Creating a Cozy Garden Retreat for Year-Round Enjoyment
Withtemperaturesdroppingandduskarrivingearly, thefirepitsectionofmygardenhasbeenonmymind.
隨著氣溫下降，夜幕降臨得越來越早，我一直想著花園裡的火坑區域。
It’sasimplesetup.
設定很簡單。
EightcolorfulAdirondackchairsarearrangedinacirclearoundastackedstonehearth, surrounded, duringthegrowingseason, byeasy-growing, low-maintenancebuttonbush, hydrangeas, hosta, clumpingLiriopeandcoleus.
八把色彩鮮豔的阿迪朗達克椅圍繞著一個堆疊的石頭壁爐呈圓形擺放，在生長季節，周圍環繞著易於生長、無需過多維護的紐扣樹、繡球花、玉簪、叢生麥冬和彩葉草。
Andsimpleiswhatmakesitspecial.
正是它的簡潔之處，讓它顯得格外特別。
Theimportantpartisthefeelingitprovides-- unfussycomfort, serenity, andrelaxation.
重要的是它帶給人的感覺——輕鬆舒適、寧靜祥和、放鬆身心。
Thegarden, afterall, isasanctuary–aplacetohide, relaxourshouldersandcatchourbreathwhiletherestoftheworldspeedsby.
畢竟，花園是一個避難所——一個可以躲起來、放鬆肩膀、喘口氣的地方，而外面的世界卻飛快運轉。
Studiesindicatethattimespentinthegardenlowersstress, butthetypesofplantsdon’tmatter; ournervoussystemsdon’trequireabotanicalshowplacetounwind.
研究表明，在花園裡度過的時間可以降低壓力，但植物的種類並不重要；我們的神經系統不需要一個植物園來放鬆身心。
Itdoesn’ttakemuchtogiveyourselfthegiftofpeace-- justachair, afewunfussyplantsthatwon’tbecomeburdensome, andsomeattentiontodetail.
想要讓自己享受平靜，其實並不需要太多東西——只需要一張椅子、幾盆不會成為負擔的嬌氣植物，以及一些對細節的關注。
Andifyoucanenjoyityear-round, allthebetter.
如果能一年四季都享受到它，那就更好了。
Now’sagoodtimetostartthinkingaboutnextyear’sgarden.
現在正是開始考慮明年花園規劃的好時機。
Large, nativegrasseslendasenseofcalmwhentheyswayinthewind.
大片的本地草在風中搖曳，給人一種平靜祥和的感覺。
Flowerslikelilacs, oldgardenroses, jasmine, andsweetpeasbringfragrantbliss.
紫丁香、老園玫瑰、茉莉和香豌豆等花朵帶來芬芳的幸福感。
Andthesoundofawindchimeorasteadytrickleofwatercanprovidemeditativetranquility.
風鈴聲或潺潺流水聲都能帶來冥想般的寧靜。
There’snoneedtogetfancy; asmalltabletopbubblerwilldo.
無需太講究，小型桌上型氣泡水機就足夠了。
Youdon’tneedalargeyardeither.
你也不需要很大的院子。
Tuckachairunderashadetree, installawindowboxorhangingbasket, orlineyourbalconywithpottedannuals.
在樹蔭下放把椅子，安裝窗台花箱或吊籃，或在陽台上擺放盆栽一年生植物。
Thenjustsitoutthereforfiveminutes, breathing.
然後就坐在那裡，深呼吸五分鐘。
Naturecanhandlesomeoftheworkforyou.
大自然可以幫你分擔一些工作。
Abirdfeederorbirdbathandsomepollinator-friendlyplantswillprovideplentyofentertainment, allowingyoutozoneoutasbirdssplashandbeesandbutterfliesflutterfromflowertoflower.
一個餵鳥器或鳥浴盆，再加上一些吸引授粉昆蟲的植物，就能帶來很多樂趣，讓你可以放鬆身心，看著鳥兒在水中嬉戲，蜜蜂和蝴蝶在花叢間飛舞。
Nowthinkupasmallritualthatwillbringyoutoyourspoteveryday.
現在想想一個能讓你每天來到這個地方的小儀式。
Maybeit’llbewhereyoudrinkyourafternoontea, readyourmail, orwriteentriesinyournotebook.
也許你會在這裡喝下午茶、閱讀郵件或在筆記本上寫日記。
Forme, it’sawalkaroundthegardeneverysummermorninginmypajamas, coffeeinonehand, prunersintheother, justcheckingonthingsbeforethedaygetsawayfromme.
對我來說，每個夏日的早晨，穿著睡衣，一手拿著咖啡，一手拿著修枝剪，在花園裡散步，在一天結束之前檢查一下植物的狀態，這才是最愜意的事情。
Thesedays, Isitonmyporchforafewminuteswhentheweatherallows, breathinginsomecrispairbeforestartingmyday.
如今，天氣允許的時候，我會在開始一天的工作之前，坐在門廊上幾分鐘，呼吸一下清新的空氣。
Soon, I’llsitouttherewithapileofseedcatalogsandmytrustyhighlighter, makingaspringtimewishlistwhilewatchingovermydormantgarden.
很快，我就會坐在那裡，手捧一堆種子目錄和我那支可靠的螢光筆，一邊看著我休眠的花園，一邊列出一份春季願望清單。
AndyoucanbesureI’llwrapmyselfinablanketandsitaroundthefirepitonsomemildwinterevenings.
可以肯定的是，在一些溫暖的冬夜，我會裹上毯子，坐在營火旁。
Ifitsoundssimple, that’sbecauseitis.
聽起來很簡單，那是因為它確實很簡單。
Anditdoesn’ttakemuchtogiftittoyourself.
而且，送給自己一份禮物並不需要花太多錢。
JessicaDamianowritesweeklygardeningcolumnsfortheandpublishestheaward-winningWeeklyDirtNewsletter.
傑西卡·達米亞諾每週為《園藝周刊》撰寫園藝專欄，並出版屢獲殊榮的《每週園藝通訊》。
Youcansignuphereforweeklygardeningtipsandadvice.
您可以在這裡註冊，每週獲取園藝技巧和建議。
With temperatures dropping and dusk arriving early, the firepit section of my garden has been on my mind.
It’s a simple setup.
Eight colorful Adirondack chairs are arranged in a circle around a stacked stone hearth, surrounded, during the growing season, by easy-growing, low-maintenance button bush, hydrangeas, hosta, clumping Liriope and coleus.
And simple is what makes it special.
The important part is the feeling it provides -- unfussy comfort, serenity, and relaxation.
The garden, after all, is a sanctuary – a place to hide, relax our shoulders and catch our breath while the rest of the world speeds by.
Studies indicate that time spent in the garden lowers stress, but the types of plants don’t matter; our nervous systems don’t require a botanical showplace to unwind.
It doesn’t take much to give yourself the gift of peace -- just a chair, a few unfussy plants that won’t become burdensome, and some attention to detail.
And if you can enjoy it year-round, all the better.
Now’s a good time to start thinking about next year’s garden.
Large, native grasses lend a sense of calm when they sway in the wind.
Flowers like lilacs, old garden roses, jasmine, and sweet peas bring fragrant bliss.
And the sound of a windchime or a steady trickle of water can provide meditative tranquility.
There’s no need to get fancy; a small tabletop bubbler will do.
You don’t need a large yard either.
Tuck a chair under a shade tree, install a window box or hanging basket, or line your balcony with potted annuals.
Then just sit out there for five minutes, breathing.
Nature can handle some of the work for you.
A birdfeeder or birdbath and some pollinator-friendly plants will provide plenty of entertainment, allowing you to zone out as birds splash and bees and butterflies flutter from flower to flower.
Now think up a small ritual that will bring you to your spot every day.
Maybe it’ll be where you drink your afternoon tea, read your mail, or write entries in your notebook.
For me, it’s a walk around the garden every summer morning in my pajamas, coffee in one hand, pruners in the other, just checking on things before the day gets away from me.
These days, I sit on my porch for a few minutes when the weather allows, breathing in some crisp air before starting my day.
Soon, I’ll sit out there with a pile of seed catalogs and my trusty highlighter, making a springtime wish list while watching over my dormant garden.
And you can be sure I’ll wrap myself in a blanket and sit around the firepit on some mild winter evenings.
If it sounds simple, that’s because it is.
And it doesn’t take much to gift it to yourself.
Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter.
You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.
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