A Garden Design to Bring People Together

Well-planned sightlines, harmonious colors, and attention-getting plants make any garden more engaging

When our well - established forested garden on California ’s northerly coast was flattened in 20 minutes by a herculean microburst , the first feelings my married man and I had were of loss , agitation , and pic . Then one even I reread the pipeline of Nipponese poetry taped to my computer monitor , a monitor to embrace the opportunities of variety : “ Barn ’s burnt down ; now I can see the moon . ”

My perspective suddenly shifted to imagine a garden design that considerably mull our grow interest in inviting others in , a design that allowed us to interact more with our neighbors rather than protect our privacy . Could we build a garden to bring diverse multitude , even strangers , together ? Many change in the mankind had convert us that we needed to engage more , not less . We could permit our new garden design mull that by make a broader view in — a welcoming invitation to meander , pause , reflect , engage , even play .

What if more of us think of our gardens a short less as reflections of personal place and a short more as opportunities for societal distance ? We kept this estimation in mind as we rebuild our garden . Here are some of the lessons we learned , ones we hope will inspire anyone require to make a garden more inviting .

This article originally appeared asAn Open Invitationin Issue 187 of Fine Gardening Magazine .

An open feeling starts with the view from the street

Before the storm , passersby would often try out to peek through the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to see what was blossom in our shaded acre . When the trees came down , we dead had a clear view from the street to the Pacific Ocean .

Whereas the entrance to our garden had once shouted “ secret ” with its drab trees , motorize metallic element logic gate , and straight drive to the service department , we want our new entry to be the garden combining weight of a well-disposed smile . Guests now are greeted by an arbor of roses , a twofold base on balls - in gate , and a broad circular driveway that wraps around a mound island layer . Beyond the entrance area , a meandering track winds toward the ocean view , with places to hold on , sit , follow the motion of a koi pond , listen to the bombination of pollinators , or play a round of bocce .

Our paths are now wide enough to accommodate even mechanize wheelchair . symmetrical colors and fragrant , strange plantings draw the senses in .

Because our property is bordered on two sides by a busy section of the California Coastal Trail , create field with their own bit of respite and privateness has been of import for us . To execute this goal without blocking key sightlines , we project stagger “ rampart ” of trellises , eminent and low hedges , a brusk open - lookout fencing with an arbor , a small pergola — the sort of garden structure that delimit without obstructing and invite without restrict .

The only room that was go forth inviolate after the storm was the koi pond ; the rest of the garden was a blank ticket . So before we built anything , we try out with the position of cardinal anatomical structure by “ sketching ” them on the ground with lime , which helped us project how the finished blank space would feel . Through this nonrational physical process , we design characteristic such as the trellis walls of the boccie garden , the circle of the driveway garden , and the bridge deck connecting the two sides of the pond garden .

Eye-catching color sets a friendly tone

Plants take center stagecoach in our social garden , but they are not the only source of color . Creating our garden pallette commence with decision about hardscaping and paint colors . Since skies often tend to be gray in the Pacific Northwest , we replaced the dark gravel that once continue our path with golden disintegrate granite and abstemious pavers . We paint all the buildings and trellis walls a deep , neutral John Brown that drop into the ground , allowing more - vibrant chromaticity to shine . Our picket fencing , gates , and mandril are paint Paris green with lavender accents , colors that tie in with preferent plant combination and are a welcome break from tradition .

Our planting are anchor by conifers and heathers that we selected for year - stave colour . We choose many perennial , annuals , and grasses for their bluish to bluered hues , and others to render peachy - red speech pattern . Explosions of color begin with early leaping peak and continue throughout the season . We are very selective about the plant we bestow , scouring specialty nursery catalog for strange choices , such as our ‘ Puget Pink ’ sycamore maple , which brings more research than any other plant in the garden when young foliation is transitioning from coral pink to its translation of yellowish green .

An open garden can open many hearts

We believe of ourselves as social gardeners now , sharing more of ourselves and our property . Our design goal of inviting neighbors and passersby into our garden has been pull in ; we like to conceive that our little garden plays a small but significant neighborhood role in softening a rough - and - tumble world .

undecided garden days are fun because they ’re like parties with new admirer . Mothers sip iced tea from the patio while they learn their youngster chasing butterflies or feeding koi . Bocce player express mirth and debate their scores , while the majority of visitors are con collapsible shelter to stick to us through the garden and inquire about strange plant .

But our bang-up delight comes from our policy of leave the gates wide undecided while we do our daily gardening . Passersby can bet in and charter us one - on - one in a conversation that never would have go on behind those tall trees . We are happy to name specialty plants , explicate how to lie pavers , or take the air someone through the room of the garden that are not visible from the street .

“ Oh , it just keeps opening up , ” one visitant of late remarked during an impromptu enlistment . That , I thought , is a great description of an inviting garden and a good societal deterrent example for all of us .

Conversation Starter

One of the great joys of host garden invitee is the opportunity it provides to talk about favorite works . Here are some of the crew - pleasers from this colourful coastal garden .

1 . ‘ Ann Folkard ’ geranium(Geranium‘Ann Folkard ’ zone 5–8 ) puts out onus of fatal - eyed magenta blooms over a retentive season .

2 . ‘ Puget pinkish ’ great maple maple(Acer pseudoplatanus * ‘ Puget Pink ’ , zona 5–8 ) is a head turner , with young leaves that emerge coral pinko and then transition to chartreuse as they maturate .

3 . ‘ Akebono ’ cherry(Prunus x yedoensis‘Akebono ’ , Zones 4–8 ) flower for only a couple of calendar week , but the spectacular leap show is worth the wait .

4 . ‘ Provence ’ lavender(Lavandula x intermedia‘Provence ’ , Zones 5–9 ) is an unceasing classic with fragrant , silver foliage and abundant bloom spike .

5 . Bonica ® rose(Rosa‘Meidomonac ’ , Zones 4–9 ) blooms nearly year - round in Northern California ’s mild coastal mood .

6 . New Zealand wind grass(Anemanthele lessonianasyn . Agrostis lessoniana , Zones 8–10 ) has graceful , arching blades in a mix of olive green , tawny atomic number 79 , and amber .

7 . ‘ Preziosa ’ mountain hydrangea(Hydrangea serrata‘Preziosa ’ , zone 6–9 ) packs loads of color , with recondite maroon stems , purple - touch leaves , and efflorescence that transition from white-hot to pink to reddish - purpleness .

Barbara Morrison and her husband , Ken Magnuson , garden on a coastal bluff in McKinleyville , California .

Photos , except where mark : Carol Collins . Illustration : Conor Kovatch .

Photos noted : courtesy of Barbara Morrison and Ken Magnuson

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A water feature brings sound and movement to the heart of the garden.Motion-activated sprinklers at the pond’s edge gently yet effectively discourage herons from the nearby estuary from “spearfishing” beloved koi.

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Don’t forget a place to play!The bocce garden gives guests of all ages a laid-back place to mingle and have fun. Bold borders layered with shrubs and trees provide sophisticated screening around this big, open space. Sitting on the sidelines never looked so good.

Low-growing plants keep the horizon line open.This spot near the edge of the bluff is the perfect place to enjoy unobstructed views of sunsets and surf. The living mosaic at your feet doesn’t block views from further back in the garden.

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The heart-shape bed off their back deck is packed with pollinator-pleasing plants.Birds, butterflies, and all kinds of other creatures bring life to this space throughout the year.