pebbles, and planting it with ferns, daphnes, Japanese anemones, pieris, rhododendrons and azaleas.
The mix of foliage and blooming plants really ties the space together. Finally, we placed three wooden bridges across the “creek” and added some step stones.
What about surprises?
GS: The back garden was so overgrown that our client never spent any time there, especially since she had such nice views from her upper deck. But we created a river-washed stone staircase and added a small patio in the back that now gives her a nice place to sit in the shaded part of the garden and look out over the rolling hills.
Sloat Garden Center design department, 401 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, 415.388.3754
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