• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Garden Design Elements: Well-Plotted

February 21, 2010 By Carol Michel 10 Comments

A good mystery book, really any good book, takes you slowly through the plot, leaving clues throughout on how the book will end. At times you think you’ve got it all figured out and feel certain you know whodunit or how the story will end and then the author adds a little twist that you didn’t expect.

When you reach the end of the book, you are sorry to read those last words because it was a “good read”. You want to go back through it a second time because now you know how all the pieces, those clues and plot twists, relate. You want to figure out how the author managed to keep you engaged throughout the whole book, eagerly turning page after page to see what came next.

That’s how I want my garden to be… a bit of a mystery as you walk through it, with various twists and turns and surprises, but when you’ve seen it all, you are ready to see it again, with a new insight into how it all related.

I call this garden design element: Well Plotted

As people wander the paths of my garden, going from place to place, I want the garden to slowly reveal itself, to have a good overall plot with smooth transitions from place to place, bed to bed, garden to garden. I want people to think they know what’s just around the next curve, but when they get there, it isn’t what they expected. I want to have some surprises in the garden, but not in a jarring “jack in the box” kind of way so that they are startled and afraid to go on. The surprises should be more of “I didn’t expect that, but I like it”.

I want people to be pleasantly delighted to see what’s hiding around on the other side of the flower bed, hidden perhaps by some other plants that drew their attention first.

I don’t want my garden to be the size of a big thick book like Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, so big that people wonder if they could ever see it all. I hope my garden is more like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, a multi-layered story, with interesting characters (plants), a sense of its own placeness and well-plotted.

Well-plotted, like a good story, that’s what I want my garden to be. It needs a good beginning to draw you in, with intrigue, mystery and good characters (plants) to keep you interested throughout. And then it should finish with a good ending so that when you leave the garden you leave with a sense that it was a good read, a good garden, one you’d like to visit again.

That’s what the garden element of Well-Plotted means to me.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: garden design

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    February 21, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    A well-designed garden is like a well-written book: not surprising that the founder of the Garden Bloggers' Book Club would come up with that analogy!

    Reply
  2. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    February 21, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    Being led on by curiousity, the need to see what's around the corner, and then being pleasantly surprised is a great goal for your garden. (For any garden.) This is something I'm still trying to incorporate into my garden, but it's hard to wait for the shrubs & climbers to mature. I'll be interested to see what your designer suggests.

    Reply
  3. Dorothy Borders says

    February 21, 2010 at 5:07 pm

    I love the analogy to "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I'd like my garden to be like that, too, with various parts of the yard "corresponding" with each other. You've given me something to think about here…

    Reply
  4. A Happy Gardener says

    February 21, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    Because my garden is small, I try to achieve this with small paths and other non-plant elements, like a bird bath. I love your garden gate!

    Reply
  5. Marie says

    February 21, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    Wow, a powerful post! The creation of the garden draws us in more than any single plant.

    Reply
  6. Christine B. says

    February 22, 2010 at 1:05 am

    I suppose the size of my garden is like a Cliffs Notes version of a book. Pretty short and to the point. I do try to use design elements to entice a visitor further in (is this entrapment?)to experience even more garden elements. It's good fun to think of ways to do this (I am "plotting" this summer's ideas as I write….)

    Christine in Alaska

    Reply
  7. Cindy, MCOK says

    February 22, 2010 at 3:20 am

    I've been sitting here trying to come up with a made-up noun that means "the state of being well-plotted". I'm drawing a blank, though. Looking forward to the fourth element.

    Reply
  8. Renee A. Platt says

    February 22, 2010 at 8:25 am

    Hi,
    I came across you blog and I simply admire your thoughts. We just moved in and are planning of redoing the garden. Your thoughts directed me to where I should start. You definitely have your plan well mapped in your head especially your comparison of your garden to a good book. It simply wraps up everything. Indirectly as it may seem. thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    February 22, 2010 at 10:00 am

    Dear Carol, I am following what you say with great interest and feel that your concern to have a narrative through the garden is, for me, absolutely key. A beginning, middle and end with mysteries, rests, and surprises en route all make for a successful garden in my book.

    I should also place great emphasis on enclosure, created by a structure of walls,hedges, large shrubs, etc., so that only a small part of the garden is revealed at any one time.

    What is really good is that you are thinking very carefully about what you want. It is, after all, a big decision and mistakes can prove expensive.

    Reply
  10. Flowers says

    February 22, 2010 at 11:12 am

    Nice blog. Like your garden design. It was nice going through your blog. Keep it up the good work.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT