Bright decorative tiles make striking accents for garden walls. That thought inspired Cynthia Bolin to commission San Diego artist Deirdre Lee to create 6- by 6-inch tiles for a wall in her San Diego garden. “The whole idea was to match tiles with flowers,” says Bolin. She shared her color and motif concepts with Lee, who made the tiles pictured at left. Embellished with doves and a daisy, they add a splash of bright yellow, blue, red, and orange to a concrete-block retaining wall faced with matte-finish ceramic tiles of a warm golden beige. Aqua blue bull-nose tiles finish the wall’s top edge.

To match the tile colors, Bolin filled the raised bed behind the wall with gaillardia and nasturtiums. African daisies, coreopsis, rudbeckia, and zinnias would work as well. Custom tiles cost $90–$120 per square foot and are available from Deirdre Lee, Urban Jungle Art & Design, San Diego www.urbanjungleart.com or 619/299-1644).