PERSONAL TOUCH ACTRESS DEBRA CHRISTOFFERSON HAS TURNED HER HOME INTO A BLOOMING SUCCESS.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

``Roses!'' says Debra Christofferson. Or rather, she sings it.

There are 120 varieties of roses - including 20 miniatures - and, despite the summer heat, they're going crazy. At this particular moment, Christofferson is blooming right along with them.

And why not? Christofferson is in her favorite place, amid the roses in the back yard of the home she transformed into a veritable Valley paradise over the course of 2 1/2 years.

``We've got this great relationship,'' Christofferson says of the 1940 single-story house in the Burbank-North Hollywood area. ``It takes care of me, and I take care of it.''

Pampers is more like it.

When she finally took the plunge into home ownership in December 1998, Christofferson - a TV and film actress - was looking for something along the lines of an English cottage. The future chez Christofferson was anything but - run down with an array of ugly carpeting and some serious landscaping needs outdoors.

Yet it had possibilities. Christofferson, who decorated the dickens out of her Glendale apartment, was more than up to the challenge. Out went the carpeting, exposing immaculately conditioned hardwood floors. Using painting and stenciling techniques she gathered from Home and Garden Television (HGTV) programming, she did some serious painting in the den, hallway, bathroom and dining room.

``The house was shabby verging on disaster,'' says longtime friend Dee Santos. ``I knew she'd do a lot with it, but I had no idea she could do it within such a short amount of time.'' A visit from Christofferson's brother and father - both contractors - enabled her to put in a drip system and some new lighting fixtures. (``Thank God for family who like to do working vacations,'' she says.) And Santos helped with some of the painting.

But if you're going to admire this home - and, since the actress likes to entertain, many have - credit Christofferson, who has put blood, sweat and creative muscle into every nook and cranny, inside and out.

``It's like constant decoration, a constant chance to be creative, and I really enjoy it,'' she says.

You can see the Christofferson touch in the handmade wreaths, the decorative knickknacks on every wall or in every corner. It's in the color scheme of her bedroom, the faux Mediterranean sky of her bathroom, the selection of furniture. And, as far as Christofferson is concerned, the home is still a work in progress.

``Once you finish, you have to start over again or you have to move,'' she says with a laugh.

Then there's her back yard, a special source of pride for a woman who, despite being raised on a farm in the Black Hills of South Dakota, says she managed to kill every plant she brought indoors when she lived in an apartment.

Those days are gone, and Christofferson's back yard is a miniature Eden. There's an inviting hammock and a huge open patio table. Christofferson and her brother enclosed the garage. A trio of fruit trees are blooming magnificently, and her herb and vegetable garden have allowed Christofferson to go out in the back yard and pick her own lunch.

And of course, there are the roses, which, given their size and splendor, look like they're contemplating world domination. Originally, they were against the yard's north wall, but when the trees grew back in after pruning, the roses got too much shade. So Christofferson moved them into sunlight, and they've gone blooming nuts.

``I started off with 10 rose bushes the first year, and as they started to do well and thrive, I just kind of got carried away and added more and more,'' she says. ``I pretty much don't have any more room for anything.

``You water them and you basically just pay attention to them,'' says Christofferson, who also talks to her roses. ``And Mother Nature takes care of them.''

Christofferson studied music and drama at the University of South Dakota before moving to L.A. more than 15 years ago to try the acting profession. She worked as a legal secretary for several different law firms before garnering notice for an extended stint on ``NYPD Blue'' (as Geri Turner, the menacing office manager who had a crush on Dennis Franz's Andy Sipowicz). Then came ``Mouse Hunt.'' And Christofferson quit her day job.

She's up for a recurring role in a major sitcom (fearing the jinx, she won't say which one) and can be seen in the upcoming TV film ``A Few Good Hearts'' with ``ER's'' Laura Innes, and the film ``White Oleander'' with Michelle Pfeiffer.

Christofferson and a friend are also working on an HGTV-like show which, the actress says, ``will take advantage of everything I have done in my home.''

That would have to be one very long program.

Do-It-Yourself Tips

To do a total house transformation, you don't necessarily need a TV star's salary.

A TV, however, will definitely come in handy, says Debra Christofferson.

``I watch a lot of Home and Garden Television (HGTV),'' says Christofferson, who single-handedly did a complete inside/outside makeover of her Valley house over a 2 1/2-year period. ``The first one I started watching was 'Gardening by the Yard.' (Host Paul James) is totally straight and down to earth. He explains things very simply, and it's fun to watch.''

``I have no training,'' she adds. ``I watch and listen to experts.''

James and home beautifying guru Christopher Lowell (on the Discovery Channel) will give you plenty of ideas for how to spruce up a flower bed or faux finish a room. Before you know it, you'll be sticking plastic bags on paint brushes and decorating up a storm, Christofferson says.

For some live interaction, she suggests visiting a local garden center where employees will often help you work your way through outdoor puzzles. Christofferson became a regular at Armstrong Garden Centers, which has branches throughout the Valley.

``If your plants aren't doing well, they'll replace it or help you figure out what's going on,'' says Christofferson. ``Some even offer classes.''

Creativity doesn't have to be costly if you keep an open mind and pay attention. Christofferson freely admits that a couple of decorative pillars she uses in her back yard were discovered in a trash bin.

``With a bit of imagination, you can do wonderful things with amazing things you find at garage sales,'' she says.

CAPTION(S):

10 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Debra Christofferson luxuriates in the 120 varieties of roses she nurtures in her back yard.

(2 -- 5 -- color) Debra Christofferson transformed her back yard, top, into her own Garden of Eden, with statues and rocks interspersed among flowers, above, and a vegetable garden complete with yellow bell peppers, left.

(6 -- color) Is it a window? No, it's a mirror, which Christofferson fashioned from shutters and hung over the fireplace in her home office, giving the room a little extra pizazz.

(7 -- 9 -- color) Christofferson added sweeping decorative touches to the bathroom, above, and the kitchen, which features copper pans and utensils, left, and a stained-glass window, below, created with supplies bought at a crafts store.

(10 -- color) Christofferson relaxes in her living room, where she pulled carpet to expose the hardwood floors, and where she rotates candles and pillows to reflect the different seasons of the year.

Box: Do-It-Yourself Tips (see text)