4 Easy Ways to Green Up Your Living Spaces
Garden guru and <em>Southern Living</em> contributing garden editor Carmen Johnston shares her top take-aways from a recent show house visit on how to achieve beautiful green spaces--whether you're a gardener or not!
Carmen Johnston, of Carmen Johnston Gardens and a Southern Living contributing garden editor, recently visited Nashville’s newest signature home event, the Nashville Symphony Show House. She was inspired by the home and gardens, and here are her take-away tips from the charming Southern contemporary folk-style home.
I am a proud Georgia peach, but after seeing the Nashville Symphony Show House for the first time, I was ready to uproot my family (and my garden) to move into the stunning Southern home. I have seen a lot of show houses over the years, but this is by far the most inviting. Seriously, I can still hear it calling my name! The space is perfect for entertaining, the kitchen is incredible and the overall size is just right.
What can I say? It was love at first sight. Of course, the excellent use of greenery throughout the show house is what really caught my eye. And with that, here are my suggestions for how to implement the same tasteful garden style in your own space:
1. Put your best blooms forward with annuals or hydrangeas at the front door. Anchor your porch with boxwoods to greet your guests as soon as they arrive.
2. Take it down a notch with a few special nooks throughout the garden. Small-scale gardening is a great way to create intimate places for your guests to converse, or for you to enjoy your morning cup of coffee or late-night book.
3. Hit ’em with your best pots—the best pots for your front door, that is. When choosing containers to flank your front door, you want to go big before you go home. Two pots too small is not a good look!
4. Stuff ‘n’ shove your entire house with succulents! These plants are extremely low-maintenance, needing to be watered only twice a month. They are also incredibly stylish and look great in any and every pot, from galvanized to glass.
These four garden solutions are so simple and easy to achieve. It just goes to show you that in order to transform your home, a little green is all you really need. As for my garden and me, we will continue living in Georgia for now, but the Nashville Symphony Show House will always be a source of inspiration for all my green dreams.
The Nashville Symphony Show House is open for tours daily through Sunday, June 28, in the Forest Hills area of Nashville with on-site parking. Built by the 2012 Southern Living Custom Builder of the Year, Castle Homes, visit their website for more information and tickets.
Photos by Leila Grossman of Grannis Photography
