I’m sure you visit gardens where as soon as you set foot in them, you make a connection of some kind. The setting might evoke solitude, or playfulness, an easy familiarity, an invitation to bask in nature. Your mood lifts. In that moment, it’s the place you want to be.
It may have an atmosphere that is hard to describe; yet you identify with it in some way. Whether your reaction is deeply personal or widely shared with others, you feel affirmed and– pardon the pun– grounded. It can make you feel energetic, contemplative, nostalgic, sombre, or uplifted. It may trigger memories. Sometimes it is sheer beauty that captures our imagination.
In the context of the greater landscape, this elusive quality is best described as sense of place. Battlefields and places of tragedy have it, of course. So do ancient ruins, natural wonders and world heritage sites. Urban landscapes can have such places too, with small parks and mere courtyards acting like little oases of refuge. The best private gardens are no different, and you can create one.
