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SECRET GARDENS:
Peaceful places can help reduce stress
March 13, 2020
by Jack Goodwin/Victoria County Master Gardener
Edited by Charla Borchers Leon/Victoria County Master Gardener
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER JACK GOODWIN
Master Gardener Jack Goodwin's secret garden was designed, constructed and planted by him in a back corner of his landscape behind a new workshop and under a young Live Oak tree. Pavers were placed at an angle to form the patio and blend with the border stones. It is considered a work-in-progress with a plan in place to change the plantings seasonally and/or other garden accents.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRYNN LEE
The water garden at Victoria Educational Gardens located to the east of the patio of the Officer's Club provides a peaceful setting in sight and sound. The old swimming pool at the Foster Field Club was converted to a water garden by Master Gardeners and consists of tropical plantings, a flowing water fall over boulder rocks, a pathway bridge constructed over the pond and water lilies and koi fish in the pond. It is a peaceful and serene location to relax and unwind and is open dawn to dusk free to visitors daily.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER JACK GOODWIN
Garden accents often provide symbolic inspiration in a garden setting. A white angelic garden angel peeks from behind magenta Petunias in the forefront and bright green foliage with blue-colored Salvia mixed into the bed.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRYNN LEE
Garden benches are often found in serene garden settings for relaxation and meditation. They provide a peaceful location to think, dream, relax, and remember special times and people in our lives. This tree bench is located in front of a Live Oak Tree in its own small patio at VEG. It could provide inspiration for your own secret garden setting or just help in winding down while being in the beauty of natural surroundings.
Victoria Educational Gardens (VEG) at Victoria Regional Airport
A gardener works with soil and plants effectively alongside nature to create beauty in flowers, shrubs, trees and vegetables. The knowledge of the synergy between man-made efforts and nature’s complexities can produce varied types of gardens.
Help to deal with stress
Gardening has many benefits, but one of the greatest is its ability to help us reduce stress. Many people internalize stress from the pressures of life, which can include family, work, retirement, money, health and other unnamed responsibilities that are not always pleasant. The way we deal with stress can be critical to our health and well-being.
Stress levels can be further increased when the rush of life keeps an individual so busy that they do not have time to unwind. A key factor of stress relief requires one to slow down and be still. According to Shawn Achor, author of “The Happiness Advantage,” “Studies show that in minutes, right after meditation, we experience feelings of calm and contentment as well as heightened awareness and empathy.”
Research even shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness, lower stress, even improve immune function according to Drs. C.R. Snyder and S.J. Lopez in “Handbook of Positive Psychology.”
Secret place of seclusion
Find a peaceful place of beauty and seclusion where you can relax, reflect, pray and meditate.
This peaceful place of seclusion might be called a secret garden. It is a place where you can slow down the pace of life and relax in the beauty of natural surroundings.
Visit Victoria Educational Gardens
You might start with a visit to Victoria Educational Gardens to slow down and relax. Nineteen mini-gardens are available for enjoyment and offer inspiration for your own secret garden. Refer to the adjoining mini garden list.
My secret garden
I chose to place my secret garden in a corner of the backyard behind a new workshop and under a young live oak tree. Before I started this project the area was not landscaped. It was only grass and a fence behind a shop.
I drew up a plan of how to transform this space into a useful spot for relaxation. First, I removed all the grass and bordered the area with landscape stones. Next, I began planting flowers and shrubs. Because I started in the spring season, I knew there would be time to plant and see some good growth by end of summer. Since the taller plants looked better along the fence, I placed shorter shrubs and flowers in front.
I used gold star esperanza, thryallis, cana plants and a dwarf palm as anchor plants. I placed a lemon grass plant and dwarf bottlebrush on each end for texture and variation. Other plants include two Japanese boxwoods, milkweed for butterflies, Henry Duelberg salvia, ixora, blue salvia, petunias, little gem boxwood, flax leaf lily, rosemary and two hibiscus bushes. Pine bark mulch was used to cover the soil all the way around the plants inside the secret garden area.
Now, it was time for accents and details. There was room in the center of the garden for a stone patio for chairs and a bench. Using large stone pavers, I placed them at an angle to blend with the border stones. The garden now surrounds the stone patio. A garden angel and a pelican peek out from the plants.
This garden is a work-in-progress and will change from time to time based on preference of plants and décor items. I already have a plan for spring to rearrange plants and add some new things. Potted plants are a wise choice because they can always be moved.
One of my favorite times to use my secret garden is early in the morning before sun up. In the quiet cool of the day with a cup of coffee, I can sit on the bench in the middle of my secret place. As the glow of the sun breaks into the darkness, everything begins to appear in the fresh morning sunlight. It is a special time to reflect, relax, pray and renew my mind for the coming day.
Create what works for you
A secret garden does not need to be any particular size or of special content. It can be a small sitting area with whatever plants you have. There is no formula or pattern. Create whatever works for you and is enjoyable.
Gardening can be a stress reliever, and a secret garden a place for reflection, relaxation and peace. Use your own imagination to create a setting to your liking that gives you joy. Remember to visit it often.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.
ph: 361-935-1556
nancyk