Sign up for our Newsletter & receive Sanctuary SELF Care Packages blooming with design inspirations & motivations.

#HealingGardenHappyPlace

ReTreat Yourself : You Gotta Be Your Sanctuary

This is [y]our head’s up.

Wings ready?

[Garden] Hearts open.

Oh, less we can!

#ReTreatYourself is underway – the 2018 Red Bird theme.

Popping up across my personal landscape like a little, precious wildflower, here and there, dotted in posts, live streaming, offerings, and correspondence is my theme.

In my professional world, it supports one of my sacred belief pillars: the #TakeGoodCare one — design as love for self, other person, creatures and our planet.

I contend that the road of healing is… observing the messages, heeding the signs, moving into action to repair/accept and taking steps (constantly) to take good care.

Rightly, the view from my precious, personal world, is one of a most intimate theme-doing, out loud, double entendre experience that I’ve shared. Maybe time has come because I’m turning 81? (See my math below.)

Thanks to reflection and reconciliation moments when writing my Garden Comfort Zone article for Pacific Horticulture Magazine; listening to/reading soul-enriching podcast and posts from various inspirators; flowing along while grappling with a growing relationship with Mom’s dementia rather than her and well, dwelling in the glorious gift of my son, 2017 cracked me open while finishing a great part of me.

There was nothing I could do come those final seconds on December 31, 2017, to not feel Concluded. Done. Ended. Finished. Out. Compost.

While feeling New. Vulnerable. Excited. Light. Emerging. Sprouted.

How many times have you felt like you were a landscape of “whiles”?

Sufficed, with the gate of 2018 swung open, I stand concluded while full frontal forward facing a series of anniversaries on the horizon.

Coming ’round in ’18, I’ll be 81 (and here’s my math):

– 1 year in March in the #GardenofMotherhood (follow along by following the Instagram hashtag).

– 10 years in June married to my exact opposite, exact twin, my beloved, my ever-dreamed of #MechanicalWonderman.

– 50 years in July on this planet and a #MommaProject pupil.

– 20 years in November as an entrepreneur, running Red Bird, conspiring to empower, delight, comfort through a platform of creating and curating personal, outdoor, healing, nature-rich spaces, helping people feel better with nature and (re)connect to their naturally soulful self.

You did catch the turning 81 while being in ’18, yes?

How would you dare #ReTreatYourself.

A noun and verb.

A place and action.

A luxury and necessity.

A reframe and reminding.

A philosophy and activity.

A bridge and “while” expanse.

Outside and inside.

You see, given that I’m celebrating my 20th anniversary, turning 50, a new mom, a new co-parent, I’m itching more than ever to show you how to create and use your Garden Comfort Zone or your Healing Garden Happy Place or a Restorative Landscape that you share. I want to help you design your sanctuary, oasis, haven, shangri-la squarely in the middle of your life as a space to support your life NOT ESCAPE FROM IT; be the one you turn to for serene and keen styling ideas; share with you the latest ideas for elements and features, and to support you in different ways to use your space to feel good.

But.

If you aren’t in the habit of holding a place for yourself to Re (revive, restore, redo) Treat (being good to yourself), we’ve got a gap WHILE we have wishes.

The sacred spaces I’ve helped create in 20 years have success when those nurturing them understand 2 basic things:

  • That they themselves are a sacred resource that needs restoring, refueling, reconnecting – not just the landscape.
  • That it is in their nature to feel good. (Double meaning fully intended AND is the secret design-satisfaction sauce.)

How can we possibly talk about making a healing garden outdoor space if one does not consider oneself worthy and a precious ecosystem?

In the landscape that is You and Me, ReTreat = “Re” as in a revive, restore, redo + “Treat” as in to be good to yourself. This self-preservation is a natural sacred-space-making starting place.

Click To Tweet

You can’t fix what you don’t know.

I know you need a sacred, nature-infused space where you reap beauty and mental, physical, psychological, spiritual benefit, BUT if you don’t come from a place of knowing that you need to take good care of yourself – that it is in your nature to heal (and to be healed) – that you deserve to be wrapped in empowerment and delight — where do we begin to speak of space?

The #ReTreatYourself theme is a case of where to start. 

You gotta want to take good care, blur the line between outside and inside, bear a sweet vulnerability with yourself, know that if you go first for once, it’s okay.

You gotta be your sanctuary.

May I suggest we start modestly, by small, revolutionary, natural, playful acts of #ReTreatingYourself?

Nature teaches us, constantly, seasonally, without exception, about redos, revivals, restoring. When we humans get out of the way (and even when we don’t), Nature takes care of herself. What comes after (sometimes taking a bit longer then we’d like and with great healing)… is beautiful and we collectively benefit.

Now listen, I’m no expert taking-good-care-of-me type. Remember, I’m a recovering over-doer, over-carer, keeper-of-all-moving-parts like you. And because of that, I know that I need the restorative experience of outside in my garden spaces to permeate my insides.

I need my life to be a restorative landscape.

Click To Tweet

2017 + a handful of challenging years prior had me observing messages and heeding signs, despite my protests. (Don’t worry, I filed complaints with “The Department”.)

Honestly, with the arrival of our boy joy, Ambrose, I’m in a place where it is life-support-necessary to take action to repair/accept and begin taking steps (constantly) to take good care. Like you, I need a place inside that holds the high watch for me; that is the sounding (and feeling) board for revival for me; that grows in practice at taking good care so it is my habit(at) for me.

Do you dig it? You + me as restorative landscapes wherein taking good care is our natural habitat. Sing me a hallelujah! 

And then, only then, can we make a space to support ourselves. Space that reflects and reminds you of the life you’re nurturing. That space then acts as a conduit for the constant empowerment of your revolutionary take-good-care actions.

You see, I’m going for an all-out new ecosystem in the landscape of us.

Let’s master small actions of defiance against the programming of resource depletion of us WHILE restoring the landscape infrastructure of renewed us.

– Where we take good care ourselves while helping others;

– Where we create healing garden happy places outside while nurturing self-respect and our needs on this inside;

– Where we soar in the clouds of contagious creativity while we surrender to simplicity;

– Where nature’s seasons reflect supportive message while we walk through the seasonal experiences of our lives;

– Where we are thriving outside while healing inside, constantly, seasonally, without exception.

How I’ll #ReTreatYourself in 2018 – my ideas en medias res 

Repot 2 adopted houseplants to be sentinels in my studio (more on houseplants and bene’s coming soon); take art class; sit quietly, alone; inbox to zero; remove myself from email lists; read 1 book/month; purge my closet; take dance class; when I feel a “no”, I’ll say it; try a new recipe once a week; reactivate morning yoga; sleep hygiene; take Soul Strolls; practice #MommyMonday boundaries; let go of select business growth ideas; liberate myself from certain social and news media; do less; don’t go where I don’t wanna go and don’t be around those I don’t wanna be around; write or nap during nap times; purchase a sectional.

 

So you see, not crazy-pants intellectual nor complicated. Just commitments of pleasure that lead me closer (back) to me WHILE informing how I use my outdoor space as my Garden Comfort Zone or Healing Garden Happy Place. Design = love = life style.

Really, simply #ReTreatYourself boils down to a “landscape maintenance” of me.

I’m embracing this theme while being wide open, showing up honest and revealed while keeping private, filling up every part of my being with delight while floating in the lake of exhaustion, and doing as much of life as I possibly can while taking good care of the precious resource that is me, starting in the garden inside.

 

Could you be so defiantly restorative? Say it with me: “Oh, less I can!” Go #ReTreatYourself.

Click To Tweet

And this article I’ve linked to? Well, it fortifies while challenges. Enjoy AND join me on this #ReTreatYourself magic carpet ride. To 2018 and more while less. https://thoughtcatalog.com/…/this-is-what-self-care-reall…/…

My very best, Annie

your card-carrying gal-pal here at the #redbirdclub

10 Zen Plants for Your New Year Containers

January, oh, January. Such a straddle of seasons. You, dear January, are so full of “new”. You give us the opportunity with all that “resolution” business and fresh start stuff to be mindful of our heart’s desires, our “original nature” – our ZEN of being more present right here, right now. 

So we’ve packed away our outdoor holiday dressings and decor and entered the New Year. Our outdoor living spaces have gone from looking like a living holiday greeting card to containers laid bare. The quieting scene outside reminds of the importance of dormancy and honoring the season we are in (yes, yes).

Yet, for those of us who take nourishment from our #serenegreenscene, we’re hungry for a little foliiferous planting design snack to hold us over. One that offers that important calming benefit, with a dash of delightful with a side of beautiful. You know, restorative.  

These little container gardens keep us aware. They are mini Healing Garden Happy Places that invite us to focus right here, right now. They are a respite during what some call the “bluest month” of the year. There’s a peace, grounding and ZEN practice in connecting with nature outside and our true nature inside.

So what to do this January for those bare containers? Pick plants, ZEN-fully!

10 Zen Plants for Your New Year Containers for that design resetting you crave.

You’ll notice a theme. Where there are blooms, expect the color to be white (with 1 exception). My design instincts assign white to the month of January.  Its appeal of brightness that uplifts and the symbology of the color (purity, starting new, fresh and clean), makes white a perfect choice.

When designing your garden comfort zones to be more than just a pretty space, Zen plants help you #mindthegardenofyourmind

Click To Tweet

There’s more to these 10 Zen plants than what meets the eye:

  1. All of these plant lovelies may function as a “2-fer” for you! What’s that?

    Red Bird container design process: invest once, benefit twice. I design plants for client containers that, when time, can be moved into the landscape. 

  2. These 10 Zen have been selected using a Restorative Garden Plant Selection value rating. How’s that?

    Design psychology evidence shows when plants have certain wellness characteristics, they are considered boosters to our healing and recovery process. That’s where your “Zen” comes in. These plants are not only beautiful, but they come with mind, body, soul benefits too!

For each plant listed, I’ve used Red Bird’s Restorative Garden Plant Selection value rating method for selecting plants to boost the restorativeness of your garden. I’ve also included a link directly to the plant for information (in most cases to Monrovia’s reliable website).

Cliff notes version: more icons = higher Restorative Garden Plant value of the plant and greater pleasure and benefit for you.

Here’s the cast of the 10 Zen Winter-white ensemble one by one:

Crack the Code for these Restorative Garden Plant symbols! Sign up for to receive your Guide (aka Secret Decoder Ring!) here.

Snow Panda Fringe Flower 

I love the playfulness of this fringy flower that dance across the branches of this shrub come spring. Meanwhile, in the winter container, she plays the role of a terrific diva. A little on deciduous action may occur. No matter as the shape is lovely to rest your eyes upon, given her silhouette. I find that no two plants have anywhere near the same shape, really, with this specimen which is very exciting.

Evergreen Clematis Vine

Evergreen clematis vine comes staked ready to trail. Plant in a pot that sits against a blank wall. Up and over and along it’ll go, vigorous, once establish, and a take no prisoners beautification machine. With blooms of white in February/March (depending on weather) and fragrance that is heady, this plant could easily be an evergreen stand-in for Wisteria. Telling the time of year with its perfumed blossoms in early, early spring, this plant also relays the truth about its micro-micro growing conditions (read: “feet in shade, head in the sun”).

Fragrant Sweet Box

If there was ever a green machine sheen plant to swoon over, it just might be this one. I use this plant in my shady containers for the evergreen appeal as well as the arching form of the branches. Now, a bonus (for some) is the fragrance. Often I tell my clients that come late, late winter into early, early spring, you’ll step out onto your patio and smell a divine fragrance forcing you to look high and low for the source. It’s this plant, quietly doing its thing with tiny white flowers.  Upon its graduation from your container, it dancing nicely with a shady, dry garden.

Dwarf Pagoda Japanese Holly

Here’s your quintessential “specimen form” often mentioned in design publications.  Dwarf Pagoda Japanese Holly is upright, remarkable with the loveliest, small, dark leaves and absolutely irregular in branching structure. This ain’t your red berry holly. Stays evergreen and so little care required – my goodness, very statuesque and could be a solo element, should you dig the minimalism approach.

Black Mondo Grass

Dramatic, moody, rich. That’s Black Mondo Grass. And strappy both in appearance and in function. This grass is so helpful in filling out the base of a container and offering a rich contrast to more diva-like plants. There’s an exotic flair to this baby and best planted in groupings to really get the full visual benefit.

Golden Variegated Sweet Flag

This is a low, evergreen, golden grass-like plant that brightens the day and the edges of containers. And because we get a lot of rain (and apparently snow too), this plant can hang with wet soils. When you’re ready move it from the pot to areas along wet woodlands or ponds.  In container design, the very nostalgic part of me pairs this plant with white pansies.

Jacob Lenten Rose

White blooming right now! Jacob hellebore is my fav. These blooms are so happy they sit upright as though to smile back at you. And this is THE white that I compare all other whites against. Pure, clean, fresh. Bonus: deer and rabbit resistant!

Hens and Chicks

Hens and chicks will be your carpet or groundcover in your containers. There is so much versatility when it comes to Sempervivum. Look over your choices closely and consider if you want color change with new growth or with the weather’s chill. When I tire of these in containers, I pop ’em right into the ground as a sweet little accent here and there.  You’ll want to look for hens and chicks grown by Little Prince of Oregon.

Variegated Pontic Rhodie

Newer in my repertoire is this rhododendron. What draws me to this plant is the variegated leaf which provides pop in the gray days of winter. This gal blooms in spring and can get quite large, so keep an eye on her in your container and invite a friend over to assist with the transfer to the garden when time. I love this plant is like shoulder pads and is a container pop-stop!

Postford White Primula

Like the annual primrose, this perennial shares its pop of (white) color on ruffled leaves. Well, the blooms are little, white, happy, fragrant candelabras of flowers. A perfect plant for containers that don’t dry out quickly and to repurpose in an area where it can hang out in wet soil and naturalize. Think: shady dells of England…

Here’s what to do next:

Download my Secret Decoder Ring for Restorative Garden Plant Selection here.

Use the Secret Decoder Ring when selecting plants for your special space. (Yes! Carry it with you for those trips to the retail garden store. It’ll help with impulsive plant shopping and narrow down all the pretties to those that will really rally to renew you.)

Remember: choose for the beauty AND the benefit to boost the Restorative Power of your garden.

Oh! And share your favorite zen plants in the comment section below.

 Website sources: Oregon State University Landscape Plants | Monrovia | Great Plant Picks

3 Cures to Fix What’s Ailing Your Healing Outdoor Haven ~ Part 3 with Tip Sheet!

If you are not feeling the healing benefits of your outdoor haven, it’s because your space isn’t growing your happiness inside; it’s not growing your peace, health, inspiration like it can.

Feeling disappointed with the energy and vibe of your garden space? Your space may need to be soul-styled.

3

To replenish your scene, reap the benefits and boost your mind, body, spirit, try my Cure #3 for what’s ailing your healing outdoor haven.

(This is Part 3 of a 3-part series – to clean, connect & find comfort in nature that awaits you, should you clear the channel. Cure 1 is here and Cure 2 is here. Cliff-notes version? Click here for Your 3 Cures Tip Sheet!)

Cure 3: Comfort opens a sacred channel

Spring_WaterBowl Floating Flowers

This is a Cure to Nurture Your Inspiration

When uncomfortable, we often close up. Just as when an outfit doesn’t fit right – too tight, not warm enough, can’t sit comfortably – when an environment doesn’t feel right to us, we can’t wait to get out of it.  Likewise, when an outfit speaks to our essence and helps us shine, we go back to it, again and again, as our favorite go-to ensemble. It’s an exterior expression of our interior essence.

You’ve got untapped potential right outside your door waiting to be your go-to sacred space where you can be comfortable to commune and receive. A sanctuary for the soul’s conveyance nourishes a sacred union that helps us to let go of the build-up of the day’s stresses and the wounds of grief. It helps us focus and hear what our sweet souls are trying to say. When we soulfully style our outdoor spaces, they become more personal and play a meaningful role in our lives. This cure is apt to draw you outside and help you go inward, opening a sacred channel to nurture inspiration.

[bctt tweet=”An outdoor space where your soul is comforted, opens doors to aligning w/ your interior world. “]

Action-taking Tips:

  • Reserve your soul a special spot. Instead of tackling an entire landscape, pick a small nook (aka “pocket garden”) where you can escape and make it your own.
  • Take small style bites. You’ve done some cleaning and clearing. You’ve spa’d up your scene to soothe your senses. Now get comfortable by selecting personal self-love-reminding elements to enliven and furnish your space. I call these #feelgoodfurnishings. For instance, a recycled this (chair?) or a recovered that (bench?). How about that chair if it had a couple of pillows? Perhaps drape a washable blanket over the back for chilly days? Strike up candles to set the mood. Create an exterior shrine with found treasures. 
  • Pad for privacy. Plant up containers with taller plants and move them into place to mark your space and offer a surround-sound buffer. Go for a cocooned or “womb” shape to your special space.

By soul-styling your space, you’ll find this cure has a ripple effect. It helps your body feel more comfortable; your mind more available to clarity and your soul open and more easily inspired to recharge. This cure for comfort opens a sacred channel of your soul and the What-Is beyond.

Our garden and outdoor spaces bloom with positivity, pollinate hope & nurture a beautiful world inside.

3

Hey Annie, how do I know when the cures are working?

When your garden living space:

  • soothes your senses and you get that ahhh feeling upon stepping into your #serenegreenscene
  • delights your soul and supports the rekindling your spirit
  • elevates your state of mind
  • is a place of relocation for daily living rituals (napping, yogaing, reading, phoning, working, meditating, eating, cooking, conversing…) because in here (hello precious spirit) finds safety, satisfaction and yearns for more out there.

Then, my Red Bird friend, you are on the garden path to having your very own Restorative Garden – your Sanctuary.

Start by making these cures to create positive change in the everyday nature that surrounds you.

3

Drop me a comment and tell me how you got a boost of sanity, perhaps some salve for your senses or some much-needed comfort for your soul. I’m listening… 

You hoo… I have something special for you… 

Get your 1-page Tip Sheet of my 3 Cures to Fix What’s Ailing Your Healing Outdoor Haven.

Click for 3 Cures Tip Sheet!

Need help in transforming your yard space from ugh to AHH! My Sanctuary Garden Design Consultation may just be the help you need!

Are you a style-keen, nature-loving, holistically-inclined “soilsoulsister” (or brother) who wants to tune out stress & dis-ease & tune into your mind.body.spirit connection, thanks to your own slice of everyday, personal paradise? Plant-tas-tic! Sign up for news, resources, good shares and we’ll get on with your thriving outside & healing inside.

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →