Posts Tagged: handkerchief garden

My Handkerchief Garden

My collage pal Martha grew up in England.  She has a beautiful accent and a keen knowledge of just about everything.  When I eventually purchased a townhouse with a very small backyard, I described it to Martha.  I told her that my backyard was the size of a postage stamp.  Her response was, “Oh, you have a handkerchief garden!”

I always loved her English description my tiny, suburban California, postage stamp size, backyard.  The only problem with her description was that my backyard was totally barren. My Handkerchief Garden consisted of concrete, a volunteer Heavenly Bamboo bush (Berberidaceae), dirt and a pile of river rocks next to the garage. I was a rather pathetic Master Gardener, without an actual garden.  I also didn’t have a lot of extra money to buy an instant landscape. So, I cleared the rocks, fixed the irrigation, and patiently filled the spots with things I got from other gardeners like bearded iris rhizomes (Iridaceae), spider plants (Chlorophytum), and two yellow tea roses (Rosacea Grandifloras) someone who no longer wanted in their garden. I even managed to purchase a few planting pots at garage sales, and one or two six-packs of flowers at the grocery store for color. Occasionally, I’d treat myself to a plant like a hybrid camellia (Theaceae C. Saluenensis) or  a rhododendron (Ericaceae R. mucronulatum).  I found the perfect planting table made from recycled fence boards, and a white Adirondack chair with matching footrest on clearance at Raleys. Eventually the once barren, dusty courtyard became a garden.

Iris 'Dangerous Mood' (photo by Jennifer Baumbach)

Over the years, Martha’s description of my yard helped to inspire my vision of what could be possible. And without realizing it, Martha had given me hope. I could see in my mind, the possibility that my tiny, barren backyard could actually become a brilliantly British inspired Handkerchief Garden!

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