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| Photo Credit: Tres Fromme |
| You’d be hard-pressed to find the rich textures, sensual plantings and soothing sounds of this garden inside any home. |
It’s been a big movement in gardening lately – transforming your back yard into an outdoor living space. You’ve probably read about turning your garden into a series of rooms as an extension of your home’s function and décor. Magazines show seductive images of tables set al fresco showcasing mouthwatering delicacies. Some truly daring homeowners even move their boudoirs into the great outdoors, draping every reachable support with fabrics and candles.
Yes, these lovely vignettes certainly sparkle with all sorts of glamour. But really, how realistic are they? How many of us have the time to sit in our gardens, much less make room for such luxurious outdoor sleeping arrangements? The only napping a true gardener does outdoors is a result of exhaustion, and it rarely requires accessories worthy of a Persian desert caravan. (While I’m pressed to even find time for a nap, I’ll admit that the thought of pulling nutsedge while reclining on a divan has a flair I find a bit appealing.) But let’s get real. I’ve got a few problems with the “taking the indoors outdoors” model of garden design. If you’re like me and you live in the real, time-pinched gardening world, you’d rather spend your time actually enjoying what outdoor spaces are uniquely able to offer. For me it all starts with the fact that I already have a living room, bedroom, kitchen and all the other amenities of a typical house. And frankly, my yard has a limited amount of square footage, so every inch is important. Yes, I may lay some paving for a seating area and add a discrete grill for cookouts, but I don’t want another media room in my garden. In fact, I refuse to make indoor accessories a focal point of garden living.
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