Planning and building a “Peace of MindSpace” garden can be fun and rewarding. Picture
yourself taking a small respite in the quiet of nature, surrounded by the elements of life that bring
you personal joy and contentment. Sip your favorite beverage while watching the variety of birds
as they entertain you with their antics, and feed at your beautiful bird feeder. Feel the soft breeze
and listen to the music of the rustling leaves above. Tune into the song of the windchimes. Take
some slow, deep cleansing breaths of the clean, fresh air. Put your face to the sun and let it wash
over you, bathing you in its warmth and peace. Close your eyes and focus on the meditative
rhythm of the trickling water from the lily pond and just BE… In the “Peace of MindSpace”
How do we go about building such a nice space?
The first order of business is to identify a space in your yard or on your property that you ca
carve out just for the purpose of creating a “Nature’s MindSpace Garden.” Find an area that
offers privacy and some light-filtering shade. It should be an area that brings “YOU” persona
peace. The size is circumstance-dependent, but consider a size that you can embellish with the
things you need for relaxation and a size that you can easily maintain year-round. To have peace,
the last thing anyone needs is to create a maintenance nightmare. Now let’s plan for the spring of
2025.
- Let’s make a map or a drawn plan of your space.
◦ Measure and map out the size and shape of your garden. Stake out your garden
space with wooden markers. If your garden space is curved, take a hose and plan
the shape, then spray the shape of the hose with garden-safe paint or garden lime.
Now trace the shape with wooden stakes so that the shape is not lost when the rain
washes your paint or lime away. Keep your stakes in place until spring.
◦ Draw your garden plan on graph paper using a scale measurement that makes it
easier to place the elements you need to put into the space. - Meditate and Research: Gathering ideas is fun and will speed up your plan. Consider
checking online nursery and landscaping sites, Pinterest, Houzz, and sites of this nature
for ideas. Make a storyboard of the things that inspire and calm you. Take photos and
measurements of elements and plants and see if they fit into the space that you hav
available. Take notes on what you like and don’t like. Take notes on everything! To name
a few:
◦ Size of space
◦ Shape of space
◦ Position of space in relation to sun rise and set
◦ Natural privacy vs. created privacy needs
◦ Created privacy ideas
◦ Seating
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◦ Walkways or Stepping Stones
◦ Grass, stone, mulched areas
◦ Large boulders, medium stone accents, or no stones
◦ Fenced or unfenced
◦ Natural hedges require maintenance vs. artificial silk hedges with mini lights
◦ Kind of fencing you like? Is it low or maintenance-free? Non-rust metal or
aluminum, wood, PVC, embellished chain link
◦ Small tree (consider seriously, it’s full growing height and width)
◦ Fire Pit or Chimney
◦ Focal elements that you like:
▪ Statuaries of cement, wood, or combination.
▪ Bird Bath
▪ Small Lily or Fish Pond
▪ Fancy Bird House
▪ Trellis with a fancy and colorful climbing plant
▪ Small Pergola or Shade Sail
◦ Base Foundation Plants: These plants are your background plants and should be
easily maintained. They may outline your space, creating a peaceful background,
or they can be used in the interior to frame another special feature of your garden.
Caution: Make sure they are not too big, wide, or tall. This could shade other
plants, stunting their growth.
◦ Perennials: The majority of your planting space should be taken up by perennials.
Consider color, sun needs, bloom time, and size. Make a picture list of your
favorites! Some find it helpful to make a calendar of the bloom time of each plan
to ensure a vivid picture during the flower garden seaso
◦ Annuals: Annuals add exceptional color, interest, and texture. Consider balancing
the expense for plants that do not return the next season. (Note: Some annuals can
be cut and restarted in the house for the next season.)
◦ Sound: A small table fountain or windchimes can be very pleasant and soothing.
Windchimes come in many different tones, some soothing and some irritating, so
check the sound before purchasing.
◦ Garden art and other fun little features - Foundation Elements to Consider:
◦ Where does the sun rise and set in relation to the time you are most likely to sit in
this garden? How will you position your chair and the focal features so that the
sun is not blinding you in the morning or evening?
◦ Think about the physical elements and their position that would make you feel
peaceful and relaxed.
▪ Focal Element: Do you want a focal element like a lily pond, a small tree,
a cascading flower-wall garden, a bird feeder, a garden statue, etc.? (Yo
can have one main focal element and other small focal points.) Where
would you like your main focal element to be placed?
▪ Seating and Position: Consider a comfortable chair or small table and
chair set. Where will it be placed in relation to the focal element and the
sun?
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▪ Proper Scale of Foundation Elements: Make sure all furniture and focal
elements are in proper scale or proportion for the space. Some spaces will
only be able to accommodate a small chair or bench, while others will
have a table and 2-4 chairs… and so many more options. Keeping all
focals and elements in scale prevents cluttering the mind and suffocating
the peace in the space. Less is more in this case.
▪ Sidewalks, Paths, and Stepping Stones: Walking elements can create a
warm invitation into your space. In the case of a small space, they can
provide more planting area with flowers bordering the paths.
professional brick path can be exquisite, but a hand-laid path of old bricks
can be very rustic and quaint. Some prefer a woodland look of plain
mulch. Some love a path of small stones. Stepping stones are perfect for a
fast and inexpensive way to create a small walking path. Whichever path
you choose, make sure to prep the ground so that your path is weed- and
maintenance-free.
▪ Privacy and Intimacy: It is important to allow our brains to have some
private intimate space where it can turn off any disruption around us.
Intimacy with oneself is vital for health. In this world of overstimulation,
we need to learn to be comfortable with our silent selves. How can we
create that cozy, safe space? Some garden spaces have natural privacy, but
many must create it. Small walls of wood, stone, or blocks covered in
decorative cement or brick can be a wonderful option to create privacy or
the illusion of privacy. If height is needed, many consider maintenancefree fencing, a trellis of flowering climbing vines, or silk outdoo
decorative vine fencing. Hedges create a beautiful backdrop of privacy,
but always consider the maintenance factor. Creating a sense of enclosure
gives the feeling of safety and the freedom to just let down. - Layer One: Foundation Plants: Take your plan to your local garden center and ask to
speak to an experienced employee who understands the habitat of local native plants.
Show them your draft or plan and explain what you are trying to create in detail. Ask for
some recommendations for hardy, low maintenance, appropriately sized foundation
plants. Consider color and texture, which will make your garden more interesting and
picturesque. - Two: Fill Plants: Fill Plants make up most of your flowering plants and added gree
space. Ask the nurseryman for recommendations on plants that can fill the space
between foundation plants, adding continuity and secondary structure as well as aesthetic
beauty. Some examples are gardenias, hostas, astilbes, peonies, ferns, low grasses—just
so many to choose from. It is nice if the plants of this second layer are a mix of greenery
and hardy perennial plants. - Layer Three Decorative and Colorful Plants: These plants are “The Icing on the
Cake”! In a Serenity Garden, choose colorful flowering plants that are soothing to you
psyche and pleasant to your olfactory senses. Plant a mix of perennial bulbs whose
flowering season flows with the season of the gardn. Fill in with gorgeous annuals t
have varying colors, textures, heights, and cutting potential. Consider low-lying
perennials and accent annuals to line your walkway.
Page 3 of 4 - Lighting: In today’s market, there are so many lighting choices for every budget and
design. It is a luxury if you have an electric outlet in place, but if you do not, solar lights
are great. To keep it simple, first install simple walkway lighting. The amount and styl
should be in keeping with the size of your garden, your budget, and if you have
electricity. Some gardens have overhanging branches of a tree on which to hang bulbs or
twinkle lights. These overhead lights give such a soothing ambiance. Solar lanterns are
another option. Having a “light to your pathway” is a prime safety concern. If at all
possible, I recommend installing an outdoor electric outlet near the garden space. - Watering: Watering options vary much by the size of your garden and how much you
want to be involved. For a small garden, it is very Zen to just water your garden by hand
with a hose. The feeling of being it’s caretaker feeds the soul as we were meant to live.
The plants become connected to us and we to them. Many do not have the time or
circumstances to do this. Alternatively, an underground sprinkler system, an aboveground sprinkler hose, or soaker hoses can be put in strategic and discrete places. The
idea is that the garden thrives with as little maintenance for you as possible. This is not to
be another job, but a relaxing sanctuary. - Aesthetics and Ambiance: Here’s where the finishing touches come in to make thi
garden portrait your own. What makes YOU most happy, peaceful, relaxed, joyful, and
inspired? Do you like to see a family of little gnomes around a tree? What about solar
stake lights of birds or animals that mesmerize you as you watch the changing colors in
the night? How about a gas or wood fire pit? Would you just like to look at the man
birds at your bird feeder? How about watching your bluebird house and observing how
the pair manage their family? How does it make you feel to hear the sounds of the
trickling water from your table fountain or from your fish pond? How about adding
weather-proof piece of art, statue, or mosaic? These are just a few ideas to consider.
Listen and learn from the “Sounds of Silence” and enjoy the “Peace of
MindSpace” that you created! Blessings!
Written independently by Toni Iacoboni from her own mind and experience. No AI assist.
10/25/2025
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