Happy Friday GPODers and welcome to part two of GPOD Vignettes! In case you missed it, check out the first part of the series here: GPOD Vignette #1.
When I was putting together this collection of entries, I didn’t realize at first that all of these photos and gardens fit into one common theme: small spaces. Whether it’s a tiny garden or a small part of a larger landscape, all of these GPOD contributors want to share how their small spaces make a big impact.
I know the GPOD community as a whole loves to see gardens of all sizes, but many people especially love to see smaller, more “relatable” garden spaces, and I have to admit that I’m part of that group. While this may come as no surprise to anyone who has read my posts about living and traveling in a campervan for several months of the year, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my love and appreciation for those smaller spaces.
Whether it’s a houseplant collection, a raised bed, or a beautiful decorative border, more is always more. More space allows for more plants, which produce more flowers, fruit, foliage, or all of the above. When someone gets into gardening, in any form, one of the most common feelings is “if only I had a little more space for X.” I think this is a completely normal and reasonable reaction to something we love and that brings us joy. However, the idea that more = better is where I draw the line; because more space also means more effort, more time, and more money. Yes, more space means more, but less space doesn’t mean less opportunity. If you ever feel defeated by the lack of “more,” go down the tiny home rabbit hole on YouTube (Tiny Home Tours is one of my favorite channels). While not directly related to gardening, I guarantee you’ll appreciate the space you have and have a whole new perspective on what you need to create something inspiring.
Small spaces, whether residential or outdoor, are only limited by the creativity and perspective of the occupants. And this is not to disparage large spaces in any way, as I have mentioned, there are many challenges in creating and maintaining large spaces, which are welcome when done well. If you are reading this from a large home with a large garden, this is not a criticism of you. I am just talking about those of us who may never want more space or have to make the most of the small space we are currently using.
Enough of that. Let’s get to what we’re all here for, three wonderful little spaces that foster creativity, love, and abundance for three gardeners:
1. Pack a lot of plants into a small garden
This first entry comes from Gerald Daniels, who shared this stunning photo of his small but majestic garden in June:
My garden is quite small but has a lot of trees. I created a panoramic screen around the plot including trees and large shrubs.
Gerald is the embodiment of not seeing boundaries in his space! While the chairs make this a perfect place to sit back and enjoy the serenity of the space, I would be too interested in his incredible collection of plants to sit down. The variety of colors, textures, and shapes makes this photo hard to look away from. I have looked at it multiple times over the past month and each time I find something new and interesting. Is there anything you see that really catches your eye?
2. Find luck in a small garden
Hello! My name is Donna Minnix and I am from Bluefield, WV. We live in a depressed area; however, I am luckier than most. I have flowers to work with, a loyal husband who follows me around with a shovel, and a good neighborhood. Many of these flowers are grown in a student-centered greenhouse with special education students. I was fortunate to be their teacher for four years before taking a new position as a Special Education Specialist.
I love working with my flowers and have passed that trait on to my wonderful grandchildren who are always eagerly waiting to see another flower bloom.
Thanks for viewing my flower garden and have a nice day!
Donna’s garden is a prime example of the meaning, history, and significance that can be found in even the most humble of places. Someone who doesn’t know might just see a small garden with a modest number of plants from this lot, but for Donna, this space connects back to her entire world—a loving partner with whom she cares for this space, a career that many of these plants originated from, and grandchildren to whom she can pass on her passion.
Some meaningful plants, a shady place to sit and enjoy the space with loved ones, and even a small fountain to relax with the gentle sound of water. To me, that is the epitome of a dream garden.
3. Create privacy around a small garden
My name is Suzannah Pugh. I live and garden in Springfield, Missouri, zone 6b or 7a depending on who is reading the map. Thank you for looking at these.
The first photo is of my backyard garden. I created a sense of privacy from the rest of the yard by using green jade plants. (Western Thuja ‘Smaragd’, Zones 4–8) and dwarf hydrangea ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’, Zones 5–9). This spot gets sun until about 2pm and then the rest of the afternoon and early evening is shady. I can have some full sun and part sun plants in this area. I have a lot of boxwoods in pots. Some of the perennials can be indistinguishable; sage, rudbeckia, sedum, native daisies and aguja. Foreground is a millennium onion (Onion hybrid ‘ALLMIG1’, Regions 4–8), echinacea and more herbs.
Privacy and greenery galore! It’s hard to tell from these photos how much space Suzannah is using in total, but whether or not she has a large garden just outside those photos, this little slice is stunning.
The plant itself even packs a punch in small packages! Millenium allium is an award-winning perennial with gorgeous, showy flowers that are loved by pollinators and often overlooked by rabbits and deer. All the garden power in a plant that doesn’t grow more than 20″ tall and 15″ wide. Thanks for sharing your wonderful plant collection and dream garden oasis with us, Suzannah!
Thank you to all the contributors and members of the GPOD community for sharing your gardens and being open to the many different spaces we explore. No matter the size of your garden or the number of plants you have, we love to see it all. Please follow the instructions below to submit your photos and if you only have one or two to share, I would be happy to include you in the next Vignette. Have a great weekend!
Do you have a garden you would like to share?
Do you have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular plant collection you love, or a beautiful garden you’ve had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the photo and where you took the photo. We’d love to know where you are, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you’re proud of, failures you’ve learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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