When I was housesitting in Seattle, writing my first book of deer-resistant plants, most plants in the neighborhood were familiar. However, garden management was quite different from that in my country garden. Back home on Sonntag Hill, on five acres, if I wanted to screen an undesirable view, I had the freedom of space. Here in the city, properties were defined by hedge clippers. I was fascinated by the tidy hedge of English laurel across the street. What did it take to maintain that tight growth? Then one day, I witnessed my neighbor spending hours trimming the 50-foot long hedge …