Just as when I lived in the city, I take pleasure in spending time poking around a garden centre. I like to imagine what my fantasy backyard and garden might look like if I could purchase the sleek rods of thick bamboo, serene Buddha statues, wooden repicas of Ganesha, decorative benches tucked away in corners worthy of secret sharing, fountains in large ceramic pots with their streams of water trickling a path to peace as spectacularly as any Japanese gardener might create. I visualize what my perfect virtual garden would look like. And, that's a good thing because in reality, my own garden probably would look like hell. Just as well I have a vivid imagination.
Now, the entire exercise might seem silly. I look out on four acres of bunnies and deer and grass and apple trees. I am after all surrounded by the natural beauty of this island paradise, not to mention that I can pop down to the amazing and ever-expanding farm garden right behind the Harbour House Hotel, any time I feel like it to marvel at the spectacular uniformity of the planting by the hardworking team down there and the resultant ever changing bounty of colour and textures, earthy aromas from fruit and vegetables and sacred earth.
But, garden centers have labels. Garden centers have candles and cute little knickknacks of bunnies and birdhouses and tropical plants and best of all they usually have something for every pocketbook. You can buy yourself or someone else a gift for just a few dollars or you can spend every pay cheque, feeding your gardening addiction.
This is FoxGlove Farm & Garden Supply on Atkins Road on the island. This absolutely stunning space was an addition that took place over the past winter. It was cleared out on this particular day because I believe that the owner's daughter had her wedding there in the previous week. What a fantastic place for a wedding. It just seems so classy and could be decorated so beautifully. I'm not sure they actually rent it out for that but it's beautiful. Okay, you get it. I REALLY like it.
In what seems a completely arbitrary and natural way, they do a good job of placing just the right things beside each other. Love the old door. Wabi Sabi at work.
I then came upon this. I love succulents. Find an old window frame minus the window. Pack it with moss and soil and somehow these little succulents clustered together like starfish on a rocky shore are transformed into a living painting. I'm sure you could even hang it up like you would a stain glass hanging.
There's nothing better for the garden than a creatively-made wooden chair. Driftwood might work. It's not because you really want to sit your butt down in 'em. They're usually God awful uncomfortable. But damn they look good. A bit like high maintenance woman when I put it that way. The kind that you could imagine floating around your garden, in between the candelabras on a starry night with a martini glass in one hand and a Cigarello in the other while the turtles watched, judgmentally from the pond.
There! Didn't I tell you? Gardens are critical for aiding and abetting your creativity, refueling imagination, and daydreaming. Time to drop in on the one in your neighborhood, even if it's your very own backyard.