Patio & Playhouse

A Grandmother’s Gift

Some gardens begin with a vision. This one began with love. A grandmother in Boulder dreamed of a place where her granddaughter could step into another world—one just down the stairs, where fairy tales weren't just read, but lived. Where magic grew on vines and could be tasted.

The site was narrow, tucked away, difficult to reach—the kind most would overlook. I started with what was there: an old apple tree and cherry tree. They became the garden's anchors. Around them, I wove a story in plants—Nanking cherries and berry bushes at child-height, strawberries spreading like a living carpet.

At the heart: a playhouse with a porch and miniature kitchen, where a little girl could cook with herbs picked from hanging baskets, serve berries she'd gathered herself. We planted roses to climb and eventually cover the structure, knowing that as the girl grew, the roses would grow too.

From above, the grandmother can see the whole story unfold. But down in the garden, at eye level, it becomes a world scaled for wonder. The strawberries will spread. The roses will climb higher. The apple tree will keep producing fruit, marking time in harvests. And through it all, a grandmother's gift will keep growing—not just plants, but memories.