Garden Themes- Using your other hobbies, interest as a guide.

Choosing a garden theme isn't all that different from decorating a room in your house. Plan it around location (sun/shade) with whimsical ideas, a specific style (cottage, classic, country), or something close to your heart.
 
One of my themed gardens, is the Anniversary Garden (see photo right). My husband, John and I put in on our a wedding anniversary a couple years back. (Truth be told, I designed and did the digging and planting, and he used the tractor to move the dirt. That is his idea of gardening.) The garden is filled with plants named for love and longevity. Fitting with the "couple style," I try to put in two of every plant. The garden hosts a variety of species including: Passion plant,  Forever and Ever Hydrangea, and a couple of Knock Out roses.

Another way to envision a theme is through a hobby, person, life event, or any interest you have a passion for. Here are a few ideas get you thinking:

Meringue, Coneflower

In the off season, do you like Snowmobiling or skiing?
Try incorporating your love for snow into the space by using all white flowering plants. Or try to find plants with the name "snow" in them- but not SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN! Unless you have large wild area that you don't mind filling up quickly. I do have a creeper call Snow in Summer, that is much more manageable, but still adds that white fluff as a ground cover. Click here for white perenials ideas.

Compact Little Spire, Russion Sage

Do you long for sandy beaches?
Include that feel into your garden by adding a small sandy area, surrounded by grasses, Russian Sage and drift wood. You might even want to include a water feature for sound. Simple fountains are becoming more budget friendly. A water free idea can be obtained using a dry creek bed, made with small rocks and plants. Now just place a couple of those colorful plastic aerodeck chairs, stir up a margarita and your good to go!

If a cabin is in the woods is where you long to be?
Mix in a rustic feel for your garden with ferns, a dwarf conifer, log bench, carving, bird houses created with a log cabin feel, or a simple log stump to rest on.

On the more whimsical side, I put in a garden for my husband called the Frog Garden, via his nickname, Frog. The garden  has a fake pond, IE: Bird bath, surrounded by mini hostas, grasses and frog garden art.


As you can see garden themes can encompass a wide variety of interest and ideas. What kind of interest do you have? Can you see how these might fit into your garden space? Leave a comment and lets share some of your ideas!