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Tomorrow’s Garden


THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME THAN NOW to start a garden. Heirloom catalogs tout tempting novelties such as spotted watermelons and striped tomatoes. Nurseries sell sur- prising new plants. Fresh planting ideas fi ll the blogosphere daily, and the latest technologies help us to manage watering. While it’s diffi cult to predict what tomorrow’s garden will look like, the six words below—which describe today’s Western gardens—offer clues.


Smart We continue to explore sustainability—gardening in har-


mony with nature—by choosing plants that are appropri- ate for the region and site; by using recycled materials where possible; by planting rain gardens (depressions that channel rainwater into the soil); and by avoiding the use of chemicals. We try to rely on compost to feed the soil, plants to attract pollinators, and benefi cial insects to help control pests.


Savvy Gardeners who love plants are learning to combine them


in communities of different species whose colors, tex- tures, and shapes play off one another but go together. These plants take the same conditions and refl ect a sense of place.


Surprising Innovation is pushing aside the old rules of garden


design. No soil to plant? No problem. We’re growing plants everywhere now—on walls, rooftops, tabletops; in strips between driveways; in front yards and urban canyons; even along busy city streets.


Small


As homes grow larger or crowd closer together, gardens get smaller. But that isn’t stopping us from getting inven- tive with the space we have, by playing with illusion.


Edible In most areas, we can eat out of the garden 12 months


of the year. So we fi nd room to plant our own crops, even if that means tucking them between ornamentals in the front yard. We want to taste the full essence of a sun- warmed tomato harvested at its peak. We love unusual varieties like speckled lettuce, ‘Cherokee Purple’ toma- toes, and alpine strawberries—all hard to fi nd in grocery stores because they don’t ship well. We swap ideas and crops with friends.


A sculptural Doryanthes palmeri grows in this planter, rising from a lap pool in Pasadena, California. Globe lights on the wall behind it suggest bubbles rising from the water. Design: Anthony Exter Landscape Design.


Regional


Gardens in greater numbers are embracing the West’s natural landscapes, especially those on the edge of wild- land. Among the plantings that celebrate the West’s true beauty: Vine maples and sword ferns beneath shapely conifers. Meadow grasses fl ecked with wildfl owers in the Rocky Mountains. Sages and ceanothus cloaking sunny California hillsides. Bold cactus, bristly yuccas, and spatter-paint blooms in the desert.


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