Getting in on the ground floor
a handmade garden — the ground floor
This summer I’m serializing my book, a handmade garden with weekly chapters posted right here on Cultivating Color. I want to inspire you to dig in and mark your mark in the garden.
Wherever you garden, the horizontal surface — the literal ground on which you stand — is the perfect, if not somewhat obvious, starting place to begin making a garden. It is on this level that you’ll carve out planting beds and lay paths, dividing the area to create your vision for the garden. The ground surface not only determines the size of your garden, but how you treat it greatly sets the tone for the character of the space. Regional influences reflected in your choice of materials ground your landscape firmly in place — or indulge in some environmental fantasy and evoke a favorite distant locale.
Place a long-lasting, unique mark on your space by elevating hardworking surfaces — like a permeable gravel pathway or patio — to exciting ground treatments with decorative insets, custom pavers, or mosaic ornaments.
A couple of years ago a friend told me about a house in her neighborhood that someone had completely carpeted in sky blue forget-me-nots, so I drove across town to see it with my own eyes. This little weed thinks it’s a wildflower. Leaving small cairns stack on the beach, a traditional trail marker of safe passage, is another way to send good wishes to your community.
Play with rocks in the garden. Mossy groundcovers spilling down among river stones lend a sense of movement to a tiny nook in a garden. Covering the ground around a patch of black mondo grass with slate blue Mexican beach stones, along with a few vintage cue balls and a retired bowling ball creates a simple focal point that winks with ingenuity and humor.
NB: I realize everyone doesn’t share my love for garden projects. Heck, since this work was first published, I’m far more circumspect when it comes to sorting through salvage yards and messing around with power tools. But whether you pursue a project or not, my hope is that a handmade garden will lead you to delight the natural world and cultivate a deeper relationship with creativity, and the value of making room for making.
Tag your turf
America’s love affair with the lawn has waned in recent years, but among some, its heart still beats strongly. Declare your affection for your yard (or send a message to friends and neighbors) with a heart of petals. In the early days of lockdown, a neighbor offered this love letter made of camellia flowers that they’d gathered from the shrub in their g…
Upgrade a Gravel Pathway
Eco-friendly gravel is the quickest and most economical way to lay a durable pathway or patio. Once laid, upgrade your hardworking but humble garden flooring with inset pavers. The cool color of the stone echoes the basalt gravel while veins of rusty brown add a touch of warm color. Combining pavers and gravel increases permeability and helps stretch …
Pebbly Mosaic Patio Accents
Mosaic accents set into a small gravel patio lend pizzazz and a focal point to a serviceable but ho hum gravel patio. A limited palette of mostly white, smooth pebbles set within repurposed metal hoops subtly suggests the ridges of an oyster’s shell or the swirling movement of water for that seashore flavor I’m so fond of. It may not…
Grasses Beyond Turf
A modern alternative to the common lawn, sweeping groundcovers of dwarf ornamental grasses and grass-like plants carpet the garden with a soft surface in pleasing contrast to paved areas and hardscape features. Finely textured leaves animate the landscape, capturing movement and light, while a resilient nature and variety of growing habits provide lasti…