Once a year, the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program offers visitors public glimpses of very special private gardens. Among them this year is Sun Acres, an acre-plus in Los Altos, originally designed by Rosalind Creasy and now under the watchful eye of Maureen Decombe.
The home sits on more than an acre, but the grounds on tour were actually acquired long after the home was built. When the owners heard the land behind them was being subdivided, they acquired the adjoining property and devoted it entirely to the garden. One enters down a cul de sac, up a short driveway that’s been planted with low-maintenance natives that segue via burgundy, chartreuse and purples into the main garden.
In the mid-1990s, Rosalind Creasy designed the bones of the garden, with its gazebo, raised beds, trellises, brick patio and cobblestone edgings. Her design introduced redwood trees in the corners, says head gardener Julia Konye. Konye calls it “definitely more English-like, free-flowing, but with symmetry.”
Decombe, who interned with Creasy about 10 years ago, at first maintained the garden, but now deals with the evolving design as well. Konye says a crew of four spends at least two days a week working on the garden. She prepares a monthly task list, to make sure everything stays in tip-top shape.
At the center is a large gazebo surrounded by 12 raised beds that radiate from the center. Ten of the beds are devoted to edibles, with a little color on the edges. Two beds are filled with flowers appropriate for the five cut-flower arrangements created every week.
In early May, the beds were filled with lettuce and spinach, tomatoes, beans, small peppers, leeks, onions, peas on the arches and radishes — a favorite of the owner.
The ornamental color beds are devoted to mostly heirloom roses — including Diana Princess of Wales, William Shakespeare and other fragrant double roses. Sometimes melons are planted among the roses, because there simply wasn’t enough room in the other 10 beds, Konye says.
Recently, some new, higher trellises were constructed in the middle of the garden, with an old grapevine intertwined. Soon the kiwi will be tall enough to be trained onto the trellis. White benches with backs encourage visitors to sit and enjoy the riot of color.
“Everything around the gazebo is a color area,” Konye says, pointing to the tall foxgloves that are replanted every two years.
Plants appear to thrive in every nook and cranny of Sun Acres. “I’ve heard potatoes don’t grow here, but they’ve been awesome,” she says. Even peonies, which tend to do better on the East Coast where the weather is cooler at night, are coping very well.
The only real problem encountered so far is squirrels.
“We try to practice organic methods,” she says, but even the hot-pepper wax spray didn’t keep out the squirrels for long. This year they’re building a metal pumpkin cage because the critters chewed through the old wooden ones.
“Squirrels love everything,” she says, including melons, tomatoes and gourds. This year she’s wrapping netting around each gourd to protect them.
To keep out insects, the crew sprays with Safer soap. “We’re proactive. We’ll wipe them down or hose them off,” Konye says, rather than using toxic sprays.
Recent additions to the garden include posts with copper wire strung between them, so apple and pear trees can be espaliered, as well as raspberries. The lawn used to be a volleyball court, but now looks like the perfect setting for an outdoor wedding. In back is a bed of wildflowers, including red “legion of honor” and orange California poppies. A long bed at the side was recently filled with thousands of tulips; soon the bed will contain mounds of pumpkins — at least 20 varieties, which the owners use to make chutney or simply share with friends.
Well-screened and hidden are the basics for keeping such an ambitious garden thriving, from the irrigation pump to the compost heap.
Two other local gardens are open on May 19:
* Eclectic Estate Garden, Los Altos Hills — a one-acre garden renovated and replanted in 2006 by landscape architect Jarrod Baumann. The garden includes several rooms, including the Balinese Black Bamboo Garden, the Black and White Labyrinth, the New Zealand succulent garden and a redwood allee linking the gardens.
* The Smith Garden, Los Altos Hills — a historical garden updated in the 1990s by garden designer Mary Kaye and in 2006 by garden designer Laurie Callaway. Old World grandeur presides, from its wrought-iron gates to the grand oak. Multiple “rooms” abound: a Children’s Garden with a tree house, a Woodland Walk leading to the pool, a pool area with seating around a fireplace, a parterre garden and an outdoor dining room.
RESOURCES:
Landscape designer/maintenance: Maureen Decombe, Green Willow Gardens, Pt. Richmond, (510) 962-4456, www.greenwillowgardens.com
INFORMATION:
What: Garden Conservancy Open Days
When: Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Begin at any garden listed in the directory. You can pick up a copy of the directory at 12791 Normandy Lane, Los Altos Hills.
Cost: $5 per garden, plus $5 for the directory
Info: www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays
