Nicole Johnsey Burke shares eight garden hacks to make your space feel more whimsical. Raised beds warm faster in spring, trellises and arches add playful vertical interest, and native plants around the edges support pollinators while hiding vegetables. Start with just one idea to transform your garden.
Chapters
Here's all the things I do to make my garden more whimsical. First, I start with raised beds. Raised beds warm up faster in the spring, and they also make gardening so much more comfortable. Then I add trellises for all my vining plants. I use arches between my raised beds to create a whimsical walkway. I use panels to create plant fences and obelisks to create these huge plant towers. Then I add fancy plants, herbs, and flowers. Flowers add color and texture to the borders of all my gardens and attract loads of bees and butterflies. The herbs put off smells that make me feel relaxed and happy and somehow scare away the pests at the same time. Next, I put in pathways, easy entrances and exits to the garden so I can get in barefoot and quickly prune or pick or just watch the plants grow. And finally, I add native plants around the edge of the garden to feed the wildlife, hide my veggies, and take care of the bees. Pick just one of these to add to your garden and see if it doesn't feel more whimsical too.