If you were to pass by my desk and observe me staring off into space you might think I am mentally running errands, plotting strategy for an online flash sale of designer shoes, or ruminating on today’s news. The truth is that glazed look means I’ve teleported to some serene garden where woulda, coulda, shoulda don’t have a seat at the picnic table, and where the sheer beauty of nature doing her thing is enough to put me into a slack-jawed trance.
While others concentrate on tricking out their nests, for me, creating a tranquil outdoor space is the first thing I do when I move into a new place. I’ve just relocated from a rampant, rapacious, overgrown mess of a garden in Birmingham, Ala., to an apartment with but one sunny windowsill in Boston. This, as you might imagine, poses a challenge. Hence the green dreams.
Two myrtle topiary were all I could bring of my garden to Boston. They love their sunny new home. Photo Credit: Kate Karam
So, since in our dreams the sky’s the limit, let me walk you through my virtual Eden while I check off my must-haves for creating your own garden getaway.
There’s a place for snacking. (Where everything just gets hosed down!)
And, a nook for napping. (Yes, you can make something like this!)
A hideaway for play. (Is there anything better than dishing with a friend while swinging?)
And a glam end to the day. (Just add a glass of something cold and sparkling.)
So much of gardening is about the dirty, sweaty, hard work of coaxing flora into bloom. Sure, the payoff is great but gardens are also about appreciating all that transcendent beauty, right? Give yourself permission to dream in green!
- Kate
