Today I’m joining my fellow Lords and Ladies of the Roundtable in exploring the garden design topic of First Impressions.
The advice for ensuring your garden makes a good first impression is quite similar to the advice on making a good first impression that you probably received from your mom, and of course your best friends, way back when…when you first started dating.
Some of those kernels of truth, planted in your mind long ago, can be dusted off and applied to your garden to make sure it’s ready for a blind date from a surprise visitor…or two.
Dress Appropriately and Be Yourself
A sure way for your garden to make a positive first impression is for it to compliment the style of your home. It should enhance and support your home, not overwhelm it.
Incorporating a mix of regionally appropriate native plants is a simple way to add a sense of color, style and identity to your garden. Once you have the plants in place, start to add a few accessories that give visitors a sense of who you are.
Like your lucky scarf or favorite pair of shoes, adding touches to your garden that speak to your interests, favorite colors, or even the fact that you can’t seem to throw anything away (yes, now we call that re-purposing), adds a touch of flair and whimsy and makes your garden much more inviting.
A few well-placed accessories are a great conversation starter.
Get a Haircut
Just like with any big event, grooming decisions for your garden play an important part in how it looks and feels. It can be difficult to know how and when to prune your plants properly. But proper pruning can really help rejuvenate a garden and is essential to keeping it healthy and vigorous. Buying a book or two on pruning woody plants and caring for perennials is a good investment.
For pruning trees and shrubs, I like The Pruner’s Bible by Steve Bradley since it has easy to understand illustrations on formative, routine and remedial pruning. And for caring for perennials so they look their best, I turn to The Perennial Care Manual by Nancy J. Ondra and The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tarcy DiSabato-Aust.
FIrst impressions...a great barber but probably wound a little too tight for me.
Nerds Make Great Boyfriends
Remember back in high school, it was the jocks that got all the attention. You know the type…well-built, flashy and sometimes more show than substance. Plants are the same way.
If you look beyond what everyone else in the neighborhood is growing, and instead do some research and find appropriate native plants for your garden, you’ll be rewarded with a plant that is good for the environment and, like the nerd in high school, will mature into a fine specimen with a little understanding and TLC.
Chionanthus virginicus...a nerdy native plant for southeastern US gardens
Don’t Give The Milk Away For Free
Admit it ladies, we’ve all heard, or uttered, this piece of advice. Regardless of how you feel it applies to dating, it is certainly worth keeping in mind when you are designing your garden.
A little mystery and intrigue, that hey-I-wonder-what’s-around-that-corner sense of wonder that you get when you can’t quite see the entire garden at once goes a long way to making a lasting positive first impression.
Even if your garden is small, adding a fence and gate or a curving path can arouse some curiosity and have your guests wanting more.
Think of a slightly opened gate as your garden's equivalent of a come-hither look.
Want More?
For more looks at First Impressions, check out posts from other members of the Garden Designers Roundtable:
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK
Jocelyn Chilvers : The Art Garden : Denver, CO
Susan Morrison : Blue Planet Garden Blog : East Bay, CA
Pingback: First Impressions! « Garden Designers Roundtable
Hi Debbie,
Loved your ‘dating game’ approach to the front garden!
I was back in high school immediately, nervously screwing up my courage to ask for my first date!
Seriously loved and agreed with all your points.
And ‘re-purposing’ I didn’t know the word, but it is part of my vocab now!
Best
R
Robert, I was having some vivid high school flashbacks while writing the post. Glad you enjoyed it!
Pingback: Garden Designers Roundtable: First Impressions — J Peterson Garden Design
Nerds DO make good boyfriends! I love your dating advice, Debbie, and how it relates to your garden. Very funny and very accurate!!
I think Bill Gates and similar ‘nerds’ have made us all take a second look at nerds! I’m glad you enjoyed my post and found the parallels to be accurate.
A very fun read and some spot-on advise. Thanks, Debbie!
You’re most welcome, Jocelyn.
Debbie, thanks for my first out-loud laugh of the day! What a clever and useful post–your examples are perfect!
Jenny, I’m so glad you got a good laugh… exactly the reaction I was hoping for.
Wonderful reminders….I do have to get better at pruning…it was why I never became a hairstylist and I am terrible at crafts…keep scissors our of my hands
Donna, I’m no good at cutting hair either..it never comes out straight and then I have to re-cut..and re-cut…
Great read. Well presented and well written.
Thanks, Joni.
Pingback: Garden Designer’s Roundtable – First Impressions « Personal Garden Coach
Great advice, and the dating analogy makes it go down easy. And you’re right, repurposing IS just a fancy way to admit we’re packrats! Nice post.
Pack rats unite! Re-purposing makes it sound like we won’t be on a future episode of Hoarders.
I LOVED your unique take on this topic Debbie! It was a fun and entertaining read. Oooh hold on- I there is a Nerd at my door! LOL
Thank you for the fun!
Thanks, Christina. Hope that nerd but along a nice surprise for you…
Great post Debbie. Sometimes looking at our gardens from a different perspective (like dating! I wouldn’t have thought of that) is all we need to shake ourselves up. Love the photo of the chionanthus, I’ve been eyeing this tree up recently for my own garden.
Marguerite, Chioanthus is a slow grower so it takes a few years to come into it’s own but I think it’s worth the wait.
What a flirty post — love it. I’ll never look at a half-opened gate the same way, now that I see it’s offering a come-hither glance.
Hee Hee…me, too.
Pingback: Curb Appeal: Five Inexpensive Front Yard Enhancements | Eden Makers Blog
Hi Debbie,
Terrific examples of first impressions and I love how you framed your blog post. Clever!
Interesting perspective, Debbie. Love the ‘don’t give it away for free’ analogy! There should always be a sense of discovery in a garden…front, back or side yard…
I’m still laughing… fun post with good info.
Hilarious! I’m going go open my gate now, or should I close it? It says so much about me I’m torn.
Stevie, As someone who went to catholic school for 12 years, I’d have to say that whenever my gate is open I feel guilty about it!
A fun approach! These analogies make it easy to explain curb appeal to everyone. I think the phrase “Nerds make good boyfriends” will have me chuckling for awhile!
Great post!