a repurposed garden tool, garden gate

Here is my latest project- a repurposed garden tool, garden gate.  If you recall, this is not on my prescribed list of garden projects for 2012, but this project actually represents me creeping up on a bigger project- a fence for the front yard.  It is kind of a long story how, but trust me, I am making progress on that project, slowly.

Before- a fine gate.

This gate is a replacement for a perfectly good gate I built about 12 years ago.   There is nothing wrong with this gate, but it was not really interesting, nor was it especially inviting.

After- an interesting and inviting entrance into the garden.

Thinking back to 12 years ago in the garden, the gate basically describes the garden, too.  There was not a whole lot going on, and the main objective was to gain some privacy.  

Now that the garden has matured, privacy is provided by trees, shrubs and other structures, and the old gate seemed like an unwelcoming impediment to the garden beyond.

So I took this as an opportunity to add a little creativity and art to the garden, while at the same time, opening up the backyard and connecting the side yard to the back.

As with most of my projects, all the wood (cedar 2x stock), garden tools, and hardware were all recycled and came from Home ReSource (have I mentioned I enjoy shopping there?).

Using garden tools seems fitting as both an entrance to the garden, and to describe the hobbies of the homeowners.

This gate is just down the path from the new trellis I made earlier this year, and there are obvious similarities.

 I think this gate provides a sense of separation, yet allows a nice flow or continuity to the garden.

In case you are wondering, the old, perfectly good gate won't go to waste.  I am going to reuse the screws and cedar fence boards, and the frame and other hardware I'll donate to Home ReSource (where I will probably end up buying them for another project someday!).

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a lifestyle garden

Several years ago, our house was on a garden tour sponsored by a local nursery. We were very flattered to be a part of this tour. The organizer of the garden tour and owner of the nursery wrote a description of each garden, including a title and a blurb summarizing the garden and the experience. He called our yard a “Lifestyle Garden”.

 

I had never heard this term before nor have I seen it since. Initially I was puzzled by the term and thought it was almost an insult or relating to us having an “alternative” lifestyle or something.

However, the more I thought about it, I thought this title was really fitting and since then it has really stuck with me. I was proud of this title, and it seemed like a really unique label for our garden and what we were trying to accomplish. I liked it. I also thought this title must in some way be a reflection of how unique my wife and I are.

But we are not unique, nor anymore unique than anyone else. However, we have done what few others do, that is really personalize our garden by trying something different and something that reflects our interests, beliefs, and yes, our lifestyle.

 After some more thinking, I thought that every garden is a "lifestyle garden". But is it? Since that time, I have come to realize that is exactly what is wrong with many gardens and why people want to change them- they didn’t reflect the lifestyles of their owners.

Too often, gardens are a reflection of something or someone else, and some other person’s lifestyle, or an interpretation of what someone’s garden should look like. That is one of the reasons many gardens look the same despite climate differences, regional differences, and certainly the differences in the owners.

Before my wife and I first meet any of our garden coaching clients, we ask them to fill out a survey to help them articulate what their goals are and what they want to do in their garden. Through this process we can begin to understand the clients’, as we say, “wants and needs”, and ultimately help them to create a garden that suits them. In essence, what we try to do is make everyone’s garden their lifestyle garden. I think the best gardens capture someone’s personality and by creating a garden that is a reflection of you and your lifestyle and you will enjoy it, use it more, and feel at home.

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