An Outdoor Room 2006

The theme for this garden was Inside Out.  Each garden had to choose an inside room and recreate it as a outside garden.  My husband and the landscape architect chose "Sleep"  as his theme.

It always starts with a blank, plastic-covered piece of plywood.  The landscapers have three days to create a garden wonderland.  It's non-stop work, sometimes into the early morning to get it finished on time.  Their task was to transform this space into an outdoor bedroom.

The planning begin in our driveway and our backyard.  The hand cut stones came from an old spring house. 

This strange prototype structure is the beginning of a wood canopy.

Then comes move-in day and it all goes to the convention center usually in several loads over the three days.   It always a extended affair, enlisting the help of our talented friends and family.

One wall completed, one more to go.  Built by my Father-in-law.

The bed is a antique porch swing that drops down to make a bed.  It was loaned to us by our friends Thom and Suzanne right off their front porch. 

The wooden canopy goes in.  This was hand built over several weeks in our friend Kevin's woodworking shop with his expert advice and guidance. 

My dear Mother-in-law stripped her own bedroom to provide linens and create the bedroom. 

The wrought iron towers were loaned by a local business, but they were too plain, so at the last minute, the sheer fabric was draped to soften the look.

At noon, on the 3rd day,  everyone has to leave so the judges can come in.  This year one of the judges was Colin Cowie who has done events for Oprah.  When we returned for the patron party, we were greeted with a Best In Show ribbon!  Very exciting. 

Come in and visit the finished garden.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to sleep outside, gently swaying with the evening breezes, listening to the water?  

Since the show is always in Feburary, we tried to make it look  romantic, intimate, and personal  by adding the ingredients for a romantic evening with champagne, strawberries, and even one of our wedding photos.  

The canopy was repurposed after the show for the wedding of the son of our dear friends.

Hope you enjoyed this look back at one our previous gardens.  I use the word "our" in the most loose way since my only real job is to prepare and deliver food for everyone's dinner so they don't have to stop working.  Oh, and help put the bedroom together on this one.  Heaving lifting.... me?   Only if it's a big stack of dishes!