A Room with a View!

My bedroom window

A book by E.M. Forster, "A Room With a View" is what comes to mind as I look out my windows. A long time ago when I was studying landscaping books one idea of how to design a garden caught my attention. Using your windows as a picture frame. Design your garden from that perspective, inside out. I remember looking around my house thinking I do not have hardly any windows that even look out into the garden. Years later when I had the chance to build a new home I remembered that piece of advice. We looked for property with a view, nothing spectacular, but just a bit of borrowed scenery. I was adamant to find some plans that had great windows that face the view at the back of the house. It turned out splendidly. I love that as I go from room to room I have a lovely picture to look at out side my windows. (I cannot bear to put a single curtain on them) I designed my gardens with that thought in mind. This year as things have really started to fill in (3 1/2 yrs) I have been noticing my "rooms with a view".

This is the scene out the breakfast nook window.

Front courtyard

Looking out the front room/study windows I see my courtyard in full bloom. Which actually was not planned but a nice accident none the less. You see our lot was so narrow we had to have one of those garages that sticks out like a nose in front of the house. Horrid in my mind. But somewhere along the way of designing and construction I thought of a courtyard. Now what was once a negative, turned out to be one of the highlights of our home. I was able to design a small wall and some well placed plants that provides a private spot out in the front courtyard for my morning coffee. I have a lovely view from the great room too, facing the back. Almost floor to ceiling windows as code would allow plus a nine foot glass door

Looking from the outside in

This is the only picture I have from the inside out that was taken the first summer w/out a garden yet to be planted. Now it is a lush scene for sure. Being an artist that is use to looking at a canvas this was one great way to plan and design my garden .