| A recent stroll through my retirement community | | | | add stone statues of mushrooms or turtles. How fun. |
| revealed to me how creative and artistic people can | | | | All very low maintenance. There is a whimsical vine |
| be. These retirement homes with their tiny gardens | | | | on the large wall backdrop. She added lighting as well |
| are truly miniature works of art. These are probably | | | | to play up the figures at night.Want a bright spot of |
| tiny examples of the gardens these senior | | | | color? Easy -- place several window boxes of brightly |
| homeowners once took care of. When they sold | | | | colored impatiens attached to the top of the patio |
| their homes to downsize to a retirement community, | | | | fence rail and the garden below also is a row of coral |
| they also had to downsize their gardens. Each home | | | | and pink impatiens. How dull the building would have |
| was allotted a small patch alongside a patio. Here is | | | | been if not for the owner's creativity. She just used |
| my description of eight gardens I enjoyed to illustrate | | | | color in layers. She also has her patio umbrella neatly |
| these senior homeowners successful efforts to have | | | | tied and a hanging wind chime completes the |
| a garden with low maintenance.The first I call the | | | | symphony.Two neighboring patios side by side with |
| woodchips and flagstones low-maintenance garden. | | | | some similar ideas can show great harmony. Both |
| Just two elements can make it all work. Flagstones | | | | have patio table umbrellas and both have attractive |
| meander thru a woodchips groundcover adding the | | | | garden wall fixtures in similar shapes. Just add a row |
| right touch with low maintenance plants | | | | of colorful flowers in the foreground of the concrete |
| alongside.Here's a cute patio: A tilting patio umbrella | | | | patio slab and a hanging planter and it looks so |
| seems to echo the tilt of the nearby pine tree. Just | | | | pretty.This patio took a little more work at first but |
| add a couple planters along the edge of the concrete | | | | is appropriate on a large corner lot. Wooden retaining |
| slab, a pot of flowers and another ornament such as | | | | walls enclose this patio and raised beds. His golf cart |
| the cute 3-tiered pots. This softens the concrete | | | | is parked behind the large shrubs. A generous use of |
| appearance. Also softening were the colors chosen: | | | | low maintenance shrubs bordering the patio keeps it |
| the patio umbrella was pink and blue pastels. Also, a | | | | always neat.Want a fabulous dramatic look -- again |
| separated planting of pastel impatiens to the far right | | | | easy. The very bright colors of coleus in a border |
| echos the soft color palette on the patio.Next, I call | | | | planting alongside the patio and a bright red geranium |
| this the green chairs garden. The owner has blended | | | | hanging pot are contrasted with the cool silver and |
| the colors of her flowering plants to go beautifully | | | | white colors in the foreground border. An attractive |
| with her lacy backed green patio chairs. A pink and | | | | wind chime and 2 matching white chairs to enjoy the |
| green masterpiece of cool green hosta the shade of | | | | view complete this picture.I hope you enjoyed this |
| the chairs and a generous row of bright pink | | | | walk through a retirement community to see how |
| impatiens-- elegant and luxurious in feel.Next, a garden | | | | retirees are enjoying less maintenance but can still |
| probably designed to delight the grandchildren. Little | | | | create beauty in their downsized retirement |
| statues of children from nursery rhymes scattered | | | | community gardens. |
| throughout a woodchips groundcover. You could also | | | | |