How long have you lived in your house?

"How long have you lived in your house?" is the most commonly asked question of people who come into my garden. On Sunday August 2^nd 2009, my answer will be thirty years! I was thirty-one on my first birthday in this house. You are invited to come celebrate my sixty-first birthday and thiry years of living in this house.

People ask me how long I've lived here, because the garden has so much detail -- in plants, sculpture, water features, benches, walls, planters, and paving. While this has all happened in a thirty-year period, the whole rear garden was put in with the studio which was finished in 2005. For example, the long mosaic bench, patio, and flying goddess sculpture were installed in 2007.

With a good blueprint to follow, you'd be surprised at how quickly you can turn your garden into a work of art.

In upcoming blog entries, and in my new book titled Fearless Color Gardens, there are lots of tips on how you can quickly transform your garden.

To make a mosaic-covered bench, first start by making a wood form to pour cement in. Once you have removed the forms, you are ready to mosaic the surfaces. This bench has glass tile mats that are adhered to the cement with thin set.

Flat ceramic tiles were also installed with thin set. After the thin set dried, sanded grout smoothed out the surface. The columner bases were wrapped with the glass tiles and were also grouted. Making the form is the hardest part of this process and you may need to employ a contractor to help you figure that out.

Hope to see you in my garden soon!

Keeyla