"Designing gardens is different than creating landscapes," he explains, because gardens are complex, multilayered combinations of plants, architecture and psychology. He takes on designing gardens of all sizes, from the tiniest urban spaces to larger suburban and rural properties, including his own new Vashon Island acreage.

Pfeiffer started out studying architecture at the University of Vermont, but knew he'd found what he really wanted to do the first time he heard a lecture on landscape architecture in an introductory class. He moved 3,000 miles across the country to study at the University of Washington, in large part because there was no further math requirement — of such decisions our futures are made.

10 Tips for Designing a Small Garden 1. The closer the garden is to the house, the more formal the design should be. An arbor is essential for a strong architectural blending of house and garden. 2. Fragrant plants create an instant mood for the garden. First delight the nose, then the eyes. 3. Use water to define space by sound and to create a soothing, intimate environment. Formal fountains are better for small gardens than naturalized water features. 4. Choose plants for structure, texture and color — in that order. It is essential to have a strong form to look at in winter rather than bare soil. Perennial borders are for larger gardens. 5. Use bold plants with large leaves and strong vertical elements to punctuate the garden. Rheums, acanthus, darmera, agave, phormium, boxwood balls and cones are effective, as are the upright columnar forms of holly, yew and cypress. 6. Flat gardens are dull. Artificially build up or sink the grade to create elevational changes of even one or two steps to define rooms. 7. Use trees to reduce the scale of the house, to create a ceiling and sense of enclosure. Deciduous trees such as crabapples, paperbark maple, dogwoods and Japanese maples work well in small gardens. 8. Light the garden at night to add drama and extend the feel of the garden into the house. 9. Furnish the garden with benches, a dining table and comfortable lounge chairs. Accessorize with containers, artifacts and purposefully placed sculpture, but remember a garden is a sanctuary for plants and people, so maintain an artful balance. 10. Create a garden with both intimacy and intrigue. Don't reveal the entire garden from any one place; reward the visitor with surprise and delight for moving through the space. — From David Pfeiffer

He didn't know anything about our maritime climate, but since he grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., quickly came to appreciate it. He and his partner's new home on Vashon features an outdoor fireplace and southwest-facing terraces to catch all available warmth and sunlight. He plans to live outside as much as possible year 'round, to enjoy the new garden he is busy planting.

"My strongest suit is a graceful connection between the house and the garden," says Pfeiffer, who uses pergolas, arbors and stone flooring to continue the structural style of the house into the garden. He thinks the arbor is the defining garden structure because it is a manmade architectural piece intended to be softened with vines.

Pfeiffer feels strongly that plants add soul and heart to a house. When he talks about how a garden's colors and textures enhance a home's architecture, it is no surprise to learn that he is often brought into a project by an interior designer. "A lot of garden design is taste, even though people don't talk about it," says Pfeiffer. "So much of what I do is intuitive," he sighs, struggling to explain the design process.

Gardening trends are of little interest to Pfeiffer, who prefers to concentrate on timeless, classic design elements. He isn't a plant snob; in fact, he thinks there are no bad plants. It's all in how you use them. "When I start to see too much of something, I avoid it," he says. If he does use a more trendy element or plant (although I can't picture a gazing globe or a banana tree in a Pfeiffer design) he melds it into the rest of the garden for a dash of sparkle and pop.

What he really loves, along with boxwood, is structure. His current interest in edibles is inspired by formal, ornamental French and English kitchen gardens. His designs harken to the classic roots of European gardens, altering traditional forms to suit Northwest sites and lifestyles. Fragrance always plays a starring role in a Pfeiffer garden, with daphnes, lilacs, honeysuckle, lilies and sarcococca included in his plans. He uses boxwood repeatedly for hedging, in classical ball and cone shapes, in the ground and in containers.

All of Pfeiffer's work is by referral, and the client relationship comes first with him. (For one of his designs, see page 14.) "When I connect with a client I learn so much — we can just fly once that commitment is made," he says. He loves to work with clients who are willing to explore ideas and talk about all the possibilities, and who bring him into the process early.

He designs in part from the inside out, examining views from the house on all levels and angles to consider how the garden will be experienced from inside. His inner architect comes through clearly when Pfeiffer speaks of the axis of the garden, its logical organization and definition as the starting point of the design. "Then I disguise and soften it with plants, but you always sense the underlying discipline."

He has a plant palette in mind on each project, adding in the client's plant list. Although Pfeiffer specifies major trees, he never deludes himself or his clients with a formal planting plan. "You just can't do it on paper," he explains. The planting evolves on site, as he composes with shrubs, grasses, trees and perennials, moving them about to get just the right mix. "It is a frightening thing," he says. "But I've done it enough that it works out."

It can take a full year to plant a garden because a certain mass of plants needs to be attained before he can go on to the next step. His favorite way to work is to stay involved as long as the clients would like, for every garden evolves with time, and needs a bit of tinkering. "I don't think anyone should hire a garden designer who doesn't themselves garden," says Pfeiffer. "Good garden design isn't just an intellectual exercise. You have to be a gardener to understand gardens."

Valerie Easton is manager at the Miller Horticultural Library. Her book, "Plant Life: Growing a Garden in the Pacific Northwest" (Sasquatch Books, 2002) is an updated selection of her magazine columns. Her e-mail address is vjeaston@aol.com. Barry Wong is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff photographer.