By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer
Like most garden writers, I am a plant geek. So it has taken me a very long time to accept that gardens don't have to contain a hundred different species to be appealing. And even longer to recognize how important the non-plant elements are to the success of a garden. Examples like the one shown below, which is on page 36 of our January issue in the Southwest and Southern California editions, though, are a constant reminder.
The contrast between the charcoal-colored walls that enclose the garden and the peach-colored structure that hides the pool equipment are as important as the plants. And the metallic gleam of the side entrance gate is as important a focal point as the blooms of the Western redbud. Don't believe me? Take a look at the before.
Renovation by Troy Bankord, a Phoenix garden designer. We showed the before and after versions of the front yard of this house in a post last month. Take a peek.
