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Best By Government Test is a play on Redwood City's century-old slogan "Climate Best by Government Test".  Indeed, the garden itself is perfectly suited to the microclimate of this section of the town, closer to the Bay than the hills with less frost risk for the Agave attentuatae that frame the keyhole walk-up for neighbors to visit when the patio is occupied by the delightful owners of this festive home.  Drought-tolerant plants dominate the space, only a Japanese maple and hydrangea near the shaded front entrance asking for more than the natural rainfall's water, once established. 

What the pictures don't show well is the mounding style ala the famous Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek.  Flat-ground gardens have their place, yet the undulating "canvas" here supports a natural feel and creates more possibilities, such as dangling trailing plants, semi-privacy for the front patio, hide and reveal effect for the passerby, and wonder for the many neighborhood children amid the feel of miniaturized mountains and lichen-spotted, eroding boulders.

Best By Government Test also serves as a pollinator garden, offering blooms in all seasons of the year and delight for the observer's eyes and ears.  Strategically placed in front of the main windows is Asclepias speciosa, the monarch-attracting milkweed so they can be enjoyed from inside, often with a view just inches away.  Even as we were installing, hummingbirds, dragonfliers, several species of butterflies, and other aerial acrobats started to show up, delighted by the new attractions and the fountain offering cooling slurps of water through hot Summer days.

Given the inviting pathway and patio with firepit bordered by horizontally trained jasmine and lavenders, the homeowners can now joyfully host friends and neighbors as they've been wanting to for years, amid a rainbow of enchanting visuals and olfactory-pleasing flowery breezes.  City Council certified as best?  Not officially so, but they are not the audience that matters here.  In all, the whole neighborhood wins with Best By Government Test, wondrous on a walk-by or as the any-seasons setting for holiday displays and gatherings.  

C.Y.

La Rosa Nostra is a symbol of the Ukrainian people's desire for peace. Pre-installation, it was overrun with unwanted invaders, as was the homeland of its owners. The now thriving gardenette is a statement that, ultimately, Love triumphs over violence and peace will be ours, but it is to be gained, not given.  

Occupying a secretive corner of this beautiful Italian Renaissance Revival home, La Rosa Nostra both calms and delights its visitors with a gradient show of whites to pinks to oranges to reds to a pop of purple provided by the potted tree rose. This "rose rainbow" will become more grand as each rose matures, including pink and white Eden climbers that will cover the trellises. 

Nearly completely wind-protected, the nine robust bushes breath from their petals a bouquet of fragrance that lingers in the space, providing a natural aromatherapy for human and animal visitors alike.  Moreover, each carefully selected cultivar is bred to be a profuse bloomer for decades to come.  This means the owners of La Rosa Nostra needn't buy cut roses, will easily have enough to place a small bouquet in every room of their home through 6-8 months of the year, and freely give bouquets as gifts - for the next 30 years.  

Who wins in the end, Mr. President of Russia?  He's chosen to be a thorn, but in the long run nobody remembers a prick.  Love, consistent care, exchange of minerals using mycorrhizal networks - our devotional love and Mother Mycelium working in concert, the roses flourish.  Therefore, inevitably, La Rosa Nostra is also a victory garden.