Bloggers Give Back: Garden Inspiration

As I mentioned in a previous post, a few of us bloggers  are working with Lindsay to transform the garden of George Herman House, a home for women with mental illness.  You can read all about the project at our Bloggers Give Back site.

We thought it would be a fun idea to have the bloggers come up with a design for the backyard using products from Ikea and fabrics from Tonic Living – two of our generous sponsors so far.

So as you can see, the garden is looking a little worse for wear.  But it won’t be this way for long.

Our goal is to create a space where the women can relax, chat and dine.  We aren’t doing any major redesign like replacing the flagstone.  The staff have requested that any plants “thrive on neglect,” i.e. be very low maintenance. 

My ideas for the space which requires seating for ten women:

• the area by the garage is the perfect spot for a comfortable sofa like the Arholma and some pieces from the Ammero collection
• the dining area would be under the tree. The table and benches are from the new Falster series and are made from easy care polystyrene.  The Lacko end chairs are also new this summer at Ikea and are made of plastic rattan.
• the Ammero chairs in the seating area recline to 5 positions – always a great option.  I have mixed some of the collections together for interest.
• these three Tonic Living outdoor fabrics work well together and I am especially loving the zippy stripe.
• grass can be high maintenance so I would love to see pea gravel fill in some of the grassy areas.
• low maintenance perennials like hostas, grasses and mugo pine can be added in planter boxes.  

Head on over to Bloggers Give Back to see the other creative inspiration boards from our talented bloggers.  If you feel so inclined, please leave a comment there indicating which design you like the best.  Just a friendly little competition!

Once again thank you Ikea and Tonic Living for your support of this project.  If you would like to donate goods or make a financial contribution, please click here.  We really need your support to make this a success!