When we hear the term “stylist,” most of us assume we are talking about someone who does hair. But if you’ve ever picked up a home and lifestyles magazine and felt welcomed into a celebrity’s mansion, you’ve come under the influence of another kind of stylist. This one’s job is to make you feel as if you are a guest in a private and exclusive realm.
When it works, this illusion is no accident. The stylist creates a mood in the garden the same way a real estate stager prepares a home for sale. A chilled pitcher of lemonade sitting on a patio table makes us feel cool – even when it’s blistering hot outside. You’ve undoubtedly done something similar on more than one occasion yourself. Who hasn’t put clutter out of sight, or set candles around the house, to create a festive atmosphere for a party?
When a garden is featured in a magazine, the stylist brings an objective eye and transforms a good garden into extraordinary by identifying and removing flaws. Out goes the worn and stained plastic patio set. In comes an ensemble suitable to the garden’s demeanor. Wicker or weathered wrought iron might be in keeping with a country garden theme. A modernistic landscape cries out for chrome or steel. What is at work here is the essence of any good makeover. The stylist zeroes in on elements that are disjointed or off-message and changes them.
These techniques can work the same brand of magic on any garden. The truth is, I live in a suburban tract home and my house is one of only five models within several blocks in any direction. Furthermore, mine is a covenant-controlled community, where the rules reinforce conformity rather than emphasize individuality. But within these limitations, there is plenty I can do to make my garden stand out. A great garden is about more than plants and flower beds. What makes a garden really special is attention to detail. Although my house looks like every other house in the vicinity, details are not immutable. Nor are they prescribed in the covenants.
Even the smallest touches can have a huge impact in reinforcing the desired ambience. Before I add anything, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, I consider whether it adds or subtracts to the mood I’m trying to create. Generally, I set an object down in the garden and live with it for a while before deciding whether or not it works.
You don’t need to be a professional to bring out the best in your garden. Once you get into the habit of looking at things with a stylist’s eye, you’ll find that anything that is out of place, disjointed or off message will jump out at you as surely as the faded fiberglass hose holder by my front door, which says to me, “Is this the best you can do?”
The minute I find an attractive copper replacement, it’s out of there.
Marcia Tatroe is author of the forthcoming “Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West,” $29.95, Johnson Books.
