Comments on: Conflict of self-interest

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:00:34 +0000

Sharon and Craig – thanks for your suggestions.

Jennifer – glad to know I’m not alone. Path to Freedom is a great site, but provocative!

Beth – thanks for your wonderful suggestions and for leading me to your site! Can’t wait to see what you do with it.

By: Beth Lawrence

Beth Lawrence — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:11:26 +0000

I think that you may be a minimalist hippyish kind of girl, and I totally get it, I am too. I design and build gardens in Toronto, and here is my 2 cents worth. Almost every time I look at your site you are posting some incredible, modern cutting edge photos. The out door furniture, for example, the cool wood cubes, and the photo from just a few days ago are all very modern. 180 square feet is not a lot of space. Dream about the farm and save your money, you are right, being self sufficient in this day and age is imperative, we are living in wacky times. And as for your space, life is short, entertain your friends, make it a place to gather and have fun, and possibly, how can you make a little nook for you in and amongst all of those sexy right angles. What will bring you joy when you look out onto your backyard? What is a good balance? The suggestion that Craig made is a good one, pretend it isn’t yours and ask yourself what do I want to be doing in this space? What I do when I can’t make up my mind is I plan a project, around the project. Like, If I make this space for entertaining then I am going to host 2-3 parties a month, all with different themes and one of them is going to be seed bomb making. Or inviting all of my friends over who love to write Haikus, and have a meditative afternoon.
Good luck Andrea.

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:24:12 +0000

I think corn and other farm plants could be very beautiful in a formal garden space. Possibly leaving a small patio (with flowering pots and a small bistro set), surrounded by the “fields” could create a really interesting escape space.

By: Jennifer Bullock

Jennifer Bullock — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:23:49 +0000

I’m having the same issue. My problem is that I keep checking out the Path to Freedom site and start yearning for a farm. At the same time I want a garden for entertaining. I can’t seem to reconcile the two.

By: Sharon Hultman

Sharon Hultman — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:44:51 +0000

How about this?

Stack the pavers in piles of varying heights in strategic spots, and use them as plant pedestals to create interest in your garden. Get some smaller stepping stones (round perhaps, if the pavers are square), lay them out artfully, then plant everything else!

Veggies are excellent, but if you want to design a garden, you’ll probably wish you had plants that inspired more creativity.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 16:45:36 +0000

Melissa – You’re right – you can change it! I guess I have to look at it as a process rather than a project. Good luck in the garden design program.

Stuart – Yes! It is my garden :) That’s a start, anyway

Craig – some excellent advice there. I especially like the “spare space to play” – I’m destined to change my mind as I go.

By: Craig

Craig — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 12:38:17 +0000

Heres what I have to sometimes do for myself…
make a list of your “wants” in order of importance and take off your garden owner hat and put on your garden designer hat. Treat this as a project for a client, review the list in a objective way and start evaluating the items. Are they practical for this space, can they be done in creative alternative ways, does the budget allow for them, and so on? I recomend that whatever you decide that you allow yourself some spare space to play with new plants and change around on a seasonal basis without having it permanently designed a specific way.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 04:44:11 +0000

I totally ‘get’ it, Andrea. But, alas I have no answers for you.

I think I would usually start off and see how the inspiration leads me. If I end up with a miss-mash then so what? It’s my garden.

By: melissa

melissa — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 04:03:17 +0000

I hear you Andrea. Spent the last four years running a small cottage nursery in Squamish and ended up turning all of my garden into ” holding beds”. Just dipping my toes into the garden design program at UBC and hope it is the kick in the pants I need to bring some elements of design into my sad garden. I don’t think you ever get it right, but the good news ….. is that you can change it. Good luck. Melissa