How’s Your Garden Whimsy?

Do you want a stiff, formal garden or a more whimsical garden? Whimsy is defined as endearing quaintness or oddity. A secondary definition is an impulsive notion. Synonyms include humorous, quirky and eccentric. I like to define garden whimsy by the first two synonyms. It should reflect your sense of humor. If you are quirky, that should be reflected in your garden whimsy.Most of all, garden whimsy should reflect your personality in both the plant material and the hardscape. That’s because the whimsical features of your garden have to appear spontaneous. Otherwise, it may lose its impact.

Personality is important. If you’re a serious, intense person, you may not want a bottle tree as part of your landscape. When shopping for molded concrete statues, the more serious person in our household wanted a St. Francis statue while I preferred a rotund sea captain. (We ended up with both). In a previous blog, I mentioned the customer with the sign in an overgrown bed that reads, “Experimental dandelion farm. Don’t disturb the weeds.” These are all examples of different people’s ideas of whimsy. Others may include such items as the popular fairy gardens or model trains. Photos accompanying this post show other examples of whimsy. The gardens with the flower sculpture and the big frog are in private gardens in Pennsylvania. The big frog has a motion detector. When you walk past it, it talks to you.So, you see, garden whimsy is a figment of your imagination, brought to life outdoors on your property. Our designers can help interpret your sense of humor into a whimsical garden or they can take the elements of your whimsy, like a talking bull frog, and design them into an attractive garden.