Garden Therapy

Between a year of quarantines, stay-at-home mandates, and recommendations to socialize outside it was no surprise that home gardens burst into the spotlight. One year later we continue to recognize that gardens have been elevated from “nice-to-have” to an essential feature. How do you get from basic to beautiful? All it can take is one spectacular visual treat to reimagine an outdoor space into a sanctuary for health, enjoyment, and rejuvenation. 

Here are three out-of-the-ordinary ideas: 

A Bottle Privacy Wall. Watching the sun glitter through these colorful bottles to create shimmering, stained-glass patterns with light will take your mind off the worries of the world. Bottle walls are typically constructed with recycled glass bottles, thin rebar, and a frame. Buffalo gardener, Sue Hough, incorporated large wood beads into her version.

Unexpected Artwork. Want endless blooms? Consider this version: a happy, floral mural embedded right into your plantings. Look for hidden-in-plain vertical canvases – a garage wall, a wood fence, or even the side of a deck. 

Quirky Surprises. Reactivate your playful side and put a dose of much-needed whimsy into the season. Each year, avid gardener/artist, Joe Hopkins, does something totally unexpected and fun. For 2020, he took Styrofoam mannequin heads, spray-painted them in cheery colors, then finished them off with plants for hair and sunglasses. A bit random? Yes. But that’s the point and it’s completely brilliant. 

Now it’s your turn. Let your imagination go and your creativity may surprise you! 

Want more ideas? Check out the DesignNY 2020 Annual Guide, which is featuring five spectacular gardens along with insights and fabulous design ideas from those who bring them to life. Look for it in April, 2021.