Meet Robin Rae, my momma! She lives in small small small town USA and is a part time working mother. I was visiting her recently in our hometown and couldn't believe how beautiful her gardens were getting. It's funny because that same weekend we were looking for something inside and come across a photo of her back patio when she first bought that house 6 years ago. You will totally be as impressed as I was, with the before and after. She has worked very hard on her yard, garden and patio. So, I sat down with her and asked her about her secrets to gardening and creating such a beautiful space.
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| Mom's patio when she bought the house. |
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| Mom's Patio Now! |
She said that her niche for gardening evolved over time, plus it's kind of in her blood. I'm guessing it must have skipped a generation for the first time in 150 years with me. Or maybe I just got a lot to learn. Mom has also been in garden club for the past 8 years. Being in garden club taught her a lot too and also helped her build her flower and plant knowledge. And you can't beat a group of women splitting and trading plants just for fun! I didn't know this but she even took a few botany classes in college. Something that may have also added to her credentials in gardening is her devotion to the show Victory Garden's on PBS.
As we were looking through her garden I asked her if she had a theme for design of her gardens. She said, "Recycled and repurposed." She said that she is cheap and her garden's are "a result of her creativity that comes out on a limited budget." Many of her garden furniture, knick knacks and even plants where going to be tosses! To be honest I agree, some of my most creative space designs came out of the desperation of making a space look grand with almost no recourses. I just wonder if she could have made her yard look this great even with unlimited fund? Because true creativity comes when things don't quit fit together.
My grandma grew up spending a majority of her day in the gardens and taught my mom the importance of pruning and fertilizing. And has learned a lot from her mom but has gain lots of her own advice from being in the dirt herself. She says, good trick for beautiful flower pots which she has 21, is to completely clean out the dirt every two years. Having good soil full of nutrients is the trick to getting the results you wants. She also advices that if your water is going straight through the pot, she recommends that you scratch the top to make sure the water isn't following an oil trail and gets everywhere in the pot. She also rotates her pots throughout the summer to get where they grow the best and look the best. Originally, when she first bought the house her plans for her back yard and patio was to completely enclose it with a privacy fence. What a shame that would have been! Today, her garden are absolutely relaxing even though she lives in town. She designed it with the senses in mind. In the morning when she has her coffee and devotional, she can hear the sound of her fountain dripping water, the beautiful sights of her colorful annuals, the smell of morning dew on her bushes and the feel of the morning sun rising in perfect harmony with her patio. Maybe a place few of us have to enjoy daily and a place her confesses she may take for granted sometimes.
.She say, "Money doesn't have to be an priority in making your garden beautiful."
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