GARDEN FANATIC: Of garden beds and design review

One of the pleasures of being a gardener is greeting fellow gardeners in town. From the Farmer’s Market to walking Buster and Blondie on the village streets, conversations invariably move directly to the latest control for thrips or exchanging lies on the quantity and quality of cucumbers harvested. It’s not that we’re struck solely by the lure of gardening — the lore is equally important.

To escape from gardening for a moment, I decide to relax by sitting in at a Design Review hearing. After all, a cross section of Lagunans will be in attendance. The board members are amiable and prepared to adjudicate. The audience settles in to hear testimony concerning the merits and evils of development, depending on one’s point of view.

I study the crowd casually — architects earnestly prepping for their five minutes of fame, wives nagging at husbands not to make any more compromises, and neighbors putting on their game faces. My thoughts drift to the inevitable during the break — gardening.

After the rush of spring blooms, it is difficult to maintain color from shrubs, which often become quite drab by the end of August. Enter the bedding plant, the savior for those of us who enjoy the “idea” of flowers and enjoy a splash of color in the garden. From a practical point of view, bedding plants are easy to buy, easy to grow, and are the easiest way to a colorful garden.

By designing your garden with flowers of colors that please you, your garden will be appealing and renewed. There is still plenty of time to include marigolds, zinnias and cosmos. Keep flower beds and containers well-filled and neat by removing spent or dead flowers and foliage, and your entire garden will appear as trim and well-tended as Catharine.

During the upcoming holiday weekend, fertilize and mulch, and weed. Also, water lawns and trees deeply for the anticipated, warm weather. You’ll be glad you did.

Back at Design Review, the pace becomes more frenetic as the last item is introduced by Liane. Both John and Michael suggest the proposed house could be better articulated. Good idea. Ken thinks all of Laguna’s beautiful beaches should have public access. A noble notion. Finally, board chairwoman, Leslie, declares, “I believe that the project is neighborhood compatible.” Her colleagues all concur for once and the audience roars its approval. And yes, board; the entire town is just waiting to love you.

See you next time.

STEVE KAWARATANI is married to writer, Catharine Cooper, and has one cat and four dogs. He can be reached at (949) 497-8168, or e-mail to plantman2@mac.com.