Last year was the first year i had ever gardened, and I was truly happy with the outcome. Sure, my potatoes didn’t really grow, the pumpkin was green and rotted thanks to an early freeze, the onions went mouldy, and I had more tomatoes than I knew what to do with – but I also had my kids working hard to uproot carrots, sunflowers that were a joy to watch bloom all summer, a seemingly endless supply of lettuce, and…calendula.
I took a lot of joy in designing my last garden. My 30×20 plot boasted four separate garden beds with a 4×4 raised bed in the center.
It was wild and beautiful, although I admit upkeep was a challenge. Especially since my two boys always wanted to be outside with me, but were only entertained for a short while before running – mostly to our front yard! Needless to say, my opportunities for weeding were sparse, and generally only conducted on the rare occasions I took an extra day off work.
Through my ventures, I learned that I LOVE being out in the garden. Bugs, bees, and all. I couldn’t believe how relaxing and joyful it was to be outside! For me, the space was beautiful and uplifting.
Yet, I am not interested in doing the same thing again. Many of my veggies and flowers will be seeded again, but I am interested in developing something a little bit unique for my garden design this year. You ready to hear? Wait for it….(drumroll…)
I am going to build a labyrinth!
Admittedly, a relatively small one. It will likely look something like this:
Photo downloaded from blogmymaze.wordpress.com
Now the look is going to be a little different, since I am going to have to adapt the center space to contain room for a walking path as well as a 4×4 bed. Each orange line is also going to house plants, so my pathways are going to be very narrow (approximately 1 foot wide) and the beds themselves will have even less room (only 9 inches on some of the slimmer areas). The plants inside the labyrinth will be beautiful, but functional, with some of the plants which need more room growing outside the maze’s walls.
That brings me to Part 2 of my Very Brilliant Design – as the plot is wider than it is long, I will have some space to create four garden spots for the kids!
What do you think? Have you ever tried a design like this? How did it work?
orianaartist 