The benefits of visiting other gardens

I love spending time in my garden. Whether I'm attacking a new crop of weeds, spreading a lovely thick layer of compost, planting new flowers, or just enjoying a cup of tea from a cozy seat, being in the garden restores my peace.

One of the things I appreciate most about gardening, though, is that the work is never complete. The garden evolves year after year. Some plants flourish, some die, and some simply don't work, so the process of designing the garden continues. If you ask me, that often requires inspiration. I get a lot of inspiration from keeping my subscription to The English Garden current and watching the BBC's Gardeners' World religiously. I regularly cut out photos from the magazine and pin them to bulletin boards I've hung along one wall of my studio, which functions as a sort of a gallery of garden design ideas.

But nothing is more inspiring—and rejuvenating—for a gardener than visiting other gardens, especially the grandest ones. Even if you don't have a garden, visiting one will surely restore your soul. I've seen the Atlanta Botanical Garden work wonders on the many friends I've taken along with me. As soon as we step through the entrance and into the garden, their faces change, and they seem totally at ease. And if you are a gardener, well, you'll feel as if you've finally found your place in the world. My mom and I can attest to that—we've visited many of England's most famous gardens and attended the Chelsea Flower Show, and I think we're always our most joyful when immersed in a garden where the designer (or the head gardener) seems to have gotten everything right. And in no time, we'll be developing a list of changes we'll make to our gardens when we get home.

The hunt scene at Ladew Topiary Gardens

For the last couple of years, I've been thinking that my garden just isn't as lovely as it could be, but I haven't really felt confident about making adjustments. I've had plenty of inspiration from Gardeners' World and The English Garden, but it hasn't compelled me to do anything. Sometimes, you really do need to walk around a garden and be a part of it. I've been missing that a bit, but that all changed last week. I went on a solo, self-directed garden tour in the Philadelphia area, and I can tell you that the gardens wholly revived me and have lit a fire in me. Over three days, I visited Ladew Topiary Gardens, Winterthur, and the jewel in the crown (if you ask me), Chanticleer. They all gave me great ideas that I'll be implementing throughout this growing season, but most importantly, they gave me a new perspective on my garden.

Allium punctuating a long border at Chanticleer

I'm definitely adding a lot of allium bulbs in various places this fall. In all three gardens, the alliums were in various stages of their bloom cycle, and they added so much visual interest and height. I'm also incorporating just a few more water elements—at Chanticleer, I spotted several shallow, water-filled glazed pots that the gardeners floated flowers in. It's a great way to highlight the range of flowers in bloom at any time, and it's a charming addition to a seating area.

More is magically more at Chanticleer

I've also decided to implement a rule I recently learned from an online course led by a British garden designer—space plants, on average, 18 inches apart. In other words, stuff them in cheek by jowl. Chanticleer really brought that lesson home. It reminded me so much of Great Dixter, my favorite garden in England, which is downright frothy, largely because it's stuffed with plants.

Brilliantly layered planting at Winterthur

Winterthur and Chanticleer also provided plenty of encouragement to work on layering in the garden. With the right layering, you can lead the eye across an entire view. Thanks to Chanticleer and Winterthur, I'm now convinced that dogwoods are ideal trees to bridge the gap between the garden beds and the tall trees in the landscape, so I've also declared that we'll be getting a good-sized dogwood tree for the bare corner of our front porch .

The waves of Nepeta (catmint) growing at Chanticleer were really my biggest takeaway. They provide great height and color, and once I got home and researched them a bit more, I discovered that deer and rabbits generally avoid it—and since they've been decimating my Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan) and other plants in the front border, I've already planted a few in the hopes that it will provide a protective natural fence in addition to more depth to the plantings.

The garden is starting to sing here

After immersing myself in magnificent gardens for three days, including those at the fantastic bed and breakfast that served as my home base, you might think I would return home and think quite a lot less of my gardens. That's what I expected. But when I arrived and walked around the gardens, I could see just how much I've accomplished here over the last 10 years, and really, they are beautiful. Now that I have a more precise idea of where to make adjustments, I think this year (and next) could be the very best growing seasons yet.

Where can you go to get a little inspiration for your garden? You likely don't need to go far—but if there's a special garden further afield that you've really wanted to see, it's probably time to start planning your trip. I'd love to hear all about where you go!

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Celebrating the harvest: Rainbow Swiss chard recipe

Swiss chard adds a burst of color in the vegetable garden...and on your plate

The vegetable garden has entered its productive season. We're still in the early days, which means the harvests are somewhat limited, but I'm now enjoying regular snacks of French Breakfast radishes, snow peas, and tatsoi. Even if you aren't growing these crops, there's a good chance you'll find them at your local farmers' market. I thought it might be helpful (and fun) to post recipes throughout the growing season. First up is Swiss chard, which is a member of the beet family, something that's obvious when you see it's cork-like seeds. It's a delicious green that grows well in early spring and throughout much of the summer here.

Before I launch into the recipe, it seems appropriate here to confess something: I have an intense, abiding love of the New York Times Cooking app. I wouldn't be surprised if my friends and family keep a stopwatch to see how long we're in conversation before I bring up a great new recipe I've discovered on the app. During dinner last night, as the spouse and I were enjoying beef stew we made from a five-star recipe (with over 25,000 reviews), we both agreed that the app is well worth the $40 annual subscription fee. What you'll find in it is a treasure trove of delicious recipes (and, sure, some that don't seem as great) and loads of inspiration. Some of that inspiration comes in the form of what they refer to as "no-recipe recipes," which may have a loose ingredients list but certainly won't include quantities. They truly are meant to encourage cooks to play around with the ideas presented and make a recipe that suits their tastes.

So, in that same spirit, I present to you a Swiss chard no-recipe recipe. Let me know if you try it and how you've made it your own!

Simple sauteed Swiss chard

Ingredients

• large bunch of rainbow Swiss chard

• onion

• garlic

• olive oil

• red pepper flakes

Suggested cooking instructions

1. Strip the chard from the stalks. Finely chop the stalks and set aside. Roll up the chard leaves and slice thinly.

2. Thinly slice the onion.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add some olive oil when the skillet comes up to temperature.

4. Add the onion and sauté for a couple minutes. Add the chopped chard stalks. Cook until soft.

5. Add the Swiss chard and allow to wilt, stirring regularly.

6. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.

7. Sprinkle lightly with red pepper flakes.

8. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

1. Swiss chard cooks down a lot like spinach, which means it can virtually disappear as it wilts. Don't be afraid to use a lot.

2. I like cutting my onions thinly in half moons.

3. I have a great garlic press, so I'm devoted to using it, but you can chop or mince your garlic.

4. Wondering about variations? I sometimes grate a little Parmesan cheese on top before serving, sprinkle a bit of white wine vinegar or lemon juice at the end, or add some lemon zest when I add the garlic.

A comfortable place to sit

I have visited countless grand gardens over the years and learned a lot of lessons from them. One of the most important lessons is that giving visitors (and the gardener!) places to sit makes a garden far more enjoyable and welcoming. If you're spending any time creating an inviting garden or landscape, nothing says, "Relax and enjoy the view" more than a well-placed seat.

Every time I walk into a local plant nursery, I take a brief detour to the outdoor furniture section just so I can spend a few quiet moments in one of their hanging egg chairs on display. I love being enveloped by the generous cushions and the feeling that I'm floating on air. I always try to imagine where I could put such a wonderful thing on our property, draw a blank, and quickly move on to the real purpose of my visit, relieved that I don't have to justify the exorbitant cost of the chair.

The metal chairs with a perspective across the frozen pond

Although an egg chair would be lovely to have in one of my garden spaces, creating the ideal outdoor seating area doesn't really require a huge outlay of cash. The point is to provide a place to perch—and something as simple as a plain metal chair or a section of a tree trunk will do the job just as well. One of my favorite places to sit, for example, is in one of the chairs on the pond dock. They're just metal chairs that are part of an outdoor dining set the previous homeowners left behind. They're not exactly what I might want in that spot (I mean, a hanging egg chair might be perfect there), but they do the job. I love spending a few moments resting in one of the chairs and looking out across the water.

Tips for creating a good outdoor seating area

Choose a spot where you'd like to linger for a while

The inviting outdoor sofa in the Reading Garden

I created a garden area that I call the Reading Garden. It's a little nook with a pergola in the corner of the pool area that the previous homeowners used for a hot tub (which, I'm happy to say, they took with them). I planted rose, clematis, and jasmine vines at three of the corners. They've scrambled up and over the pergola and turned the spot into a quiet, enclosed space. I love sitting in there with a good book and listening to the birds and the trickle of the little fountain I made in a glazed pot.

Where do you like to spend time on your property? Do you like to recline on a chaise lounge and soak up the sun? Maybe you're more of a shade lover who likes to retreat to cooler zones. Scout out those ideal spots, and choose the ideal seating for them.

Consider the best perspective

The view from the Reading Garden sofa looking forward

I have moved the sofa in the Reading Garden a few times in an attempt to keep everything in view. I finally realized that was impossible (there are plants or views from every angle), so I chose the one that was most pleasing to me. It means if I want to see some of my hydrangeas, I have to look behind the sofa, but I enjoy an easy view of the sunny area, and I still get to see the shady side on the left and the boardwalk and fountain to the right. Plus, tucked at the back end of the patio, the sofa is hard to see from the pool, so it's perfectly private.

Is there a great feature you want to look at, such as a beautiful tree, a water feature, or a vista? Turn around in your selected spot, see where your best view is, and situate your seat facing that direction.

Think about how the seating looks from other perspectives

The sky blue bench above the pool

I placed a bench on the second tier of our pool garden because I like how it sits in the landscape. I use it primarily as a focal feature to draw the eye to that spot, but it may seem a strange place for a bench. Once you walk up there and sit down, though, it provides an elevated view of the pool and the small flower beds nearest the house. It provides a completely different perspective that I love.

Do you have a space a little removed from your house that you don't visit as much? It's a great opportunity for a colorful chair or one with colorful cushions to light up that space and draw you out for a new perspective.

Take advantage of natural areas to feed your senses

I love being in the woods. There's something so peacefully mysterious about them. When I didn't know what to do with one of the many benches the previous homeowners left behind, I decided to perch it on the edge of the woods. It's a wonderful place to sit for countless reasons, but what I love most is that moss grows throughout the area. That's enough to draw me out barefooted for a little quiet time.

The bench on the edge of the woods

My husband loves looking out at vast expanses, so another bench went under a large tree near the back of our property. He sits up there and looks at our neighbors' open field. I think it allows him to think expansive thoughts, and I love that.

Is there a spot in your garden where wild honeysuckle grows nearby? A place where the grass underfoot is like a plush carpet? Remember to choose places that engage your senses. You'll find it's all the more relaxing.

Take note of how the sun moves across your property

We have a small outdoor furniture set on the pool patio that includes a loveseat, two chairs, and a coffee table. From the early morning until 1:00 in the afternoon, it's a comfortable place to sit. But once the sun fully clears the roof of the house, you're basically plunged into full Georgia sun, which will quickly cause even the most well-hydrated individual to droop.

Try to have at least two areas where you can sit and enjoy either sun or shade—whichever you prefer—in any part of the day. And if you'd like to sit wherever you want whenever you want, a patio umbrella (that's easily moveable) can take care of the problem of too much sun in a pinch.

A final gentle reminder for the gardener

Places to sit are necessities in the garden and around any landscape, but a lot of gardeners find them a bit challenging. In fact, outdoor chairs, sofas, and benches often don't function normally for gardeners. All of mine seem to be loaded with a spring in the seat that only deploys when I sit down. Otherwise, how could I explain my inability to sit for long periods? Or could it be that as soon as I sit down, I notice a weed just over there that needs pulled or a Clematis tendril over there that needs woven into its support structure? No doubt the other gardeners reading this are now chuckling to themselves.

So for all of you who love getting your hands in the dirt and creating beautiful garden spaces with perfect places to sit, try to take time to relax and enjoy it all. That spring device likely isn't installed in the seat; it's probably a mechanism in our own brains that—with practice—we can override.