Gardens that say “be my valentine” – by Diane Morey Sitton
Ever since English poet Geoffrey Chaucer linked Valentine’s Day to romance in the 14th century, the holiday has increasingly come to symbolize friendship, love and affection. But it doesn’t have to be February 14 for gardeners to wear their hearts on their sleeves. There are simple ways to incorporate the spirit of the holiday into gardens all year long.
The ideas below will set your heart on fire.
• Paint a heart on a fence, gate, pot or potting shed door. Sketch out the word “love” on a chalkboard: encircle it with flowers. Hang up signs about friendship. Keep messages upbeat and motivating.
• Display garden décor embellished with hearts or shaped like hearts. Shop around. There are heart-themed birdhouses and bird baths, wind chimes and whirligigs, and stepping stones and scrollwork. Often, upside down or back-to-back hearts seem to be hidden in plain sight on wrought iron gates and fences. Fly a banner or garden flag emblazoned with heart-inspired images or display heart-inspired garden stakes along a garden path to catch Cupid’s eye.
• Weave a heart-shaped wreath from grapevines or other pliable vines or obtain a heart-shaped wreath form. Decorate it with seasonal nosegays and ribbon. Display it on a covered porch or patio.
• Craft primitive hearts using wire, tin or cement. Scatter them in garden beds, display them on table tops, hang them on fences, or use them to embellish planters.
• Piece hearts together mosaic-style incorporating them into floral-, abstract- or geometric-themed designs. Use bits of broken pottery and glass. Include flat glass marbles and heart-shaped trinkets. Showcase your mosaic creations on stepping stones, garden benches, wall plaques, pots, small tables and other garden décor and accessories.
• Grow plants with heart-shaped foliage such as caladium, cyclamen, elephant ear, hosta, dicentra, sweet potato vine and ivy, among others. Train vines with heart-shaped foliage to grow on trellises and arbors adorned with heart motifs. Include plants with red blooms and/or foliage, especially red roses. In the language of flowers red roses signify love and devotion. Other red bloomers include celosia, firecracker plant, geranium, scarlet sage, and yarrow. Camellia extends the list of red-blooming beauties from late fall through winter.
Heart-shaped décor, foliage and flowers, heart-inspired art and symbols, messages about love and friendship, red flowers and hearts: gardens that say “Be my valentine” turn everyday into Valentine’s Day!