Small-Space Garden Makes Every Inch Count

1,250 Sq Ft Transformed into Intimate Rooms

Maureen Cornelia and Peter Sheremeta's San Jose garden was hot, unappealing brick patio hemmed by whitewashed walls. Designer Cynthia Hayes painted the house putty and the studio dark green to blend with landscape, then added arbors, seat walls, planters, and varied paving (gravel, flagstone, reused brick) to create separate rooms and vistas. Plants chosen for all-seasons appeal: pink angel's trumpet as focal point, bamboo, Japanese ferns, lamium, loropetalum, nandina for foliage and texture. Jurors praised the efficient use of space.