STYLE : GARDENS : Striking Gold

Ann James was ready for a new garden, one decidedly “more California” than her last. She had grown a pretty Victorian-style embroidery of pink and lavender at her last house, but it guzzled pricey Santa Barbara water. And besides, she confesses, “I was tired of soft, sweet colors.” Her new garden would be bolder, brighter and drought-resistant, with more space for outdoor living. To that end, James, an interior designer, installed French doors in every room of her new home and walled off the garden from the street.

From there, she called in Santa Monica designer Nancy Goslee Power and architect Brian Tischenor, who took a cue from two rows of mature citrus trees on the property. Choosing lemon- and orange-colored flowers, Power designed what she calls a “simple but intricate” garden. The plan is plain enough--a series of garden rooms connected by short paths. But there is nothing plain about the plantings.

In the front yard are two of the garden rooms. One is cozy, just large enough for a table and chairs. Vines, including Thunbergia alata with its vibrant orange flowers, clamber over the walls. Everything is drought-resistant and drip-irrigated, including a patch of purple bearded iris found in a once-neglected corner. A hedge of rosemary separates this room from the grander courtyard garden and its pool and splashing frog.

In the larger space, billowy gray Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, helichrysum and peppermint-scented Pelargonium tomentosum cushion a garden bench. ‘Petite Salmon’ dwarf oleanders grow near the front door, next to the soft yellow of a phlomis fruticosa and peach-colored daturas. Plants even sprout from the decomposed granite paths, and gloriosa daisies provide dabs of yellow and gold in the gray and deep green foliage. Colorful and appropriately planted, this garden is not just “more California,” it is completely California.