With all the political and financial changes in the country and the normal pressures of personal life, stress can take its toll.  You can make your garden into a home retreat where you can regroup your strength and clarity no matter what is going on in your life.

You can buy a table-top fountain or a small floor sized fountain and even buy a small-growing water plant or two (or a handful of watercress from the grocery store) and enjoy water gardening on a small scale. Try hanging a colorful swinging canvas chair and a few hanging pots of ivy geraniums, annual Bacopa or Lobelia for color. And you can rig up a simple drip irrigation system on a timer if watering is hard to remember. A little portable barbecue creates a gourmet cooking area, while a tinkling set of wind chimes transforms your small space into a meditation nook. A small area can be cordoned off for a pet or a small child to play safely while you watch. If you want privacy and do not need sun to grow edibles, one large bush in a pot can screen you from neighbors and keep your space cool. Lush plants and hedges can also help reduce noise pollution. Use a heavy cement pot and a loop of rope to secure it from above to a post or rafter to keep it upright in heavy winds.

Even small spaces can be transformed into places where nature can soothe our souls in the frantic pace of our lives today. It’s easy to get caught up in getting things done from moment to moment. Make sure to build in some place in your life where you can take some time to remember what you’re doing this all for. It’s all about appreciating being alive. That’s what gardening is all about, whether on a large or small scale!  You can make even a small garden into a healing and productive space.  Yes, even a small garden can turn into a home retreat.