I’ve worked on the same piece of land for a quarter of a century.
It has been quite a journey. Magical, spiritual, and humbling.
Scattered with failures and successes.
When I began gardening, I read every book and magazine I could get my hands on.
I was convinced there was a right way of doing it.
As I became more confident and developed skills, I realized it wasn’t true.
That following rules make for a boring garden.
And that breaking rules is ‘a must’ …
If you want to create an authentic, soulful garden.
A unique garden that reflects who you are.
Here are some things that I’ve learned.
GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR IMAGINATION
We all have an imagination. It’s a part of our souls. There for the taking.
I love going for solitary nature walks. With no agenda. I allow my mind to relax and explore.
Sometimes I come indoors and jot down my thoughts.
There’s no one way to access your imagination. It might be listening to music, going for a run, or working on a research project.
THINK OF YOUR FRONT YARD AS AN OPPORTUNITY
Most Americans think front yards should look a certain way.
Lined up with a slew of evergreens, shrubs, and trees. How dull.
Years ago when I visited Anne Hathway’s house in Stratford-Upon-Avon, I was grabbed by its intensely planted front yard cottage garden. It had a big impact on me. For the first time, I realized that a suburban front yard could be transformed into a glorious garden.
My front yard went through several reincarnations, before I took the plunge and designed the garden of my dreams. A romantic, heirloom rose- perennial garden .
It has a gently winding pathway that leads to other gardens on either side of the house. It’s filled with native junipers, boxwoods, rows of yews and a series of rose arches.
People are blown away when they visit. For most, it’s a revelation.
EXPERIMENT WITH PLACEMENT OF PLANTS
Some of my greatest plant combinations happen when I feel inspired. Contrary to conventional gardening, a tall plant can make a great exclamation point placed towards the front of the border.
By doing this, the rhythm of the garden is broken up. It jolts the eye and keeps thing fresh. A little repositioning of plants goes a long way.
THINK OF LIMITATIONS AS AN ASSET
This is a tough lesson to learn but ‘a must’ for joyful gardening. And for living a creative and meaningful life.
So many of us have been raised with a passive attitude of ‘wishfulness’. ”If only I had” or “When I become”.
Embrace the property where you live.
Don’t wait until you purchase a perfect piece of land. Make beauty now.
For years I gardened on a difficult property….steeply sloping and diamond shaped. I spent a couple of years living in the place of ’when I have my perfect piece of land.’ That was no good.
It was only when I accepted its limitations that I was able to focus, dig in, and do some serious work. And begin to see the land with new eyes.
Guess what? I ended up designing and planting and exuberant, feisty, and tightly packed garden. Practically everyone who visited (including large garden tours) were inspired. They spent a lot of time questioning me, walking around, and taking pictures.
So much for convention.
Some final thoughts:
Be flexible. Live with ambivalence.
Persist. Work hard.
When you’re stuck, walk away. Do something else.
Resist the urge to design a traditional garden.
Carve a jewel.
Surrender. Get out of the way.
And let your creativity whoosh in and make things happen.
***This article was originally written for The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Magazine. I’ve edited a lot of the specific gardening information.
If you want to learn more about using the creative process in the garden as a conduit for living a more joyful and artistic life, check out my book: Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening.
Hi Fran,
You’ve inspired me to get out and start creating beauty. I will content myself with pictures from garden books or magazines as it is still too cold right now. Your front garden is amazing. I love the roses with the pink – beautiful. I can see why people are blown away, it looks so inviting. I have some new ideas for my garden this spring. You’ve inspired me to be creative and let go of the rules.
Cathy,
You’re such a sweetheart. You have a beautiful soul so I know that once you set your mind to creating a garden…when the weather allows you to…it will be a reflection of who you are. Let me know if you need any help…as a friend, it would be more than my pleasure….fran
So many life lessons packed into a garden metaphor, with a literal garden. Man… I live in the city and have a grand total of two plants on my terrace. They were there when I moved in and looked dead. But before I could throw them out, it rained and they revived. They never need watering, just go into hibernation if they don’t get watered. Other than that, I’m not home enough to have a lot of plants here. But… I love gardens and plan to have a big one some day (perhaps a roof top garden, so I can have the city and a garden at the same time?) I love the idea of not keeping to convention. For example, I can see roses (the kind that smell nice ) and orange trees. On a roof top. Oh hell yes!
Huge hugs!
Melody
Melody…..How true about gardening as a metaphor.. And it’s precisely what my book, Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening.
I understand the limitations of gardening in the city. I’m always amazed at the sumptuous gardens that people create on tiny balconies in Tel Aviv. When you live in a dense urban area and you’ve got to garden, you find the way.
Your time will come one day. You’re already imagining it…whether a rooftop or a sprawling piece of land, I have no doubt that you’ll create a soulful, authentic haven. Have a beautiful weekend. xxoo-Fran
Hi Fran,
This is such a gorgeous post! I would love to be a gardener, but I haven’t yet succeeded. Oh this fills me with inspiration!
Aileen,
I bet you can be a successful gardener. As a garden designer, I’ve worked with clients who thought that they would never get their hands in the dirt. Lo and behold…..several became weekend/avid gardeners.
If you’re serious about becoming a keen gardener, let me know. I’ll be happy to work with you on accomplishing that. Gratis. Have a beautiful weekend. Fran
I love all the beautiful analogies! The best way to “show your colors” is to express yourself in your own, messy way. I’ve spent the last few years learning how to break out of the programming to be the best of the herd. Now I’m learning to be me, without the herd. Funny how new herds appear to follow when you finally decided to be yourself. And it feels great!
On the gardening side, I love what you’ve done with yours and I love your approach! Living in the high mountains where all the soil is crushed granite certainly makes gardening a challenge for me. Challenging but not impossible. Yet another analogy: When presented with a challenge, we can simply find different ways of achieving what we want. Other industrious souls in my area have learned to garden and grow their own food year round in an area with a 3 month growing season. If they can do it, so can I!
Thanks for the wonderful inspiration, Fran!
Paige,
I love your thoughts on learning how to be without a herd. And I’m so glad that you are experiencing new herds that are following you.
Anytime you need/want help with your garden, let me know. It would be my pleasure to help you …as a friend. Fran
Fran, what a lovely garden!
Maybe I can borrow you to come and work on my garden in London which is mainly lawn:-)
Wishing you all the best for your book. May it help many more people dig deep and create the life and garden of their desire.
Arvind,
All you have do is ask and I’ll be there.
Thanks for your words about my book. I loved the process of writing it….straight from the heart. Fran
Fran: I love this post and everything you said in it. I really appreciated you sharing the wisdom to make Beauty now. I love that advice. Thanks for sharing such great wisdom and your garden is amazing:)
Sybil..
My garden has been an incredible tool for much of what I’ve learned and am still learning about what matters….
compassion, generosity, a feeling of abundance, and connecting to who our authentic selves (which automatically sparks our creative spirit.
Thanks for you kind words…Fran