This photo was taken at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. It highlights, once again, that we can come away with ideas for our own yards and gardens when we go to spring flower shows. The take-away idea here is how we can create instant, charming outdoor “rooms” or give an area some definition and privacy with some clothesline, clothespins and lengths of cloth. One reason this looks good is that the cloth has been folded at the top so that the cord runs through the cloth…the clothespins are mostly decorative. This is a smart way to do it if you’re putting such a screening outside, since the wind could pull the cloth away otherwise.
This display was designed by Pamela Richards and constructed by
Pamela Richards Garden Design and Falling Water Designs.
So the weekend project I propose today is to think about where and why you could use this idea in your yard. Could a line be strung on a corner of the deck for instant privacy, for example. Or might some curtains form a background for an outdoor lunch or tea?
How about using this idea to create an instant stage for the kids or grandkids this summer? A set of curtains is an invitation to children to put on a play or show.
Printed sheets could be used for the curtains instead of fabric. In fact, since most sheets are folded at the top and stitched with a wide hem on one end already, all you’d need to do is cut each side of that hem to pass a cord through the top.
If you don’t have trees to tie the clothesline to you could use poles in a heavy base such as an outdoor umbrella stand. Or sink a pole or a small dead tree into the ground…just be sure that the end goes about a foot and a half into the soil so that it holds up once the fabric becomes a sail in the wind!
It may be snowy where I live, but I’m going to look around to spot where I might create some instant drama in my garden this summer.
