A Garden for the Whole Family

In March 2023, we hosted an herb gardening workshop at Petite 4. The weather was still mushy and cold, so we gathered inside the cozy walls of the restaurant and planted rosemary, chives, and a number of other hardy herbs together. As we planted, we sipped on bubbly drinks and housemade apps. That evening, we met Daphne and planted the idea for a garden renovation in her own backyard. 

A few weeks later, I visited with Daphne in her home in the Highlands and we talked about her dream garden space. When I arrived on that morning in April, she showed me her current set-up. With a complicated yard that has a steep slope down from the house, she had previously installed three 4’x8’ beds that weren’t living up to her expectations. As you can see in the picture, the bulky beds were hard to access. It was difficult to reach every side, with very little walking space between them. The beds were only filled about halfway with soil, and the irrigation was ineffective.

Before: Oversized, Hard-to-Access Beds

Daphne spoke of hopes for a lush, easy to maintain space that she could enjoy with the other members of her three-generation household. She had dreams of gardening with her new granddaughter - creating a space that everyone could be involved in. She also wanted a space that was beautiful to look at from the windows of her living room - one that evoked joy, not, “when are we going to fix that?!”

The Design we proposed (complete with tiny granddaughter!)

Alongside Daphne, we designed a functional space that allowed for easier access and consistent watering. We also designed a space that fit the aesthetic of her beautiful yard and allowed for her granddaughter to be involved. We transformed those three massive beds into five more manageable ones. We dedicated one to the grandchildren, halving its height so that they could get their hands dirty. We replaced the gravel and added stepping stones that made it easier on bare feet. We installed trellises on every bed to maximize the vertical space. We filled the beds to the top with organic soil and amendments. We intentionally designed each component of this project to achieve her goals. 

By the second week in May, we planted Daphne’s garden with warm season veggies. By mid-summer, Daphne harvested baskets full of fresh veggies weekly with and for her family. As she told us later, “I definitely expected it to be an improvement visually and to actually enjoy the harvest, which we did. I did not expect to enjoy spending time down there and working on the garden as much as I did.”

A summertime glimpse of the garden.

And enjoy it she did! During one of our monthly coaching sessions we were tackling an issue with squash bugs. I told her that we had some natural solutions we would try, but hand-picking the bugs off the plant whenever she could was the best way to deal with them. She later told me that she found herself going out in the evenings with a headlamp to capture these bugs. We shared a laugh together. Daphne went above and beyond to care for her plants and they reciprocated with abundance.

We have loved getting updates from Daphne with snapshots of her family in the garden.

It’s amazing what a few functional garden beds can do. I can only imagine what a beautiful gift it is for her granddaughter to watch her grandma care for this space. Their garden is a space for the whole family to enjoy for generations to come!