Paths here are ample-wide and sure enough to steady a wheelbarrow-and they also help substitute for the lawn as they wind among the flowers. These paths beg to be followed, making the garden an adventure, with no shortage of plants awaiting discovery. "People call ours an English garden," [Charles Cozzens] says, "but what does this mean? Only that we love flowers like the English and put them above everything else." Flowers are clearly in control at the one-acre site (though a major portion of the garden is devoted to organically grown fruits and vegetables, which are in their own south-facing plot). Says Cozzens: "I try to balance the forms and colors of plants, but I feel it is simply the flowers themselves that make a garden buoyant and exciting."

It is Charles Cozzens' pursuit of flowers that has put Green Canyon on the cutting edge of garden development-"I like to think of myself as a plantsman," he says, "an avid collector of plants-always trying new things because you never know what will become the next Rhapiolepis, the next wonderful plant that will brighten every California garden. Right now, I'm trying everything." Though there are plenty of commonplace plants, even petunias and marigolds, he likes to work with a broad palette. Cozzens subscribes to seed lists published by botanical gardens around the world and has helped fund plant-hunting and exploration trips, reaping some of the seed collected. He is particularly fascinated with the flora of central Chile, which is virtually unexplored; the coastal region has a climate very much like our own.

Some of Cozzens' most delightful discoveries were made relatively close to home. The most brilliant display in late summer and fall comes from the towering golden flowers of Helianthus angustifolius, the swamp sunflower, a native of the American Southeast. Cozzens has found that, like many flowers from that region and the Midwest, it does fine in Southern California, despite what the literature says. These plants are accustomed to hot summers, and all they need to thrive here is a little summer water. Swamp sunflowers are sturdy and bloom for eight weeks, making slowly spreading clumps. They are not "garden thugs," according to Cozzens, but remain neat and tidy.