Tony, You are right in the sense that I didn't write the article, but I don't think some of the terms used are as opposite in meaning or purpose as you make them out to be. I don't know if you also looked at the video clip before you asked these questions, as I think they would help to answer your own questions, more so that just looking at static photos would. Almost any designed garden acts as a visual retreat from the larger world around it, this is inherent in the original meaning of a garden, and especially a paradise garden or oasis, which is the design idea behind this particular garden. Would it also help to know that my client is hearing impaired, yet functions in the hearing world with aid of hearing aids? For those who don't know, hearing aids take a lot of work to wear, as they pick up all sounds including background ambient noise, which the human brain tends to de-emphasize for those who hear normally. In the garden, my client is able to take out the hearing aid, and just be a visual person in a sea of quiet. I hope this helps to give you insight into the design clues I used here to help make this both a sanctuary and visually stimulating, yet also with serenity of the overall space. As with most complex gardens, this is much more apparent with actual exposure to the garden, but just a glimpse of goldfish swimming in a pond in the tv clip gives an intimation of the experience on a visual level. I tried to design the whole space to respond to my client's need for a visual escape from the outside world, yet with enough detail within a very small space to keep one's interest year round. As my client is also a talented residential building designer in his own right, I also wanted to dialogue with the house and architecture and bring that out into the garden. The levels and walls respond to the need to provide access across a garden with 7 feet of elevation change, and the seat walls are both stage set and functional without taking up all the space that regular furniture would. The plantings are meant to provide an inward focused courtyard feeling, to selectively screen out direct views of neighbor's windows and blank walls, while also framing views of the East Bay Hills and foreground views of neighbor's 100 foot tall Coast Redwoods. I chose to do this with subtropical trees and palms from around the world that would evoke a subtle South American mood, hopefully relating back to my client's native Venezuelan home. Although my client would say the garden resembles nothing one would ever see in Caracas... The only plants that do directly relate to tropical Venezuela are the Black Taro, Heliconias and various bromeliads and palms, although none of these particular species of plants are actually native to Venezuela. As to Nandina's imaginary exercises regarding unknown clients and their tastes, and whether one needs to know a client well or personally to truly design an inspired garden, I would have to say I beg to differ. It does make a huge difference to me in designing for someone I actually know well, and I am able to use symbolism and cultural references in ways that I couldn't for clients that I don't know as well. The smaller design details are often specific to particular clients, as in designing a garden of visual beauty to provide a decompression zone for a hearing impaired client, as well as a perfect ledge to sit and contemplate the goldfish, or provide nooks to sit and converse for large or small groups, with both sun and shade to suit individual preferences and time of year.

My brother who lives in Canada dropped by yesterday with his young teenagers to visit. After dinner, it was cool enough to go out in the yard, to admire the garden. I took the kids over to the "white garden" where we watched Datura inoxoides open up before our eyes, while carpenter bees buzzed impatiently waiting for the flowers to open. We discussed the implications of the decreasing honey bee populations, U.C.D.'s role in investigating the decline, the increasing importance of solitary bees, the narcotic qualities of the Datura plants, looked and smelled the many species of Nicotiana flowers that were expanding open and releasing their fragrance, examined the long tubes on all the night bloomers, adapted for moth pollination... The kids were fascinated by the whole thing going on before their eyes. As we went back inside, they were enthusing how cool plants were, and I hope I may have encouraged the start of a new generation of gardeners or budding plant scientists. There's a wealth of fascinating information that ties into the simple pleasures of tending a flower garden, and it's a joy to introduce the young to this fact.

Thanks for many great ideas. I prepared a draft plan for the owner of the nursery. I limited the display area to three different but similar theme gardens. I agree the low mainatence is a good place to start. I too get many requests for LM plant designs. I used conifers and some grases, with a small round patio, to display some of the stores nice wooden furniture. The other two areas will include an area with more color, some wooden structures and vertical elements like pergolas. This will be a place to showcase some special annuals or some more intense colors. The last area is more like a back yard area with a place to sit and maybe some native of less formal plantings. The nursery manager and the Perennial Manager provided me with a list of plants that they would like to showcase and still have plenty of inventory through out the year. I was not crazy about the idea of having customers being able to remove or shop from the garden. Although I did suggest that this area may be constantly changing (every few years) depending on what worked and what didn't. There is a small path that winds through each area, so that it does not look like a large perennial bed. Also I will repeat some perennials through out to tie everything together. Thanks again for all your help - there was many great ideas.

The Botany of Desire and Second Nature both by Michael Pollan are excellent. The Truth About Garden Remedies Jeff Gilman A scientific but readable analysis of home-brewed concoctions -- very helpful. The American Woodland Garden Rick Darke Gorgeous photography. The Intimate Garden Gordon and Mary Hayward And enviable -- this book is full of before and after pics. I especially like the weeds left in the grass areas, lawns are so boring. And speak of the devil, American Green:The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn Ted Steinberg Details the brainwashing of homeowners by lawn care companies. The Wild Gardener Peter Loewer History, literature, botany and practical advice in brief essays -- excellent reference. Color For Adventurous Gardeners The Late, Great Sir Christopher Lloyd Alas, I haven't made it to Great Dixter yet. I hope the Trust is able to maintain the property. In general, I go for text over pictures. When I browse garden books, if it has a full glossy of marigolds, I put it back on the shelf. I think that the best way to develop a gardener's eye is to visit gardens, take lots of your own pictures of things you find pleasing, and then figure out why you are drawn to the scene. Hayward's book and anything by Piet Oudolf are excellent guides to learning this process.