color your garden

LIFE IS A gAME

Why not incorporate what you love to do in your dream back yard? Games such as volleyball, badminton, croquet and the like are easy to set up, all you need is some space and you are ready to play with no special construction needed. If there is a golfer in your family install a putting green. If you have the room, bocce ball and horseshoes, tennis and even handball can be simple additions. Talk about home court advantage! Then, bring in the kids and a few friends. The games could become a tradition that everyone will look forward to and remember for a lifetime.

LIgHT uP yOur LIFE

All this talk of fresh air reminds me that we need to have lights. I’m not talking about sconces on the back of the house, although these are important. I’m referring to creating a bit of magic; soft, ambient light, that casts shadows on a wall or illuminates the outline of a majestic oak. A globe of luminescence wafting on air just beyond the bend that invites, entices you to explore, revealing perhaps, a clearing where a small bench awaits as if it were all planned. Yes, lighting is magic.

PATIOS, dECKS, PATHWAyS And BEyOnd

The word Patio comes from the Spanish, denoting an inner courtyard. Santa Barbara is famous for its Spanish Colonial revival architecture, whose design revolves around a courtyard, usually with a fountain. Picture a shady spot with murmuring water and the cool feel of tile or stones beneath the feet. The design is simple, elegant and understated. Patios are a way to extend ones living space and can include everything from an outdoor kitchen with fireplace and Bar-B-Q to a simple fountain. Areas for dining, entertaining and just relaxing are all part of the Santa Barbara Lifestyle. Pathways that meander through your garden lend an element of surprise and wonder. Allow them to lead to unseen destinations such as a cozy sitting area, suitable for a tea party, a secret garden or a point from which to view a distant vista. Pathways entice one to

gArdEn WALLS

Garden walls and arches give instant Santa Barbara style. While meandering the streets of our town you’ll find many types of walls. Stacked stone walls, plastered walls with stone caps and walls made of cut stone each make a different kind of statement. Some walls divide a space and some hide what is beyond. many years ago when visiting a home in a small village in mexico, I stood outside on a hot, dusty street, where a non-descript wooden door was set into a whitewashed wall. The door opened onto a shaded courtyard with a central fountain and cool flagstone floors; it was magical.

nATurAL STOnE

for an “old World” feel, nothing compares to natural stone for patios, entries and pathways. When using natural stone, the craftsmanship of installation is as important as the material. Stonemasons have distinct styles and preference is a matter of personal taste. Take a drive around montecito, walk the back streets and byways of downtown Santa Barbara. You’ll see many