via House to Home

I love a cute, romantic or otherwise charming garden shed! I’m not sure why I love them so much, but I just do. I have been dreaming of a little garden escape in my own backyard for quite some time.

Since we have a new house without trees or much landscaping, I’m in need of ideas for camouflaging the view of our neighbors. While trees will definitely be in the plans over the next few years, I’m also thinking about a garden shed. Not only would it be practical for garden storage or a dreamy backyard escape, but it could help hide the view of our neighbors and give our yard a little more structure.

Here is a round up of some pretty garden sheds! From yard tool storage to a backyard guest room, check out these out and tell me your favorites.

via My Home Ideas

This bedroom shed is awesome, can you imagine waking up in a room like that? It would be like a vacation in your backyard!

via My Home Ideas

Or what about this one? Open the double red doors and voila, your guest room awaits!

via BHG

This would be a dream! Yard and garden tools organized and at the ready for potting plants and other outdoor projects, all in a prettied up shed with a chandelier? Yes, please!

via BHG

I die. That garden shed above? Impossibly adorable. Can you just picture having a garden party with THAT in your backyard? I dare say that would be quite awesome.

via My Home Ideas

OK, this little white shed above and below is the perfect dreamy romantic backyard getaway.

via My Home Ideas

Good night, moon. I’d sleep in the shed every night and never complain.

via This Old House

This is a sweet little shed. My girls would have loved that as a play house!

via BHG

That shed is basically a guest house in your backyard. Actually, I could live there. Forget the main house.

via House to Home

And this little backyard gem? Perfect little escape from the heat of the summer sun.

via BHG

I’m thinking I could get used to a morning quiet time with a cup of tea in this backyard church er, shed? Sigh.

via BHG

Oh, this open and airy lattice shed is so adorable! I love that it would let the breeze and light filter through, making it the perfect place to garden on a beautiful summer day!

via BHG

And this little shed is like a backyard destination, the perfect retreat for being creative with art, painting, gardening or flower arranging! I cannot imagine a more charming way to fill an unused corner of my backyard!

How about you? What would you use a charming backyard garden escape for, if your garden shed dreams came true?

 Open Face Terrariums West Elm

My thought is that you just learn and experiment as you go. And if you work with small gardens, you don’t have quite as much to lose as if you were planting a big tree or hedge! Take it from me, small gardens and containers are MUCH easier to experiment with.

About two weeks ago, I was invited to the new Seattle West Elm store for an urban gardening event. I was so excited to attend because like I said, I’m a wee bit obsessed with tiny gardens.

West Elm Glass Jar Terrariums

I was especially excited about the West Elm event because they were doing a demonstration on how to create terrariums! I loved learning about how easy these little terrarium gardens are to put together. They have been on my must do list forever.

How to make a tabletop terrarium

West Elm Glass Terrariums

West Elm even gave us a glass jar as a gift, so I’m for sure making one soon, I’ll show you when I do!

I also thought these little hanging glass planters from West Elm were pretty sweet. Have you ever heard of air plants? They are awesome plants that grow without soil! YES! Loved them.

You can hang little glass planters with air plants from your patio umbrella or porch, too, and they look fantastic! via West Elm

I just about bought that amazing bee hive shaped glass dome while I was at the West Elm event, I loved how it created a little terrarium on a cake plate. Perfect for a centerpiece! Just goes to show you can have a garden pretty much anywhere!

I love that these types of table top planters are the perfect little gardens for apartment dwellers, too! No deck or patio necessary! So many fun ideas for those of us who want to get into gardening on a smaller scale.

For years I’ve been thinking of ways to enjoy gardening in small space. It all started two houses ago when we had a huge yard full of overgrown plants and lots of grass and hedges to trim … and we couldn’t keep up with it. It stressed me out. WAY TOO MUCH for us. I needed a gardener every month. THAT was crazy. I vowed after we sold that house that forever more I was going to be a small garden lover.

I dreamed of a small yard I could putter around in and make lovely, but still manage to keep up with. Once we moved and had our beloved tiny house and tiny yard in the Eastmoreland neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, I designed a curvy paver-patio to use in place of grass, planted lots of creeping plants and created my own little garden oasis in our backyard (you can see it above).

We loved that yard, and even though it was super tiny (our entire lot was under 5,000 square feet (about the size of the next house we lived in! HA!), we packed a lot of plants into that small space. I loved puttering around in that yard because it was manageable and just the right size for our needs.

Last year in our current backyard, I set up a small potting table and herb garden and it was one of my most favorite projects all summer! I didn’t worry too much about my lack of green thumb. If something died, I could just pull it out of its pot and put in something something new.

Surprisingly though, most of my plants survived. I got many of my plants last year at Lowe’s and they would exchange any plant I couldn’t keep alive. The only one I had to take back was a blueberry bush. The new blueberry bush I got is thriving on my back deck and is already producing lots of leaves!! I love being able to pick blueberries right on my deck, container gardening is much more fun to me than digging in the hard ground.

I also created this sweet Fairy Garden last summer. I’m very much obsessed now with gardens in boxes and glass jars. My kids laughed at me when I texted them last year to let them know I was making a fairy garden, but I don’t care if I sounded like a funny old lady. That little Fairy Garden was featured in publications all over the world so maybe I’m not so crazy after all. My kids ended up being in love with it and I bet they are going to make their own too this year.

And then of course, there was my pallet garden! Another perfect idea for gardening in a small space. It is still sitting on my back deck and I cannot wait to freshen it up with new plants in the next few weeks.

About two years ago while out and about I saw this delightful little stacked planter filled with flowers and a tree! Easy too, all you would need are two planters (one smaller than another) stacked on top of each other. I thought it was another great way to pack in some gardening to a small space. I love container gardening too!

So many fun ways to garden, even in a small space!

Do you enjoy small space gardening? Have you ever made a terrarium garden?

Anthropologie: 1, 3, 5, 9     Terrain: 2, 4, 6, 8     Target: 7

After a week of rain, snow, hail AND glorious sun in the NW in this first week of spring, I’m pretty much ready for gardening weather. My goal at some point later this spring is to begin work on my very tiny front yard which is currently basically a muddy patch of soil. I’m so excited about transforming it!

I’m planning on bringing in some gravel for a little pathway through the yard and creating some garden beds to fill with evergreens and creeping plants. Then I’ll finish it off with a bench or place to sit. I think it is a manageable outdoor summer project for me this year.

There is something so rewarding about working on a little patch of ground and turning it in to a pretty garden, don’t you think?

And wouldn’t it be pure bliss if you had a garden shed like the one below? Well, yes it would! I snapped that pic this week while strolling through one of my favorite little garden shops, Ravenna Gardens at University Village in Seattle. I love the copper roof on that shed!

Garden Shed with Copper Roof

To get us in the mood for spring gardening, I had my daughter Courtney put together a collage (above) of some favorite spring gardening items. So much cuteness to behold!

Since it may be a little early perhaps for some of us to actually go outside and garden, maybe you’d like a little inspiration for bringing nature into your home decor or spring fashion to your closet?

Whether you are planning to be inside or outside, I hope you have the perfect spring-like weather for your weekend!

Happy Friday! What are your plans this weekend?
{Our plans for Saturday include staying inside and painting some walls!}