GARDENING : COLOR THIS NEIGHBORHOOD FOLIAGE STUNNING.

Byline: Joshua Siskin

When was the last time you saw someone wearing purple pants with an orange shirt? But purple and orange are quite a pleasant garden duo.

Make your way to Oxnard Street between Winnetka and DeSoto avenues. If you look in the direction of 20545 Oxnard St., you will be blinded by a brilliant flash of fiery light. Shielding your eyes with your hand, you will approach with caution, only to discover a bed of California poppies, their orange glow enhanced by an adjacent, purple-robed Mexican sage.

There is method to this orange and purple madness. The relationship between the triad of primary colors - red, blue and yellow - is the same as the relationship between orange, purple and green. On the color wheel, the distance between blue and yellow, or between yellow and red, is the same as that between purple and orange or orange and green.

I once spoke with a Japanese nurseryman who told me that he could never understand why some people preferred one color to another, ``In the garden, all colors go well together,'' he insisted. In nature, of course, green is dominant. Color is an afterthought. The Japanese garden, with its avowed intent of imitating nature, consists of perennial, mostly evergreen plants, which flower briefly, if at all.

Our agitated occidental temperament demands exuberant color. In our part of the world, we are nourished by instant gratification and respond with glee to unsubtle bombardment of the senses. It would appear, at times, that nothing pleases us more than to be hit over the head with a frying pan.

Another favorite combination to parallel the California poppy and Mexican sage phenomenon is produced by orange marigolds and purple petunias; or, if you wish, substitute purple alyssum for the petunias.

On the subject of memorable West Valley landscape effects, the intersection of Vanowen Street and DeSoto Avenue (northeast corner) deserves mention. It is a rather large commercial planting that demonstrates, above all, courage, since four plant species seldom seen together were used: blue or sheep fescue (Festuca ovina ``Glauca''), pyracantha and grevillea shrubs, and the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora).

Blue fescue is a drought-tolerant ground cover that grows as pale blue spherical tufts or mounds. It has become popular as a lawn substitute, as long as the designated area is not meant for foot traffic. It prefers full sun but will also grow with a dash of shade. It should be shorn to the ground every couple of years to keep it lush.

At Vanowen and DeSoto, the fescue is somewhat faded, but it is still a success, softening the adjacent concrete and asphalt surfaces. Growing out of the fescue are two contrasting shrubs: the gracefully arching grevillea and the thorny pyracantha. At this moment, the grevillea is showing its spidery pink flowers, and the pyracantha's shoots are slowly being engulfed by clouds of white blossoms.

This landscape one day will be dominated by the camphor or cinnamon trees (Cinnamomum camphora) that, although still young, already are showing signs of their unique grace and beauty. Each spring, new leaves emerge flushed with pink. Now, the trunks of these camphor trees are smooth, straight and green, but in a few years' time, they will become deeply furrowed, develop a sculptured branching structure, and turn dark gray in color.

The camphor tree belongs to the laurel family of plants (Lauraceae), many of which are aromatic trees. The leaves of the camphor emit a pleasant spicy fragrance when crushed; its wood, when used in a camphor campfire, is similarly aromatic. The same resins that give the camphor its scent also may be involved in repelling insect pests, which seldom, if ever, are found on this tree.

The most familiar member of this family is Laurus nobilis, the bay laurel, whose bay leaves are the ones used in cooking. It can be found in the herb section of most nurseries, where it usually is priced, in a small pot, for 50 cents or $1. This is truly a bargain when you consider that you are buying a lifetime's supply of bay leaves - whose cost is probably more than $1 for a tin of three or four leaves. The bay laurel, left to its own devices, will grow into a 50-foot tree, but it just as easily can be trained into a high or low hedge, or used for topiary subjects.

Tip of the week: This is an excellent time to plant ornamental grasses, such as blue fescue, Japanese blood grass and red fountain grass. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) is as fragrant as its name implies, and is commonly used in preparing southeast Asian dishes.

MEMO: Joshua Siskin's column appears every Saturday. He welcomes questions from readers. Write to him in care of the Daily News Features Department, P.O. Box 4200, Woodland Hills, Calif. 91365-4200. You can also reach him through this on-line mailbox: JoshSiskinaol.com.