Everyone loves a secret place they can run to when they want to get away from the stress of everyday life--a quiet, secluded spot for times of reflection or privacy. Wouldn't it be great if you could create a place like that right in your own backyard?

Often an unfinished side yard or a hidden corner can be turned into a cozy nook for sitting and relaxing. It can be as simple as adding a bench or a garden swing under an arbor and surrounding the area with colorful, fragrant plants and flowering vines to stimulate the senses. In fact, any outside space, from a balcony to an acre estate, can benefit from including a nook.

First, think about your purpose for the nook. Perhaps it could be a place for morning coffee, a place to sit and read, or a quiet spot for an intimate dining space with a loved one or friends. The key is to make it secluded and partially hidden from the rest of the yard or home. You can create this by using taller plants, a lattice or an arbor that narrows and defines the entrance but invites discovery.

It's important to create boundaries for your nook. Try to enclose at least three sides by incorporating existing walls, fences, trees, and strategic plantings. Another way to define a nook's space is to use a different type of surface from the rest of the yard. This could include brick, pavers, a wood deck or a concrete pad surrounded by ground cover. Consider a cover overhead, such as a pergola, and outdoor lighting.

Now it's time to add greenery for color and texture to your space. Start with fragrant plants for privacy such as butterfly bush, lilac, michelia or even a bush or small tree. Colorful tall shrubs to consider are nandina, plumbago, smoke bush or physocarpus (Ninebark). Perhaps you'd like a small focal tree such as a Rose of Sharon or a tree rose.

Add a few colorful vines or a climbing rose. Now fill in the area with more fragrant plants such as calycanthus, chamomile, gardenia, jasmine, lavender, lemon balm, monarda or scented geraniums. Fill in any leftover space between plants with fragrant mint, thyme or verbena.

Make sure that whatever furniture you use is comfortable, whether it is a simple garden bench, bistro set or patio table and chairs. Now add some elements for sound, such as a waterfall, fountain or a set of wind chimes. Touch up the area with a colorful glazed vase-shaped container and you'll be set to go!

Make sure the view looking into your nook is as good as the view looking out. Having a great view will add to the pleasure of your time spent there. Using these principles, you will create a cozy nook that will give pleasure to everyone who visits and uses the space.

Finishing Touches

Try to include some greenery in your nook if it isn't there naturally. It will add color, texture and luxury to the space. If you can, include a favorite piece of whimsy that personalizes your nook.

When planning your garden, consider putting in some herbs--or even an entire herb garden. For the home chef, dried herbs are no match for those freshly picked. Even herbs purchased fresh at the grocery store or farmers market have lost some of their essences by the time they're sold. And the most popular and easiest herbs to grow in home gardens are Mediterranean herbs. Their leaves flavor everything from meats, soups, and stews to pizza, spaghetti and even some desserts.

Mediterranean herbs also add beauty to home gardens and are some of the most rewarding plants you can grow. Most herbs are perennials, with the exception of basil and parsley, which should be planted new each year. They prefer to be planted in full sun and watered regularly with the rest of the garden, but most tolerate drought and less than perfect soil.

Mediterranean herbs add some of the best flavorings for many foods and drinks, imparting a complex array of tastes that can't be matched by most other kitchen seasonings. The fragrance of fresh picked herbs stimulates the senses with their complex oils that can dissipate once they dry out.

There really isn't any rule of thumb about what constitutes a Mediterranean herb garden--it's all a matter of taste. Below is a list of old standbys that no kitchen garden should be without.

Basil (sweet, Greek, purple)
Leaves taste somewhat like anise with a strong, fragrant, sweet smell. Bushy plant grows 18-24" tall (depending on variety).

Chives
Round, hollow, grass-like leaves with a distinct onion-type flavor. Often used as a garnish. Clumping plant that grows 8-10" tall.

Lavender (English)
Aromatic leaves add a subtle floral flavor to honey, marinades, and desserts. Mounding plant to 2 feet tall and wide.

Marjoram (Sweet)
Tiny gray leaves have a floral scent and milder flavor than Greek oregano. Plant grows 12-24" tall.

Oregano (Greek
Leaves have a spicy flavor that's strongest if harvested when plant is in bud before flowering. Plant grows 18-36" tall.

Parsley (Curly)
The most common parsley, used most often as a garnish. The bushy plant grows about 12" tall.

Parsley (Flat-leafed)
Fresh sprigs and minced leaves are a classic garnish but have superior flavor when cooked. The bush plant grows 12-18" tall.

Rosemary
Short, narrow leaves add an intense peppery flavor to grilled meat, especially lamb. Upright or spreading plants 1-6' tall (depending on variety)

Sage (Garden)
Aromatic leaves are used to flavor stews and stuffing. Some varieties have variegated foliage. Shrubby plant grows 12-36" tall.

Tarragon (French)
Thin, aromatic leaves are a classic flavoring for chicken and egg dishes. The plant grows 18-24" tall.

Thyme (English)
Leaves add flavor to meats, stews, and tomato-based sauces. Also produces beautiful flowers. Spreading plant 6-12" tall.

Thyme (Lemon)
Leaves have a lemon fragrance to brighten flavor of dishes and vinegars. Spreading plant to 6-12" tall.

Fungus gnats can become a nuisance indoors when adults emerge in large numbers from potted plants containing consistently damp or wet soil. While the adults are harmless to humans and animals, the eggs they lay become larvae or maggots, and can damage plants.

African violets, carnations, cyclamens, geraniums, poinsettias and indoor foliage plants can be susceptible and show symptoms of sudden wilting, loss of vigor, poor growth, or leaf yellowing and foliage loss. The larvae feed not only on fungi and decaying organic matter, but on living plant tissue, particularly root hairs and small feeder roots.

Overwatering is the usual cause of fungus gnats, so it is important to focus attention there. It's best to allow the soil to dry as much as possible, without injury to the plants, as an effective natural way of controlling them. Another natural solution is to cover the soil with a one-inch layer of decorative rock, gravel, or sand.

An initial infestation can easily be controlled with an application of a pyrethrin spray such as Safer Yard & Garden Spray. It helps to do at least one follow-up application 7-10 days later to break the breeding cycle.

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