Garden for my Dreaming

All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey....

I'm making an executive decision. This is my blog, and if I can't dream big on my own blog, where can I dream? There shall be no raining on my blog parade. I already know most of what I'm about to write is unrealistic. So hush already. I'm writing about it anyway.

This is what I would like. I would like to be able to step out of my patio door onto a brick patio. On the brick patio is a comfy yellow and white chaise lounge with a small white wood table beside it. Two child sized chaise lounges are across from it. They are both white and green and there is a child sized table between them.

To the left of the patio is a butterfly garden. It is full of pink and purple blooms. A little stepping stone path creeps through it and strawberry plants fill in the spaces around the round stepping stones and to their sides. The white wall of the garage behind the butterfly garden is hung with a trellis up which a trumpet vine grows and blooms. A brick walk departs from the fall left corner of the patio and passes under an arched trellis hung with wisteria.

Another stepping stone path departs the far right hand corner of the patio. It crosses a few feet of lawn and leads to the large mulched circle that holds the swingset. A narrow garden of lilies and black-eyed susans grows to the right of the patio, between the patio and the large sandbox. Above the blooms of the little flower garden, colorful wooden letters float on narrow garden stakes and spell out Sweetlings name. Nearer the house is a hopscotch path that runs the length of the large sandbox. Each square of the path is gaily painted and the spaces between the squares are filled in with colored aquarium gravel. Right against the wall of the house is a square-foot garden which is lovingly tended and yield a rotating crop of fresh vegetables.

The far side of the sandbox has another small garden. This one is in shade and is planted with black magic caladiums, Japanese toad lilies, and other unusual plants. Here, large painted letters rest against the ground, framed by the exotic leaves and spell out Toa of Boy's name. Meanwhile, the hopscotch path terminates in a corner of the yard carpeted with a green indoor/outdoor mat. The play corner contains a plastic battle mountain and a big castle. Waterproof storage containers hold dinosaurs, plastic army men, or knights and horses. Lava rocks frame off this corner.

A blue indoor out door carpet simulates a little stream and runs between Toa's shade garden and a few hosta plants growing at the edge of the yard. Beside the little stream is a little island of white gravel. A gaily painted bench rests there in the shade and two kitchy pink flamigos frame either side of the bench. A hanging pot of hot pink begonias is suspended above one of the flamingos. The little stream terminates at mulched swing set circle.

A club house wants to be part of this design. Originally, it wanted to be a cute little playhouse on the space of lawn on the far side of the swing set, but I think Sweetling and Toa are beyond that. Now I think they need a club house built at the base of the hill that has a "Keep Out" sign proudly nailed to its front door.

Oh, and the horrible hill? A wooden deck is built out over the worse of the unmanageable slope. It has a grill and a table for outdoor eating (and school). It has a flight of steps down to a small subdeck that holds a hammock.

The brick path that left my patio goes along the back of the garage. The obnoxious foot between the walk and the garage wall is planted with caladiums in a variety of colors and types. The narrow side yard holds a two bin rotating compost tumbler. The ground is covered in the chartreuse leaves of sweet potato vines. Going through the gate, which is painted in shades of teal and aqua, the sunnier strip of yard near the driveway is planted in butterfly weed and daisies. There is another narrow brick walk along the edge of the driveway (replacing the mud that is currently lurking along the driver's side of the van.)

The lamppost at the end of the driveway is painted a teal that matches the side gate with the actual lantern painted a bright reddish orange. Honeysuckle climbs the lamppost and daises, black-eyed susan's and tiger lilies sway at its base. A sundial decorates the center of the front yard and a bird bath occupies a nest of ferns and hostas growing around the base of the maple tree. Tall sunflowers cheer the front of the house and screen the air conditioning unit. Miniture pumpkins grow near the front porch and iris, daisies, and mums bloom in season. Herbs grow in large terra cotta pots and a stone angel holds a dish of bird seed in her hands.