Inspired Gardening

I joke that my back yard is a desert. Actually, until recently that wasn't true. It was a field of weeds.

I've mentioned I want to plant a tree. I aspire to planting ground cover one day. But a garden, lush with native plants, populated with objets d'art and a shady pergola, that's--that's--well, I haven't thought that far ahead.

Last weekend I was visiting Kat Likkel, the owner of the fantasy garden pictured above, when the Pacific Horticultural Society tour came through (yes, they were expected). They came for ideas, learning and inspiration.

Mayita Dinos, the designer behind Kat's space and Pasadena's beloved Arlington Garden, spoke to the group about the garden's creation and told them (modestly, yet truthfully) that she didn't do it alone. She had the help of Horticulturist Shayne Naudi as well as that of Marco Barrantes of La Loma Development, who did the fountains and stone work. And of course Kat and her husband have added personal touches throughout the grounds. It's a group effort, a collaboration, an ensemble piece in which even the home's previous owner participates through the things he left behind.

Here's Kat (facing us), answering questions. (You've met Kat over at Pasadena, 91105 and Beyond.) That's Shayne Naudi on the right. Hats were necessary. The sun was on a rampage that day.

Kat says, "Sometimes I pinch myself because I think it can't be real that I stumbled into such a nest of super-talented people, and have ended up with the garden of my dreams. They've not only been the people who helped create the garden, they've become really good friends..."

The other day I finished weeding the back yard. There's nothing out there now but dirt. It's a blank canvas.

I am inspired.