Tidy Cottage garden flourishes in small space
SANTA ANA, Calif. — How do you squeeze a lot of garden out of a small space? And more, a space with a seriously steep slope? Make every inch count.
Dana Anderson has been tucking perennials, annuals and roses into window boxes, terraced pots and a tiny patio in Newport Beach, Calif., for more than 28 years.
The front of the property starts with a trim and tidy courtyard garden with topiary shrubs and vines. It's an easy-care entry that complements the English cottage style of the home.
Around back, a narrow patio terraced in two levels is where the Andersons entertain. Instead of one large table, Dana sets a series of bistro tables to accommodate her friends and family.
Then comes the garden proper, all Dana, all up hill, all packed with roses and perennials that are this floral designer's favorites — hellebores, forget-me-nots, small English daisies and 'Bella Portugal' an old-Pasadena rose.
Anderson grew up in San Marino gardening and floral arranging since childhood. As a third-generation floral designer she said, "My mother never had a floral arrangement delivered to her house in her life, they were always made from the garden."
Florals are not a hobby for Anderson, they are a passion. She can find something to use during any season.
"I do demonstrations for clubs and groups, and also decorate homes for the holidays," she said.
Her steep north-facing slope presents its own problems. Shady all winter and mossy, Anderson relies on spring bulbs such as leucojum, narcissus and muscari for her earliest blooms. Violets carpet the entire scene."I don't do tulips because I don't have the refrigerator space to chill them in the winter when I'm entertaining," she said.When the sun finally finds its way to her slope in May, the roses and crab apples pick up.The rose garden is packed tight because the plants are so old. Anderson describes herself as a keeper."In my house everything has a history, meaning or memory. I'm not a pack rat, but I like things with soul."Dana might move her plants, but she doesn't throw them out.The top terrace is where a small lawn and vegetable garden spill out onto the street above. This is where the children played and looked for Easter eggs when they were young, and where a skateboard swing still hangs from a large eucalyptus tree.Dana will be here for the remainder of her days, she said. She's lived in only two houses in her life."Things don't change with me too much. With my garden, what I do, I do with thought, and it will be this for a long, long time."
