​We once had a three-season porch that overlooked a pond and my backyard gardens.  It was furnished with typical rattan porch furniture.  We never used it.  Why?  I would guess we weren’t comfortable. 
 
I refurnished the room with cushy sofas, chairs, and a small table for meals.  Outside I added a Pagoda Dogwood and Japanese Maple (both small understory trees growing about 8-10 feet) that provided screening from our neighbors.  It made all the difference and we enjoyed the room and used it frequently.  Can a similar redo of a garden increase the use of an outdoor room? 

As a gardener I focus on the plants and leave the thought of what it takes to really enjoy my bit of the outdoors to chance.  But I would guess that more thoughtful elements in the garden towards comfort would tip the joy meter in an upward direction.  
Here’s some things to consider to add to your garden space:

1. Comfy furniture
2. A fire pit
3. Good views (such as a focal point plant or even borrow from a neighbor’s yard or the lake or countryside)
4. Moving parts such as wind chimes or a water feature
5. Attractions for pollinators and wildlife (birdbaths, pollinator plants, feeders)
6. Privacy:  hedges, shrub bed, trees and/or a fence
7. Most comforting is something overhead such as a shade tree, pergola, porch, or canopy

Most suburban yards are developed with wide-open spaces and hardly any separation from our neighbors.  This drastically reduces privacy that we naturally crave for relaxation.  Michael Pollan in his book Second Nature writes that “a fence or hedge along the street meant one thing:  the family who lived behind it was antisocial, perhaps even had something to hide… Any enjoyment of this space was sacrificed to the conceit of wide-open land, for without a fence or hedge, front yards were much too public to spend time in….Fences have always seemed to us somehow un-American.  Europeans built walled gardens.” 
 
Oh, how I love to peak into those walled gardens and see how lovely and private those areas would be to enjoy.  I say let’s close off some private spaces for us to enjoy our gardens. 

​My favorite place to enjoy my gardens is to sit under our upstairs deck on a patio that faces the lake and is surrounded by perennials that change as the growing season matures.  I can look out the window and see these gardens that are about 15 feet from the foundation of the house.  Many homes have foundation plantings that can only be enjoyed as you approach the house.  Move those plantings 10-15 feet away from the house and they can be enjoyed both inside and outside. 

​Do you have a favorite spot in your gardens?  If not, take a look around your gardens and see what you might do to increase your enjoyment.

​My garden fence was built to deter deer from ravishing my vegetables.  The fencing is not made to turn away a small bunny and there are gaps under the gates.  After being on this property for 15 seasons, this is the first rabbit.  The wolves, coyotes, fox, and eagles may be credited for the lack of rabbits; that is until now.
 
Baptisia australis, common name False Indigo, is a native plant to the eastern U.S.  In addition to being advertised as tolerant of rabbits the plant is unappealing to deer, drought resistant, and tolerate of poor soils.  I thought it perfect for my garden since it likes full sun to part shade (my garden receives about 6 hours per day) and would provide some color between the spring ephemerals and the summer bulbs that grow alongside my raised beds.   At 3-4 feet tall, it would stand out, just what I wanted. 
 
Baptisia australis was named Perennial of the Year in 2010 by the Perennial Plant Association.  It seems appropriate because this plant is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, has multi-season interest, is tough, and is low maintenance. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder: “Over time, plants develop slowly expanding clumps with deep and extensive root systems, and should not be disturbed once established. Plants take on more of a shrubby appearance and tend to open up after bloom. Trimming or shearing foliage after bloom helps maintain rounded plant appearance and obviates a possible need for staking, but eliminates the developing seed pods which are so attractive.” 
 
In addition to this native, there are now new cultivars that come in yellow, pink, violet-blue, and creamy vanilla.  Baptisia attracts butterflies with its flowering for 3-4 weeks in June.  Both its blooms and dried seed pods can be used in floral arrangements.  The common name of False Indigo refers to the use of this plant by early Americans as a substitute, albeit an inferior one, for true indigo in making blue dyes.  I originally thought that the Latin "australis" was odd for a native North American plant and found out that it means "southern".   It can also refer to Australia.  
 
I’m putting up netting around the Baptisia and hoping for the best.  Maybe next year I’ll get some blooms? Or maybe it's time for another trip to the garden center?

We lost our friend John after four decades of wonderful memories.  I met John & Marlen on their wedding day on a spring day in June 1980 and we have been having fun ever since.  John loved the outdoors and so it seems fitting to honor him with some photos of his garden this week.  He had a good eye in using sculptures, birdbaths, natural materials, and fountains to enhance his human, animal and bird visitors' enjoyment of the garden and embracing the beauty of the northwoods.   

If you are traveling in the Philadelphia area I highly recommend this list of gardens, all quite different.  Seeing woodland spring ephemerals in different settings taught me a new appreciation for what I tend to take for granted here at home.   Anytime during their long growing season these gardens will teach, display and provide pleasure to their visitors.  

​Morris Arboretum – As the name implies the arboretum is a teaching and research facility of the University of Pennsylvania.  It is set on the historic grounds of the summer home of John and Lydia Morris.  They have informative displays of trees, shrubs, and woodland perennials.  

​Longwood Gardens – One of many du Pont family gardens in the area.  The gardens are spread about on 1,100 acres of highly manicured display gardens.  We were there for six hours, more than enough time to see almost everything and spend time in their excellent garden shop.  According to their website they raise 75 percent of the plants used in their displays onsite producing about 110,000 plants of 1,000 different varieties.  Nearby is Kennett Square, a tidy small town with many retail shops and restaurants. 

​Mt. Cuba Center – The Center is set in the rolling hills of the Delaware Piedmont near Wilmington.   The property was developed by Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland.  Mrs. Copeland is quoted in their intention for the property: “I want this to be a place where people will learn to appreciate our native plants and to see how these plants can enrich their lives so that they, in turn, will become conservators of our natural habitats.”.  If you go, I recommend scheduling a tour by one of their very knowledgeable tour guides.  If you can’t go to Mt. Cuba Center, you can still learn much by going to their website.  I have bookmarked as one of my favorites the native plant finder.  

​Winterthur – The home of Henry Francis du Pont, the 1,000 acres near Wilmington, DE includes 60 acres naturalist gardens, a research library, shops, museum, and the mansion chock full of American textiles and furniture.  The gardens are more in the background of Winterthur given all the other attractions of this property.  
​Chanticleer  - This garden was the last we visited, and I think the best.  Chanticleer is set on 47 acres of the former home of the Rosengarten family, members of the family still guide the foundation that manages the property.  This unique property employs seven Horticulturists who are each responsible for an area of the grounds.  Chanticleer advertises itself as a pleasure garden and definitely lives up to that name.  We felt as if we were invited guests, the horticulturists and grounds staff were about the grounds ready to answer our questions.  
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What a treat to have visited these gardens, each one unique in its own way.  And the Winnebago Master Gardener Volunteers are wonderful traveling companions.  

​The good news:  My first blooms of the season, crocus!  The bad news:  I have lost my garlic!  The good news:  The garlic has been found and rhubarb is poking through. (Note to self:  label the garlic rows in the fall.)  Spring has started in spite of the remaining snow piles and ice still on the lake. 

On our Mediterranean cruise this March we were fortunate to stop at the Exotic Gardens of Monaco.  It is amazing what you can do when (1) you are the king of a principality, (2) you are rich enough to employ several hundred gardeners, and (3) have several generations of family that contribute to the garden. 
 
Although we did not see the entire garden, what we did see was impressive.  These four acres are set on a rocky hillside and was opened in 1933 by Prince Albert I.  Although dominated by succulents, there are also roses and I even found some spring bulbs.  Only later did I pause to think about how that was possible in this temperate climate with not enough of a cold period for bulbs to bloom naturally.  I would hazard a guess that they kept the bulbs in cold storage and planted them outside to enjoy this spring.  Just like we would do to force bulbs, except on a larger scale.  Again, money and labor can create a wonderful garden. 
 
Most of all I love the address of this garden. 
​Wouldn’t you love to live on Boulevard du Jardin Exotique?