Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Ann Atkinson is more than happy to wake up and smell the roses.

Deerly Beloved

Gardens run gamut from those that discourage deer to those that prefer the bronze variety

By Mary Ann Cook

Some 1,000 ticket-holders are expected to stream through the five gardens of the St. Luke's Spring Garden Tour May 16 from 1 to 4 p.m., and variety is the keynote. Gardens selected for this second annual fundraiser for St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Los Gatos run the gamut of outdoor splendor.

From the sophisticated symmetry of the Dennise and Peter Carter home to the au naturel setting at Joanne and Allen Geggatt's, from the wide and curving panorama of color at the Barbara and Mark Beck home to the welcoming simplicity of the white picket fence laced with white roses at Ann and Tom Atkinson's--the array covers the gardening spectrum.

All locations are in Los Gatos except for the Geggatt house. The Geggatts command an impressive view, up a hill at 15461 Madrone Hill Road in Saratoga, nestled next to Montalvo's grounds. Indeed, Sen. James Phelan himself once said to the original owners, "My Gad, Gove, you've got the view!"

Present owner Joanne Geggatt is a botanist, active in the California Native Plant Society and a Master Gardener (certified by the UC Extension Service), so it comes as no surprise that she's the gardener in the family. No surprise, either, that most of their 123 acres are covered in native and drought-resistant plants.

Keeping the squirrels, chipmunks and birds fed and the deer discouraged from eating anything is this gardener's main concern. She prefaces many of the plants she names with the words "The deer won't eat this; they don't like this one--usually."

Although this year they surprised her: deer ate the agapanthas next to the road for the first time in the 15 years they've been planted there. "Why'd you trim your agapanthas?" friends ask.

"I didn't," she replies. "The deer did."

"Keeping the deer happy" so they don't destroy her handiwork is a constant occupation--nothing seasonal about it. Some plants the deer generally eschew and don't chew are fremontia, lavenders, rock rose, salvia, ceanothus, wild iris, wild strawberries and California sage. Many on this list she grew from slips.

But just because deer don't dine there doesn't mean they don't live close at hand: They often nestle under the Geggatts' front deck.

Besides being a botanist, Joanne minored in entomology. Consequently, she rarely sprays, relying instead on insect cultivation to maintain the balance in the garden. The flowering gooseberry and the California fuschia are particular favorites of hummingbirds, and she deliberately has no hummingbird feeders.

The robins and cedar waxwings are drawn to the toyon, the Christmas berry bush. To attract butterflies, she planted a westringia, whose common name is, naturally, butterfly bush. An extensive herb garden includes pineapple sage, along with culinary herbs, which find their way into salads.

At Christmastime this gardener hangs lights on the citrus planted in pots outside the house to keep them from freezing. So far it's worked. Another enthusiasm of Joanne's is the Youth Science Institute, where she shares her joy in nature's bounty with youngsters.

She brings samples from her garden, such as the soap plant, a member of the lily family, to illustrate how Native Americans and pioneers made use of plants. Those early Californians used the plant for soap but also cooked and ate the bulb, much as we eat potatoes. The fibers were used for brushes, and when cooked down, the plant was used for glue for arrows.

Another home gardener on the St. Luke's tour is Ann Atkinson at 75 Alpine Ave., who does her own design and planting with some help from a gardener and other consultants. "It's such a satisfying sport," she says about her enthusiasm for loam and landscape. "I wanted an old-fashioned feel."

When the '89 quake caved in part of the Atkinsons' Victorian, the entire structure had to be lifted and bolted down to a new foundation. Ann Atkinson weathered the quake quite well emotionally, immediately lining up workers and continuing life in the back section.

But when the English elm in the front of the house gave way, she was reduced to tears. The tree's fall knocked out power up and down Alpine and happened, ironically enough, while the Atkinsons were hosting a dinner party to thank friends for all their help during the Atkinson post-quake repair. "I knew the house could be fixed, but how could I replace that magnificent tree?"

In its stead now is a pistachio tree. An arbor in the front yard, covered with flowering pink jasmine, marks the entrance to side and back yards. "This is the most luxuriant it's ever looked," Ann says, adding that her daughter, Amy, intends to hold her wedding in the yard when the appropriate time comes.

In the back yard there is a pool and such an expanse of decking that the Atkinsons have accommodated as many as 80 people, seated at eight separate tables. A dining nook at the rear of the decking is where the Atkinsons dine in good weather.

White benches scattered throughout invite a relaxed view of the surroundings. The land slopes down to a creek, which flows in winter. Downstream a few hundred yards was the town swimming pool until Highway 17 intervened.

A third tour stop, the Carter home at 45 Broadway, is well situated for entertaining, too, with a more formal feel. "We think of it as manicured, not formal," says Dennise Carter. Sculptured hedges, topiaries and roses abound, blooming pink, yellow and salmon, with red camellias in the background. "We love roses and impatiens--good color and long blooming seasons," Dennise adds.

A brick walk, wooden patios on different levels, an abundance of potted plants--all inviting repose. No wonder Dennise says, "We consider the garden an extension of the house and spend a lot of our life outside. The patio is set up with several different eating areas." A cement pig and rabbits survey the side yard, as does a metal art piece-- two Picasso-like figures intertwined--mounted on the fence. A greenhouse serves as "an indoor treat for guests," just beyond the guest room, and as a holding place for orchids between blooms, among other functions.

The Carters do their own gardening, except for mowing and some trimming. "We do all the topiary," training ivy into cone shapes and three-tiered forms, and branching out to create ivy birds and animals.

And here's a fourth eyeful: Mark and Barbara Beck's spread at 60 Ellenwood. "We just wanted a beautiful garden, a park-like setting for our kids," says Mark Beck about their sweeping vista. They've owned the house for 212 years and believe their renovations have brought a softening, more inviting air to the property. "We wanted a place that was peaceful, serene."

Unlike the Geggatts' deer, the deer on the Becks' lawn are bronze. They don't disturb the curved garden beds of purples and yellows--iris, pelargoniums, pansies--plus Icelandic poppies in oranges, yellow and salmon. In the back are shade-loving plants, a swimming pool and rhododendrons in full red splendor. Beyond the pool and rhodies and on a lower level are a children's playhouse and tennis court.

The fifth garden for oohing and ahing over is St. Luke's at 20 University Ave., where the patio covering is resplendent with purple wisteria. Shade-loving plants abound; a statue of St. Francis stands partly submerged in the lushness of red azaleas. A salad-sampler luncheon will be served here, and a boutique will offer garden gifts for sale.

Page Flory heads the luncheon committee, and Stephen and Julie Conway are garden coordinators. Others behind the blossoms are Marilyn Fordham, Bernie and Nora Findlay, Nancy Brewer and her husband, the Rev. David Brewer, pastor at St. Luke's.

All proceeds from the tour and boutique benefit the community. Tickets are $15 if purchased ahead, $18 at the sites. Call 376-0609 for more information. To stagger the tours, different routes will be printed on the back of each ticket.

[ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ]