CREATING AN OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY THEME GARDEN

About ten years ago I accepted an amazing position at a local botanic garden. Being in a beautiful place, surrounded by talented staff and volunteers inspired the creation of my theme garden development process. We applied it to the botanic garden displays many times, but I eventually realized it would also be perfect for homeowners too.

Over the last four years I've been sharing this process with hundreds of people at conferences and garden club meetings with positive results. New designers gain insight into creating a special outdoor space, while experienced designers say they are filled with new inspiration towards the design process.

My theme garden process steps beyond typical themes like butterfly and moon gardens (though those are nice!). This process instead shows how to design a garden about anything (really). Maybe you collect Fiestaware or have an obsession with John Wayne...either can inspire your outdoor space.

This process takes place by following five steps...with lots of fun thinking along the way. I've listed the steps below, but I've found they make more sense within context, so over the next few weeks I'd like to design a garden with you. I'll be asking for feedback through my blog, on Facebook and Twitter, then following up with posts. By the end of the five steps we'll have a new garden plan with an out-of-the-ordinary theme.

I've created a special mini-poster of this design process in my May 2013 newsletter too. If you'd like access to this little treat please sign up for my newsletter here. You'll be able to view the May 2013 newsletter once you subscribe.

We have a lot of work to do, so let's get to it! The first step...PICK A THEME. What do you think would be a fun theme for a garden? Please tell me your ideas in the comments below or visit me on Facebook.