Pasadena -- Olin and Ann Barrett Garden, The

This 1.5 acre property is situated on the top of a hill with gardens on three sides of the main house. To the wet, a steep curving driveway lined with tall oleander trees and bordered with a variety of shrubs, plants and mature trees leads to the motor court edged with brick. The crushed granite of the motor court gives way to two "rugs" made of square paving stones interlaced with grass. Box hedges surround lemon trees on both sides of the front door--a theme repeated throughout the gardens. The lap pool in the swimming pool garden is adjoined by two ponds filled with aquatic plants, including papyrus, water lilies and cannas. Shrub borders surround the enclosed pool area. At the west end, a succulent bed with aloes and agaves makes a dramatic statement. A grapevine-covered pergola outside the fence is placed beside a small citrus groves. To the south, surrounded on three sides by the house, is a formal square courtyard garden, a quiet retreat dominated by the sound of water cascading into tiled basins. A stone and brick trellis covered with rose "Shot Silk" forms the fourth side of the square. The loggia on the east side offers shade during the hot summer months.

Persons and organizations associated with the garden include: Bob Ray Offenhauser (architect, 1968) and Mark Bartos (landscape architect, 2001-2005).