Publication Date: Friday Jun 25, 1999

Water music

"All I knew was that I wanted a water feature. I'd read about ponds and fountains and how tranquil they are," said Ed Parmacek, pointing proudly to the water now trickling over river rocks and into the goldfish pond in the patio behind his Palo Alto house. Two years ago, Parmacek sold the home he and his former wife had owned in Atherton and moved to Palo Alto. He set out to create a new home for himself, purchasing a contemporary bungalow in a small cluster of new houses north of University Avenue. Though it's quite a change from living in Atherton, Parmacek has found in his new home a suburban oasis that has brought out the creative side of his personality.

He does miss the majestic old oak trees he used to have, but he's delighted by the prospect of designing something special in the 400-square-foot space behind his house.

Without a second thought, he called his friend Steve Grimes, of Grimes Natural Landscape in Los Altos, knowing he would be the perfect landscaper for the project. "Ed just lets his imagination go," said Grimes, who says the same about Parmacek.

Parmacek envisioned an oasis, complemented by the look and sound of babbling water, an idea some might not consider for such a small spot. "I tend to overdo it sometimes, but I like it," said Parmacek, showing off the abundance of plants and treasures nestled in his garden patio.

For homes on smaller lots, the problem of creating visual interest and a sense of destination in the garden can be a bit daunting. But at Parmacek's house, visitors can see they have discovered a wonderful place to be. Parmacek planted the front garden himself. "I planted flowers and more flowers and more flowers. I just have fun," he said. A wheelbarrow full of greenery welcomes guests at the front door. Inside are the orchids he's crazy about. But it's the patio garden out back, which Grimes designed with him, that he enjoys most.

Visitors can get a glimpse of the foliage and sand-colored pavers as soon as they walk into his home. Sliding glass doors invite guests to the patio in back.

The space is bordered by the living room, a garage wall to the right and the side of his neighbor's two-story home to the rear. To the left he shares a long wood fence with a large apartment building. It's a location that could be problematic, but it does benefit from having three large trees along the fences that contribute considerably to the sense of privacy.

Grimes built a corner feature of recirculating water running over dark river rocks into a deep goldfish pond. "We wanted it to look like a real pond and be deep enough to keep suburban raccoons from getting to the fish," Grimes said.

The finished design features a miniature waterfall and pond and concrete pavers in a river rock pattern Parmacek chose to "visually extend the creekbed, so it would invite people to come outside," he explained.

Grimes chose miniature plants to surround the pond and provide ground cover next to the pavers. Two kinds of Japanese maples, Photinia trees trained to climb the side fence and spread at the top, and a variety of low-growing plants with delicate flowers and tiny leaves grew quickly to decorate the patio.

"Ed just kept talking about tropical things, free forms and color, so I just threw him a lot of ideas he could choose from," said Grimes. He suggested building a trellis against the patio's back wall, which belongs to a neighbor within the development. The neighbor agreed, and Grimes built a single high trellis next to the waterfall.

The sounds and appearance of water can be the key to bringing tranquility and complexity to a small garden. Parmacek finds the sound of the water reminds him of camping by a river in Yosemite. It mixes with the rustling leaves, twittering birds and other neighborhood sounds nearby, which Parmacek finds soothing and invigorating at the same time. Visually, the play of sunlight or sparkle of moonlight on the splashing water also delights Parmacek. He loves to invite friends to garden soirees, where they can relax while watching the goldfish.

During the landscaping, "Ed was out there every day making suggestions. It's really great to have people participate (in creating the finished garden). I much prefer to have clients around. We can be on a first-name basis, and they often become friends of mine, like Ed did," said Grimes. He added that he feels it's very important to "just listen to people. I really wanted this garden to fit Ed's personality. He's a really happy guy and very funny," qualities evident in the touches Parmacek added after the garden was finished.

Lured by the sound of the trickling water, Parmacek put a cornucopia of potted orchids around the pond. A yellow rubber ducky splashes in the water, and two ivy-covered candle stands, a teapot on a pedestal and sculpted metal birds are placed at random. A silver pinwheel blows in the breeze.

"I spend so much time out here, and I read," he said. "I love to listen to the water and music together. And at night, I turn the lights on, and there are wonderful shadows on the wall," he said, pointing to the trellis wall. "What I like is that it's my own little private space."

This year, the Gamble Spring Garden Tour reflected the variety and popularity of water features. Visitors learned about using water-friendly plants and smoothed boulders to help transform a suburban swimming pool into a mountain lake. They also enjoyed seeing the more formal styles of Mediterranean wall fountains and piazza fountains reminiscent of those found in Italian city squares.

Whether choosing a formal style or a natural look for a water feature, it's important to know that it requires careful planning and maintenance. Otherwise, you may find yourself fending off raccoons, mosquitoes or even great blue herons in search of a swimming snack.

Landscaper Debby Ruskin, whose work was featured on the tour, finds most people like water gardens because they are "psychologically and practically cooling." She suggests placing them where you want people to linger and rest. "That's the mood they create. That's what they are there for," she said. 

Back up to the Table of Contents Page