Gardening in the islands

Remember as a child, you had your own special place, somewhere you went when the world just got too much for you, it may have been a cubby house in the garden or you may have just hidden away from the world, under your bed. This need to get away or have a special place even as an adult is still important. Somewhere you can relax and rejuvenate and contemplate the world.

The necessity of being able to relax and unwind is becoming more important, with the increased pressures of modern day living. While I have a comfortable place to sit inside when it is too cold or raining, it is not quite the same as if I am outside, in my garden. I believe that many people are the same.

It is a proven fact that gardeners live longer and this has now been supported scientifically. I won’t bore you with the details, but if you are interested just google it, for the finer points. I think it has to do with our ability to commune with nature, in return, nature has the ability to sooth and calm our souls.

This special space is somewhere you can relax and let the stresses of daily life just wash away. We are all busy people and many of us do not take the time to relax and allow our bodies to heal. We should all give ourselves at least an hour a week, to just sit and do nothing, absolutely nothing. The very thought of doing nothing can be terrifying to some of us. If you find it impossible to do nothing try using it as a planning session, maybe somewhere down the track you will find this an easier thing to accomplish.

YOU’RE ALLOWED TO BE GREEDY

You can create these special places even in the modern tiny garden or on your tiny deck or veranda, if this all the outside space you have. It may be a space you can share or you might like a space just for you, it all depends on you. I am a little social so I like sharing some of my special spaces with anyone I care about. Don’t forget you are allowed to be greedy and have more than one special place.

First of all this space must have somewhere to sit or lie, whatever position makes you comfortable, it may be a hammock, a lounge chair anything as long as it is comfortable. Then there must be sound (preferably soothing); I am lucky I have the background music of the river and the birds. If you do not have these natural sounds, you can add wind chimes or even some background music can be nice sometimes (or it might be essential to hide the background noise of modern life).

Don’t forget plants, lots of plants, depending on the position these can be in pots or planted in the ground. As this is a special place, some of the more delicate or needier plants in your collection, can be planted here. I find in my very large garden that I cannot water everywhere, so I place the plants that have higher water requirements in one place, so I can look after them.

REMEMBER A SPACE FOR YOUR BEVERAGE

Don’t forget your sense of smell, so some perfumed plants would be great, Murraya, Yesterday Today Tomorrow and gardenias are all good additions to this area. At night, scented candles and burners all add that little bit extra to your space. Please, be careful of very strong smells, they can become overpowering and cloying. I made the mistake of planting my Dracaena ‘happy plant’ close to the house and the overpowering scent when lowering just got too much, I had to move them. Now if you are a nibbler make sure you make a place for a plate and no R&R site is complete without a place for your beverage. This can be somewhere to put your cappuccino, pot of tea, iced lemon juice or the odd glass of wine. A good book completes the essentials.

LIGHT IT UP WITH SOLAR

Don’t forget if you are going to use your special place at night, then lighting is important. There is now a huge selection of solar lights that can be used as spotlights, to up-light that special tree or path lights to let you walk safely home at the end of your R&R session.

Sometimes you need to think outside the box. I am lucky enough to have the privacy for an outside bath. If privacy is an issue for you then you can create this space with screens and other security measures. This is one of my special places, lying in a hot bath with a scented candle, glass of wine and watching the stars, is just perfection.

My special places all have rich green foliage; there is nothing more luxurious than the big leaves of a monsteria or philodendrons. Ferns and other tropical foliage plants just ooze relaxation and pleasure. On a deck or veranda, hanging plants can be used to add different layers. There are many different commercially available hanging pots you can buy or you can make your own. Coconut husks make amazing pots and my son made his girlfriend an amazing hanging log with the inside carved out where the plants and soil went, it looked sensational. Also do not forget there are air plants that do not require soil at all, such as the tillandsias that belong to the bromeliad family. Check out Google for some of the amazing things you can create attaching them to logs and branches.

Incorporating things that you have made, all forms of garden art or just decorating your pots yourself always adds to the special feeling you get in YOUR PLACE. Maybe you didn’t make it yourself, but maybe a friend gave it to you, maybe the piece comes with a story, this all makes them special to you and increases the ambience of the special place.

Pinterest is a great place for ideas, there is nothing wrong with copying, I also find sometimes all I need are a few concept pictures and my creative juices start flowing and I will add my own slant or incorporate several different ideas to create my own masterpiece.

Garden, Live, Relax Enjoy – Carolyn

Gardening editor Carolyn Ernst owns and operates Eden on the River, an open-garden, petting zoo, cafe, mini zipline, waterfall adventure park in Port Vila. It is a must visit whilst in Vanuatu for a great day out.