What to Do with a Gazebo

My home came with a gazebo. It sits along the edge of the woods and one is berated by mosquitos when paying it a visit. I wouldn't have chosen it as a garden element myself. Reminiscent of an old town bandstand, the gazebo is much smaller. It's not a comfy place to sit thanks to the bugs and lack of seating. The structure blended in with the woods and was easy to ignore. However, inspiration hit this summer and I am rethinking this gift in my backyard.

The first thing I decided to do was paint the structure white. Armed with bug spray and citronella I have spent about a total of four days in the woods power washing, painting, using wood filler, sanding and repainting. All of this has been between violent rain events. We have had incredible storms here in New England for the past week. (We've had incredible lightning, heavy rains and hail.)

The original owner of this house showed it with window boxes of annuals hanging from the rails of the gazebo. I am generally unimpressed with annuals. See my rants in this blog.) I also thought the white plastic boxes hanging off the dilapidated wooden structure with rusted wire looked, well...kind of tacky. Luckily, this year I have been learning a lot about shade plants. I am building my daughter a shade garden around the other side of our house. I hope to make this a garden with duplicate plantings of hydrangea, bleeding heart, hostas, jacob's ladder, holly and other plants that can tolerate the lack of light. I'll get in the color without the cheap window boxes.

The white is located toward the top of my hill that is visible from my driveway. The eye gets pulled right to the structure when one exits the car. Now I just need to get rid of the mosquitos and we'll be all set. (Do bug zappers really work? What about plants that discourage insects or some kind of sound gadget?)

Here are the top ten ways to make use of my new gazebo:

10. Create a sitting area. Perhaps making some kind of built in bench seating.
9. Use it as a woodland office hideout
8. Pipe music out here and use it as a place to relax
7. Put a mini fridge here to hold juice boxes and other drinks so the kids can get out of the sun when playing
6.Keep a yoga mat out here for another kind of quiet time
5. Hang holiday lights on the structure
4. Put a brick deck in front of the structure for a larger inviting sitting area for visitors
3. Put in a pond to the right of the structure and use it as a sitting area for perfect garden portraits
2. Use it as a pre-staging area for plants, potting and other garden activities
1. Purchase silky fabric that can be hung from the rafters during parties and dress up times. I figure this would be a great stage for the budding thespians and dancers in my daughter's circle of friends. As soon as the paint is dry we are going to bring down the box of dress up clothes and set up a dress up playdate!

Annuals versus Perennials

I have never liked to cook. I've always been more of a baker. When I cook, it takes an hour or two to prepare the food. The family sits down to eat and my creation is gone in 20 minutes. At least when I bake the food will last for a few days. I know that we won't eat a whole plate of brownies in one sitting (even on the worst of days!)

This is also how I feel about annuals. I could spend days planting beautiful little plants that will be gone by the end of the season. Everyone tells me that they are great for filling blank spaces in the garden. They also add color at time when the perennials do not in the garden. I don't care. I'm stubborn. If I care for something, I want it to last for more than five months.

There are three annuals that grace my garden - the lovely little pansy, marigolds and basil. The pansy reseeds itself so effectively that, in my head, it is a perennial. Marigolds keep nasty bugs away from my veggies. Basil is just heavenly, easy to grow and prolific. In fact, it took me a long time to add the veggies themselves to the garden. It seemed like a chore to plant them year after year. But I finally convinced myself that growing my own food, returning to a simpler way of life, producing healthy organic produce, and teaching my daughter about fresh foods and where food comes from is worth the work. (Of course, I've always had a perennial herb garden.)

I have never considered myself lazy, -- I own and operate two businesses, am raising a four-year-old, am writing a book, am making my own curtains and considering reupholstering my own furniture -- but I have always been attracted to things that last for the long term. This is probably why my first business was as an archivist. Archivists care for historical records and what lasts longer than history? I have a mental block for cooking and annuals. I like the idea of planting something with figuratively long roots. I like knowing that nature is strong and will survive a NH winter.

Perhaps there is something else going on here? Perhaps it is the idea of spending money on something that won't last? Maybe I need to convince myself that spending on garden annuals will provide equal enjoyment as say...that short term bar of chocolate? Maybe I should just dive in and try some annuals this year. I do have a favorite. Osteospermum, which is an annual in some parts of the country, is short-lived in my part of the country. I ADORE osteospermum with its daisy shape and delicate petals. The white petals remind me of porcelain. The orange and yellow versions are like a burst of sunshine. Can osteospermum change my bad attitude?

I know some people grow exclusively perennials. If you do, will you please explain why?