Is there a special chair in your house? A swing in the back yard? A window seat?
You know. That place where you can find solace? A spot where you stop to think? Somewhere you ponder?
My happy place is my patio, working among my flowers.
My husband has expanded the space in recent years— adding brick, raising walls, designing arches. He likes concrete and he always leaves corners for me to adorn.
Which I do with plants and blossoms.
To me flowers are fascinating. Each one is unique—leaves, petals, colors, and shapes. I love to watch them grow. I like to see if they are climbers that will conquer a wall. Or they are clusters that like to congregate in a sunny spot. Or hiders that prefer the shadows.
There is so much to know about each individual flower I could write reams about their individual personalities. I know Marigolds have to have sun to thrive. Impatiens like shade. Petunias are aggressive and will fill a pot without trying.
My husband built a wall with seven arches across its top last summer. All winter I imagined what I could fill those arches with. I’d seen villas in Italy where the buildings were covered in flowers from the top window to the bottom step. They were like a scene from a fairy tale—so lovely were their blooms. I decided that’s what I would do with my wall. I potted Violas which grow upright with Calibrachoa that trail. The effect is stunning.
I surrounded a dead stump with Petunias, Marigolds, and Lantana. Added Blue Bacopa to the top.
I could go on and on. When I’m in my happy place there’s no end to my joy.
I believe God intended it to be so. In Isaiah 55:12 we are told: “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” It is good in my garden. My happy place.