In the side yard, next to a fence she shares with her neighbor, she squeezed in a secret spot to take an outdoor shower.

Because her husband (now ex) was interested in home brewing, she created a little beer garden off the back alley, next to the driveway, with a bar and table seating and a vigorous hops vine that softens the walls and surrounding arbors. Secluded Beer Garden Photo by Dale HorchnerĪfter the wedding, she did just that, toward the front of the house. Shown: At the north end of the house, a grassy path meanders between perennial beds. 'It allows me to exercise the artistic part of my brain.' Before that first perennial garden was done, she was already dreaming about putting in another. 'One project turned into another, and I caught the gardening bug,' says Holly, who delights in the way her outdoor pastime is the polar opposite of her day job as a chemical engineer dealing with hazardous-waste cleanup. One Perennial Garden Turns into Another Photo by Dale Horchner Shown: Holly and her mother and gardening partner, Sandy Fliniau, relax on the daybed along with Holly's Bernese mountain dog, Sophie. So Holly's mother, Sandy, came to help put in a large perennial garden with a brick path at the rear of the side yard closest to the street. But the leftover lawn and vegetable gardens of the previous owners didn't quite suffice for a lovely outdoor ceremony. Then she decided to have her upcoming wedding in her garden. Her next project was the picket fence alongside one sidewalk. She installed brick paving along one side of the house and at the back, and built a roof over one end so that she could put a table and chairs underneath. Help from a Mother's Green Thumb Photo by Dale HorchnerĪt first, Holly's main goal was just to create a little privacy and an outdoor dining area. Shown: Salvaged and new porch posts painted with the same colors support an arch and trellises along the garden's street side. And generous plantings on both sides of the sidewalks give neighbors plenty to enjoy as they walk by on their way to the neighborhood park. Vine-covered fences and arbors shield various seating areas from the streets and the alley but don't come across as unfriendly walls. She created a series of 'rooms' that flow into one another and yet each have a distinct sense of place. She didn't really have a plan when she started landscaping the property, but what evolved could be a textbook example of good garden design.

Holly Fliniau knows, because that's exactly the situation she faced when she moved into this Denver home, in 1993.

On a corner lot in the city, with an alley running along the back, it can be quite a challenge to create private outdoor space. Garden Paradise Made Photo by Dale Horchner

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