One of the secrets of making a garden inviting is to create mystery by dividing the space up into smaller, room-sized areas. That way, several advantages accrue. First, the spaces are more in scale with what makes people feel comfortable.

Second, one has a "sequential" experience of the garden, with features and areas revealing themselves one at a time as pleasant surprises as one moves through the garden. Mystery is created by pathways that disappear invitingly behind hedges, by small bits of fencing or walls that conceal and then reveal parts of the garden, by fountains hidden behind shrubbery. Also, a divided garden creates private areas for different uses at different times of the day or different seasons; some of these areas can even be "secret gardens" within the garden.

The psychological trick of dividing up the space creates delight in the unexpected. This can be done even on a small property, and in fact the subdivision of a small space in this way actually makes it seem much larger.

This small back yard was a derelict flower and vegetable garden with a decaying railroad tie retaining wall and a threadbare lawn. It had served no purpose in many years, and the owners never even opened the drapes because the unsightly appearance was just too much to bear.

We stripped away the remains of the old landscaping and replaced it with a series of low adobe retaining walls, new salt-finished concrete raised patio and paths, flagstone walkways with ground covers growing in the cracks, several redwood fences of different heights and widths, a small fountain selected by the owner, a low-voltage lighting system done by the owner (who's in the electrical supply business), and a wide array of trees, shrubs, perennials, roses, vines and ground covers.

Plants include Mayten tree, 'Forest Pansy' redbud, Bearss lime, Meyer lemon, Mexican weeping bamboo, mock orange, Italian buckthorn, sweet olive, Cape fuchsia, roses, Kahili ginger, 'Tuscan Blue' rosemary, assorted salvias, Neomerica, burgundy New Zealand flax, Dracaena, Juncus 'Oaxaca', bearded Iris, Liriope 'Silver Dragon', 'Roger's Red' wild grape, red trumpet vine, Boston ivy, Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister', plumbago, catmint, Artemisia 'David's Choice', blanket flower, yarrow, lamb's ears, goldenrod, Shasta daisy, Penstemon, Canterbury bells, Alstroemeria, Artemisia 'Powis Castle', 'Provence' lavender, Euphorbia 'Cherokee', Silene maritima, 'Dark Night' spiraea, Coreopsis, Santa Barbara daisy, wild strawberry, storksbill, sunrose, Mexican sage, assorted Carexes, creeping thyme, and blue star creeper.

Now that the space has been reclaimed and outfitted with some useful areas, the owners make frequent use of it. It doesn't just look good; it's a place to dine, relax, stroll, entertain, meditate, putter, nap and enjoy. The view is a lot better from inside, too!