When gardening, sooner or later you will hear about garden rooms and decide you would like to try creating one or two or more. But just what does it mean to have a garden room? How do you create garden rooms?

Basically, a garden room is simply taking the yard around your home and splitting it up into areas that we call rooms. These rooms usually have something that distinguishes them from other areas of your gardening.

You may find that these garden rooms almost make themselves. Perhaps your yard has an open sunny area out back where the children play but over in a corner or around on the side, it is very shaded. Each of these areas would want different flowers and plants and should be treated differently. Hey, you already have two garden rooms.

The sunny area where the kids already play would be perfect for a children's play area. With an open expanse of lawn, maybe a play gym and surrounded by flowerbeds filled with brightly colored sun-loving plants that brighten the area even further, it would certainly attract the children.

That shaded area nestled around the corner would be perfect to create an adult hideaway with various shade-loving plants. Add a water feature for soothing sounds and very comfortable chairs and you have the perfect spot to relax in. Add in any accessories that increases that feeling of relaxation for you and you will have a garden room your neighbors will envy.

How do we create these gardening areas? You simply divide the area from the rest of your yard by various means. These means can be trellises, different types of plantings, putting in hardscape features, etc.

You may find that your yard lends itself to logical divisions into garden rooms by the breaks that naturally appear. A side area in the shade, a low wet spot in some mottled shade and the sunny expanse of yard (much like discussed above) can logically be considered three different rooms.

If you have a home on a long narrow lot, you might want to try dividing that up by the means of different plantings of shrubs and trees or hardscape such as a fence or wall with a doorway. Perhaps plant the back area with trees to eventually create a woodland type setting. Use different types of trees to provide you with a different show as the seasons pass. Put in a rock garden or water garden closer to the house.

You could even create one around your patio and pick a special theme such as Mexican or French country. Use the proper furniture and accessories to bring this theme to life. Then add in flowers in appropriate colors for your theme in containers to accent this themed garden room.

How you create garden rooms and what they consist of is only limited by your imagination. Feel free to experiment. Create a rose garden room or a butterfly garden room. Maybe create a room that consists of only white flowers or one with only scented plants. And don't forget the accessories that allow you to sit and enjoy the gardens you have created.

Copyright 2006, Sandra Dinkins-Wilson