Adventuring Out

Winter is almost over here. And I can already feel the anxiousness to get outside and begin planting and refurbishing my garden. So far, I have taken it out in sketching, graphing out my new layout and the fervent reading of my gardening bible, Fine Gardening.

Last year was my first attempt at creating spaces out of raw area. It was an adventure and more overwhelming than I first thought, especially with virtually no budget. (As a side, freecycle is a great way to get in touch with local gardeners and get starts of free plants. I started almost my entire garden this way!) I ended up mostly planting straight borders, lining my house and fence. It looked lovely, but didn't quite capture the vision I had of sanctuary.




I want to walk into a place of peace, retreat and quiet reverie. Somewhere that is not in the middle of low-income suburbia.







So this year, I do have some new ideas for our modest space outside.

I'm working with the idea of 'eye reliefs', a theory that a change of pace for your eye creates interest (i.e. a bench in the midst of the garden, pots, fountains, etc.). These break up the border and provide movement. I've sectioned off a piece of my border (right) and am going to put a flat wall fountain I found at a garage sale there! I intend to use natural river rocks to replace the orange bricks to section off the border gradually.

I am also putting a bench in on the other side of the border, along the house. I think benches give the eye an invitation to venture further into the garden to explore, especially to those not naturally prone to wander through. I found this boring white, plastic bench and I'm going to spice it up with a bit of color!! Tim is going to help my paint it royal blue as soon as the weather permits.
Unique color is another element I'm excited about incorporating outside. The blue of the bench will make the greens and vibrant reds around it pop, as well as simply being a fun eye catcher. I hope to tie this color throughout in pots and shepherds hooks.

My patio table is also going to bear the brunt of this new enthusiasm. It sorely needs some love after being tossed out of my neighbor's house last fall. Tim and I are going to sand it down and refinish it with this lovely mustard yellow! I can't wait!

More projects and ideas to come!