A garden of earthly delights, replete with fruit trees, herbs and a wide variety of vegetables, could be sprouting soon at California State University, Channel Islands.

The 26,700-square-foot garden, designed by landscape architect Karen Adnoff of the Los Angeles firm Olea Landscape Architecture, was chosen as one of four winners in the CSUCI/Sunset Magazine Courtyard Design Competition. The winners were announced Tuesday at a reception at CSUCI.

"The quality of entrants was marvelous," said Kathleen Brenzel, Sunset magazine editor. The winning designs were environmentally friendly and "used plants that reflect the design of the (campus) architecture ... and local agriculture."

The competition was sponsored by the university, its nonprofit foundation and Sunset magazine to launch the renovation and refurbishment of the university's many outdoor courtyards. The winning designs will be used to restore four of the most visible courtyards on campus.

"This is very significant to us," said CSUCI President Richard Rush, who said the contest could help bring in donors to fund the courtyard projects.

And besides, he said, the contest was fun. But it wouldn't have been the same without the partnership with Sunset.

"We were able to attract a wide variety of excellent designers. ... (Sunset's) credibility gave credence to the value of the contest," he said.

Adnoff's design will be used for Courtyard M, a large space in the north quad of the campus that is adjacent to the university's newly renovated administrative headquarters. Adnoff was inspired by the region's agricultural roots.

"I thought it would be really nice to bring in a demonstration area, fruit trees, medicinal herbs and seasonal vegetables," she said. "It's also a place you want to sit and enjoy the space. You could study there, meet friends and talk, or sit around the fountain."

Scott Menzel of Santa Barbara won for his design of the President's Courtyard, a 6,900-square-foot space just off the lobby of the new administrative building. His design includes four rectangular patches of lawn, anchored in the center by an existing tree and surrounded by walkways. Menzel was out of the country and couldn't attend Tuesday's ceremony. His parents came in his place.

Collaboration succeeds

Miguel V. Fernandez of Oxnard and Kathie Kottler of Oak View won for their collaboration on the Bell Tower West Courtyard, also known as Courtyard X. The 33,000-square-foot courtyard is near the library in a heavy traffic area of the south quad. Fernandez, a self-employed building architect, said his design was intended to reflect the journey and transition of the college experience.

"I've been a resident in this area for a long time, and a proponent of getting a university here for a long time," Fernandez said. "I just thought it would be fun" to design a courtyard.

He asked for Kottler's help with the plant material because he's not a landscape expert. They had collaborated in the past, and had similar ideas for planning the space and walkways of Courtyard X.

Kottler, a self-employed landscape architect, also took home the top prize for her design of the South Quad courtyard. The space is not a traditional courtyard, but is made up of narrow rectangles of space between a service road and the back side of the Bell Tower building.

"It was an opportunity to design some special spaces out of what is essentially nothing there now," she said. "I thought that was the perfect opportunity to unify the space."

Kottler also added elements that make each space unique. One of the spaces will include a reading terrace, another has a fountain, and the third is more open and has two large seating areas.

Fund-raising project is next

Now that the winners have been announced, university officials hope to have detailed plans drawn up so they can begin figuring the costs and use the designs to solicit in-kind and cash donations to help pay for the renovations.

No state dollars will be used in the project, said Peggy Hinz, director of marketing and communications for the university. The timetable for construction of the gardens will depend on the success of the fund-raising, she said.