Garden Envy: All Gardens Aren't Like Those in Garden Magazines

Garden envy. No, you won't find it in any medical journal, but -- you can bet your favorite hand pruner -- that it exists. Look through any fancy garden magazine or coffee table book on horticulture and all you'll see are awe-inspiring gardens. No telephone poles, trash cans or parked cars. In fact, there's rarely any signs of human life.

The cruel reality is that few of us garden in the uncluttered, idyllic settings shown in garden magazines or books. In the real world, we have to deal with the second-story windows of neighbors, two-story forts/play sets, storage sheds and satellite dishes. I swear, a neighbor has a satellite dish so big that it could pull in programs from Mars.

What to do? Well, you can build a higher fence -- one of those with a 12-inch lattice network on the top. You can also plant a living "wall" of evergreens, such as redwoods, cedars, pittisporums, etc. One of the pitfalls with living privacy screens is that home gardeners sometimes plant specimens that grow too large for a single-family lot. That neat 5-gallon redwood will grow from 8 feet to 35 feet in five years; in 20 years it will be dropping branches all over your yard and your neighbor's.

Of course, most of us don't think about 20 years in the future. But for the sake of any future homebuyer of your house, think about it. A huge tree that is a hazard to your home also surely will mean less value when it comes time to sell your home.

Above all, avoid plantings of Monterey pines, Leylandii cypress and oleanders. All of these common specimens have come under attack locally from new diseases that threaten to wipe them out. And unless you live on a huge lot, stay away from fast growing eucalyptus, whose brittle branches not only make a mess, but can threaten homes if they come down in a storm.

An alternative to planting a living privacy screen is simply to draw attention away from the offender. A gazebo, trellis, bird bath or -- in reference to my strange tastes -- pink plastic flamingos and a fire hydrant -- will draw eyes away from that offending satellite dish/fort/play structure/garden shed. Directing the viewer with judiciously placed paths and benches can also emphasize the attractive parts of your garden.

Don't forget about the power of flowers. An eye-catching island bed of flowers -- wther annual bedding plants, perennials or a backdrop of roses -- will draw attention. Even a single specimen plant, such as a huge hydrangea with deep blue flowers the size of a volleyball or a hanging basket of flowers placed at eye-level in a strategic spot, will do the trick.

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