Garden Designs by Penny Lane

310-739-8762




From cottages to mansions, English potted gardens, custom lighting and water designs, I design gardens to reflect your life style and the architecture of your home. Initial consultation will include environmental evaluation, soil and drainage tests. Serving the Beverly Hills and Westside area of Los Angeles. Also Tarpon Springs, Pinellas County, Florida.


Welcome to the enchanted gardens of Penny Lane. Pictured here is a sun trenched California garden. It was designed for color impact and includes a summer seed garden of Cosmos, Zinias, Stock, Delfinium and Marigolds. They are bordered by mounds of impatiens plants, long stem rose trees and Petunias. This combination of planting seems to attract rare butterflies and humming birds.






This Spanish bunk house was named "casita de las suenos" (little house of dreams) by the original owner in 1932. The rear deck includes a terra cotta potted garden of Geraniums, ficas trees, bordered by impatiens, citrus trees and potted herbs for a kitchen garden. A built in wooden bench surrounds an old magnolia which grew through the deck. A cozy place to entertain or just take time to dream.The bark basket centerpiece above, was arranged for an intimate luncheon in the garden. It is filled with flowers from seed and by the way... they are referred to as "cut and come again". The more you cut, the more will grow.







This New York vintage colonial was bordered by day lillies.



In the rear of the property this planting continued in a Serpentine design to create a roundness to the space and to highlight the fountain in the center.










Tulip bulbs were laid in to all planting beds and borders for early spring showing and seeded with summer flowers as the bulbs died out. A large fish pond was centered in the rear of the property. The fish were relocated in the fall to afford the children a skating pond in winter.









Back to the coast....





This charming cottage was appropriately named "Sans Souci" {care free} and built by Walt Disney in the late 1930's. It was nestled in the canyons of Beverly Hills. The white picket fence surrounded a formal rose garden. A seasonal hedge of crimson cameleas bordered the front of the house for winter color and crawling geraniums in window boxes yielded color all year long. Cant you just imagine the seven dwarfs peeking out the window?



Penny's Gardening Tip #1. Seed gardens are for patient people, no instant gratification here folks! However, their rewards can be annual. A garden cutting can be hung upside down to dry, lending decoration to a country kitchen and/or mudroom. In the fall, allow the last blooms to die out on the plant. When the centers turn to seed and become dark brown in color pick the seeds and repackage for next year. A project for the whole family and your children will learn the natural evolution of nature. {remember these seeds are only good for one more season} Place the seeds in a brown paper bag, don't forget to mark their names and store in a cool dark place, not the refrig.. Let them sleep. They also make great holiday gifts for friends and family, brightly wrapped in fabric and bows. A very personal gift from your garden to theirs.

Penny's Gardening Tip #2. Soil should be mulched and/or replaced before each seasonal planting in any zone. However, in warm weather climates, plant herbs to sweeten the soil during the winter season. They can be removed when you begin to seed or plant for summer and placed in pots/containers for a kitchen garden. Herbs are hearty. You might be able to repeat this process every year if you carefully guard the root systems during transplant.








Penny's Gardening Tip #3 Planting beds in snow climates, should be allowed to rest in winter, boring though it might be. Lime the beds in the fall leaving some fallen leaves in the beds, which will become a natural compost for spring planting. If you absolutely have to see some color out there, install some decorative kale and cabbage plants before the first snow fall. They are happy campers in the snow. These plants combined with cyclamen, begonias, and poinsettias are a wonderful holiday bed plan for the west coast as well.

Penny's Gardening Tip #4 Plants that have outgrown their pots become root bound and need more frequent watering. When that occurs, it time to re-pot in a larger container or put them in the ground.

Penny's Gardening Tip #5 Mist from sprinklers head condense, forming a thin white net on shrubs and trees. When it dries, it becomes a natural breeding place for white fly and other insects. White fly can get out of hand left unattended and literally take over your entire property. At this point you are in deep compost! Solutions? Of course. Take the hose and power wash these areas at least once a week, paying special attention to those nests. Shoot the hose spray deep into the branches. When it falls it becomes ground water. If you cant get it under control, your only option is chemical spray. Volk oil spray is effective. Apply as directed on dry foliage. I prefer to keep my gardens chemical free so---get out that hose and wash down your environment. You will improve the quality of the air and the trees will thank you for it. Don't worry those bugs will find another home, they are resourceful.




Some random useful information. (a) For a balance in nature, your garden should include wind chimes, or music, feeders to attract birds who will pollinate, and the gentle rippling sound of water. (b) Annual or bi-annual deep root feeding of your property will stabilize older mature shrubs and trees by strengthening the roots systems. (c) Planting too close to the sprinkler heads of an automatic irrigation system can rot out your shallow rooted plants and flowers. Your lawn and shrubs may need more daily watering than your flower beds do. That is why it is best to design your bed plans first then plan your irrigation system around them. However, nothing beats hand watering for maximum control. I've raised it to an art form!





Did you know...Tall sun loving plantings 4-6ft. such as sunflowers are fairly shallow rooted and need to be situated in areas that have at least three light exposures, east, south and west. If they have only two exposures, they will lean toward one of the exposures. Remember, they are top-heavy when they are in full bloom, and you will have to stake them as they grow, which will disturb the design you have created. So, plan your beds with as much surrounding light as possible. What can we say about clay in your soil? The quick fix is to move! But---before you hang the FOR SALE sign out, try mixing CLAYBUSTER by Whitney Farms in your soil, it will take you through the season. Flowers grow by moonlight. They hate to be watched so...for their sake...if you cant sleep please stay out of the garden. :grin:







A work in progress: The landscaping of this condo complex in Marina del Rey, CA, was in need of balance and symmetry. The homeowners asked me to create some beauty in "their front yard". I extended the beds in a serpentine pattern and planted a backdrop in tones of pale yellow, pale pink and white. Seasonal colors will be plugged in between the white iceberg roses, pink, white, and yellow brugmansia trees, pink camellias, hydrangeas, cliva, blue agapanthas, lace and leather ferns bordered by white impatiens. Rows of red impatiens frame the steps which lead to the red front doors of each unit. The canary island pine trees will be trimmed up 5-6 feet during the coldest months of fall or winter in order to lend the direct sunlight to the beds and turf. ** (trimming these pines during warm weather will attract a beetle infestation and could die out within a month. So wait for that cold snap). After the new year the exterior of the building was painted as you can see in the photo below. To see more detailed images of the gardens of Villa Imperia, click the "Gallery" link at the bottom of this page.






Thank you for visiting my website, and oh by the way, I also design Christmas decor for residences. You may call me for a consultation on both gardens and holiday decor.





Peace and Happiness always, Penny Lane (310) 739-8762

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