A landscape architect in Woodridge, Illinois, proves that gardeners can create spectacular scenery in small suburban spaces. His tips are sure to inspire you to get outside and experiment.

By Betty Earl, photographs by Bob Stefko.

Spring Flowers

(Originally Published March/April 2007)

GARDENERS DREAM OF SPRING, envisioning bright tulips gleaming in the sun, luminous bluebells flowing like rivers and frothy-pink blossoms floating overhead.

That image is the ideal, yet it's surprisingly rare to see that kind of orchestrated color in one fairly small spot. And it's probably why Richard Miyazaki's quarter-acre lot in Woodridge, Illinois (30 miles west of Chicago), draws so much attention when it bursts into bloom each spring. Children gawk on their way home from a nearby school, and traffic slows, so drivers can take a look.

"Richard is creative with space, cramming in a wide range of plants in a tiny area," says garden lecturer Nancy Carroll of Naperville, who makes a point of stopping by Richard's garden a few times every year. "What appeals to me most is that he thinks out every inch of the garden."

Richard was only 12 when his family moved into the house, and he began tinkering with the yard, which included a few sad-looking shrubs and a scraggly lawn.

Now, 32 years later, Richard has transformed the yard, with the benefit of a horticulture degree and experience as co-owner of the landscape firm Stonewood Design Group in northwest-suburban Barrington. He added meandering pathways of lawn or stone, plus beds overflowing with color: clouds of white and pink dogwoods; azaleas in reds, pinks and oranges; plus bulbs, peonies, ferns and other early bloomers.

By sectioning the yard into smaller spaces, "I was able to achieve one of my primary goals—creating the illusion of a larger garden," Richard says.

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