Photos by Art Holeman A covered living room connected to an alfresco kitchen is one of several areas on this Scottsdale property designed for outdoor entertaining. Sturdy furniture, all-weather fabrics and a fireplace big enough to warm the covered space make it a favorite hangout for the homeowners.

A Home Gardener With a Love of Plants Creates an Outdoor Haven

Kim Carras admits that she is a plant addict. Given that she enjoys experimenting with plants, reads scores of gardening books, participates in a garden club, and has turned her Scottsdale backyard into a family haven, the title seems a natural fit.

Carras also likes studying plants. “I really enjoy determining which ones will perform best and why, and discovering unusual plant combinations,” she remarks. Along with her love of all things botanical, a desire for outdoor entertaining spaces prompted her to design the garden of her dreams. And with help from husband David, she got that and so much more.

“I love to entertain and cook, and I wanted to have space for our three kids and dogs to run and play, as well as secret places tucked throughout the yard,” she explains. The couple moved to the property nine years ago and began transforming the landscape two years later.

They brought in 320,000 pounds of fresh dirt to build a raised bed in the rear of the lot in order to grow citrus and roses. “Good soil that is supplemented with compost is essential to growing healthy plants,” she points out. The mounded area helps with privacy and serves as a focal point.

Along both sides of the backyard, the Carrases planted long hedges of Japanese privet to create living walls of greenery that provide structure and conceal secret gardens. Tall and densely packed, the attractive barriers reveal little of what’s to come. But just a few steps beyond the hedges, visitors enter another world. “I find that creating a doorway will lead people to explore the whole yard,” Carras explains.

Adjacent to the outdoor dining room, red-flowering geraniums and ‘Joseph’s Coat’ climbing roses reveal the gardening skills of homeowner Kim Carras. She augments her beds with fresh soil, compost and chicken manure before planting. And, when it comes to fertilizing her roses, “I do exactly what the gardening books advise,” she notes.

On the east side of the yard, herbs and vegetables thrive in raised beds. “In summer I grow cut flowers, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers,” she notes. In winter, these are replaced with cool-season vegetables. A covered potting bench with a sink serves as a place to wash fresh-picked garden treats or tidy up at the end of the day. And the pièce de résistance is a sheltered outdoor dining area with a long wooden table that seats 16.

Other highlights include raised beds for strawberries; apple, peach, pear and kumquat trees; a greenhouse off the master bedroom where exotic or less-hardy plant varieties are stored; a baseball batting cage (hidden behind more Japanese privet); and a large covered kitchen that is used year-round.

“I grew up on a farm in Iowa and have always loved gardening,” Carras remarks. “I could spend all day in my yard, no matter the weather. It might seem cliché, but I love the sweet peace of mind that comes from communing with nature.”

Climbing roses form an arch that opens to one of two secret gardens. This one, located on the east side of the backyard, leads to a potting area with a sink.

The front yard was designed to look green, shady and welcoming, says Kim Carras.

This quaint setting in the entry courtyard showcases a succulent wall garden designed by Carras and built by her husband. Each tier is a separate box that can be removed for planting or relocated during inclement weather. The bench was a flea market find. Grass grows between the pavers.

Using the walls of the house as a backdrop, she trained climbing roses and hollyhocks up metal trellises.

Tucked behind a wall of Japanese privet is an outdoor dining spot with a rebar arbor. “The structure helps define the area and is a great place to hang lights and flowering baskets,” Carras remarks. “And in spring, it is covered with wisteria.”