How To Make Your Garden A Sanctuary: Part 1

List and source links at the end of this post.

On Saturday my Mom came over and we worked in the garden all day. We pulled weeds, moved existing plants, planted new ones, put up a trellis, installed garden lights. It was a long day, but the end result was a beautiful, restful outdoor space that we love spending time in.

I was thinking about my new garden this morning. How long it took, how hard we worked. The next day our bodies were so sore, but our hearts were so full. All that labour wore us out, but it also fed our souls. The reward was worth the cost.

No wonder there is so much scriptural significance to gardens. Life began in a garden. Betrayal and surrender also happened there. So did communion, solace and sanctuary.  

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Gardens are a place of labour, dirt, sweat, tears. They are also a place of growth, beauty, majesty, rest and joy. Hard packed soil is pierced, turned and softened. Some things are torn out, digging down deep to the root. Other things are planted, tended, watered, trained and anticipated.

Truthfully, Andrew and I had been avoiding this work. We’d been looking out our kitchen window at our little back yard, taking in the scope of work it required and feeling weary before we’d even begun. Dreading it, even. It’s not that we couldn’t see it’s potential. It’s not that we didn’t want the end result. It’s just that focusing on the entire process instead of the individual tasks one at a time crushed our motivation.

Until my Mom showed up with her sweet smile, willing hands and her “come on! We can do this!” attitude, and suddenly it felt possible.

And isn’t that just always the way? Precious reader, our patient, loving Saviour is there in the garden, waiting for you. Strong back, broad shoulders, everlasting arms that never grow weary. Hands that hold all things together and formed you from the dirt, ready to dig deep into the soil with you, uprooting lies that choke out life, and planting truth in its place. He works with purpose. He works with patience. He delights over you with singing, for the work of his hands yields fruit in its season, beauty in its time, and light in the darkness.

There is still much to do. Some plants still need to get into the ground, I ran out of mulch and the planters are still bare. I also need to recover the couch cushions (they’re in pretty rough shape). I’ll post more pictures after phase 2, but we’re almost there! Ready to welcome you for some cold iced tea and an afternoon chat! 🙂

Tips for creating your own garden sanctuary:

1. Use garden carpet and the darkest mulch you can find! For the little extra time and expense, this is the most important part of your garden! The carpet keeps the weeds from popping up and the mulch protects the plants and holds the moisture longer so they don’t get so dried out. I always pick the darkest mulch I can find (black is best) because it gives the nicest contrast against all those bright green leaves and colourful blooms!
2. Plan in 3’s. Just like decorating inside, odd numbers and varying heights are visually comforting. Put tallest/biggest plants in the back, medium shrubs in the middle and smallest plants in the front.
3. Plan your color scheme ahead of time. I like to always start with white and then add two coordinating colours, plus 2-3 different shades of green.
4. Stage a seating area. We hear “bring the outdoors in” all the time, but bring the reverse also works! Make your outdoor seating area feel like an indoor living room with throw cusions, a rug, small plants and solar lighting.
5. Add lighting! Outdoor lighting is getting prettier and more affordable every year and makes your garden so beautiful at night. If you decide to go with solar lighting, opt for warm light tones. The cold, blue light ones just don’t feel as welcoming (in my opinion) 😉
6. Add whimsical touches. Adding one or two cute/architectural features in unexpected places is a great way to make your garden inviting and personal.
7. Take your time. It’s better to spend a little more on higher quality plants and accessories slowly over time than go crazy at the dollar store all at once. Adding only one or two things at a time until it “feels right” will help keep your garden feeling airy and classy instead of cluttered and kitchy.

Source list for this post:

Playhouse Bought last year on sale.

Playhouse globe string lights from IKEA

Solar Table Lamp from IKEA

Garden lights from Home Hardware. These lights are not solar. They plug in. Just a heads up, they don’t give you enough wire in the box to space them very far, so we had to buy extra wire and splice it. (Also, they appear to be out of stock online, but keep trying, they’ll come back!).