the garden is approx. 8' x 25' with fine sandy soil typical of this area, water resistant/ no water retention, needing extensive amending with sharp sand, compost & mulch. the climate here is strongly influenced by the marine. 18" planting beds around a 6'x8' rectangle of salvaged paving, the gaps filled with potting soil and planted with creeping thymes & corsican mint. a shed makes the northern boundary and is fronted by lavender trumpet vine, blue hydrangea, purple striated petunia, violets, cupid's dart, with magenta dianthus, dark blue lobelia, white alyssum, yellow and blue viola, and sweet woodruff as ground cover. rounding the corner, backed by a redwood fence are 'chocolate mint' and lemon/rose scented geraniums with cream roses, abutilons in clear yellow with white button mums and blue penstemons under planted with petunias, dianthus, violas, lobelia, iris, varigated, peppermint and martha washington geraniums in a miniature purple and white form and a deep maroon red, ending with pink gaura, various lavenders and flowering sage in the drier southern side of the garden. a salvaged bread rack topped by a bark bird house & a large pot of blue and yellow creepers and an herb garden growing in pots of sweet million and roma tomatoes, bush basil, spike and trailing rosemary, oregano, marjoram and english thyme. allowing clearance for opening of a kennel door is a 4'x5' area with tool and compost storage behind a mid-yard bed about 4' deep with miniature tangerine, meyer lemon and blood orange in large pots, footed by red and blue penstemons, "black and blue" sage, mexican marigold, mauve and purple angelonia, bearded iris, mixed petunias, blue veronicas, lime thyme, purple alyssums, lavenders, 'grosso' and 'alba', blue and purple flowering sages. on the garden's west side against the house is an alchemyst rose, white daisy, iceland poppies and lavenders 'goodwin creek', 'coconut ice', 'twickle purple', 'french', and 'sweet', scented geraniums and a small cecile brunner rose over mixed flowering ground cover lead to a single chair and small pierced metal table holding lobelias and pansies in blue glazed pots. next to these is a bench made from a found iron bedstead with redwood seat with galvanized watering cans stored below. pieces of picket fencing have been turned into tool and plant hangers with the use of cup hooks and cast off metal buckets. topiaried jasmine shade pots of aloe vera, jade plant, hoya, and cacti and the east fence's vertical space is used for collections of abalone shells, wind chimes, eye catchers, and hanging baskets of donkey tail and other succulents. future plans include moving the dog kennel to the backyard to regain an additional 10' for raised vegetable beds and completion of a pathway linking this garden to the rest of the yard.
