Living in apartments my entire adult life, I have spent a lot of time looking down into backyards or courtyards imagining what my garden would look like if I had the opportunity to redesign the space. Right now, I live in an old eccentric french inspired Victorian. The backyard is fairly big compared to other yards I have had. It is fenced in on two sides and surrounded by other buildings. There is a tiny brick patio and miss matched bushes and empty pots just scattered around. I would like to incorporate some of the whimsy and Victorian character of the building but also want to reuse materials. Chinese objects were very popular during the Victorian era. I prefer other styles but I really enjoy the idea of using Chinese herb markers like in the photo above. When I look down at my current space, these are some of the other elements I imagine.
Fern Number 01, originally uploaded by T. Scott Carlisle.
We have a great salvage place near here. Can be a bit hit-and-miss, but that just means you have to go more often to find the 'treasures'. I really love the 'Avant Garden' photo. Especially for a Victorian, using stained glass in the garden. It's perfect woven into that divider. We used to live across from a beautiful Victorian in Alameda, and I always envisioned we'd live in one. Closest we came was living in an Edwardian. Oh well…maybe someday.
Isn't it wonderful to dream? For quite a while, I had a picture of some clever Japanese Bonsai shelves on my computer, and who knows, one day…
May all your dreams come true.
Oh. That is one nice garden you have there. I think this blog will definitely help me deal with the small space I have in my home to create the best garden that will suit my place. I hope to see more from your gardens.