STYLE: GARDENS : A Moveable Treat

This tiny patio garden behind a rented cottage in Brentwood appears well-established and permanent, but look again. Owner Ariel Ray has planted all the flowers and foliage in containers so that they, like she, can be packed and ready to move at a moment’s notice.

Ray, a counselor for prospective dog owners, has assembled more than 300 pots of shade-tolerant plants, including the vines stephanotis and mandevilla. She placed baby’s tears and other ground covers in shallow containers to hide the bases of pots behind them. Pots of various heights produce a tiered effect, with each row camouflaging the next.

While fuchsias fell prey to the fuchsia mite, the dainty, lesser-known streptocarpus fared better. Other unusual standouts are the bleeding heart, tuberous begonias, ‘Palace Purple’ coral bells, mimulus, balsam, vancouveria, lamium and astilbe. Some of these are not supposed to grow well in Southern California but seem to thrive in a rich potting mix Ray found through a mail-order catalogue.

Still, Ray hesitates to take all the credit for her colorful garden. She covered most of the small patio (less than 12 square feet) with pots but left the center for her secret helpers. “If you make room for the fairies to dance,” she says, “they’ll take care of your garden.”