Second Place Claudia Skylar and James Mastro Chicago, Illinois
WE LIVE IN an old factory in downtown Chicago. Because
we love gardens, we decided to take out the middle of the
building and make a hidden secret courtyard garden.
It turned out to be a bigger project than we ever imagined, and we had to do it all ourselves. We were able to purchase plants at Costco that were priced well and healthy. We
bought a lot of bushes, especially boxwoods, and other
plants—the elephant ears and hostas being our favorites
because they do so well in shade. We also bought a lot of tropical plants at Costco, and so we were able to create a lush secret
garden without too much expense.
There are two levels to the garden: The bottom is planted in
dirt, and the deck above is planted in containers. We give lots of
parties and meals on that deck. Since just about all our food
comes from Costco, that’s another way Costco has helped make
our garden a success.—Claudia Skylar
Third Place
Kathy King and Joe Garcia
Monrovia, California
WE BEGAN OUR project with an area that consisted mostly of grass, rose-
mary, a few planters and a small slab outside our back door.
We removed all the grass, the small concrete slab at our back door and
the plants against the house. We had a small pool built, which included
an attached spa and a waterfall. We had concrete decking poured next to
the back door and partially against the house and pool deck.
We left areas to plant flowers against the rosemary and the
house and around the pool. And then, to pull it all together, we
purchased a beautiful eight-piece patio set from Costco.com.
Receiving that shipment was like Christmas in May. This
completed our yard with a magnificent presentation. We could
not be happier with our furnishings from Costco and our
small-space backyard remodel.—Kathy King
The Costco Connection
Costco members can find many items to create their own
large- or small-space makeovers, including plants, seed,
furnishings, gazebos, sheds, lighting and more.
