I’m extremely fascinated by astronomy, so I envisioned what I call a"space" theme. Basically, this would entail lots of blue for background color to represent the sky with lots of shapes and colors that would characterize all of the heavenly objects.

I went with freesias throughout the bed not only for their gorgeous blue hue, but also for that"fresh air" scent to grace the entrance of my abode. I backed them up with white elephant ears to be the"clouds" sitting atop the blue horizon. I made a"river" of blue morning glories flow from the edge of the bed and up the walls next to my bedroom window. I planted cypress vines with red, pink, and white star-shaped blooms to mingle with the glories growing up the wall. In between the banks of glories in the bed, I added some purple star-shaped campanulas and asters that looked like little purple moons, and in the very center I placed black hollyhocks to resemble a black hole. In the corner farthest away from my door, I put a bright crimson sunflower surrounded by orange poppies to symbolize the powerful, fiery energy of the sun.

Although it’s only been a few months since I put the seedlings into the ground, my"space" garden is flourishing, and already brightens my day whenever I look at it. I’ve added a couple of things here and there for enhancement, like some bright green sweet potato vine showcasing the entire bed, and I’ve even had some welcome wildflowers join. The only bloom I’ve seen so far from the original seedlings was a solitary red star on the cypress vine, but the waiting is part of the excitement of making a garden. I eagerly inspect the progress of my"babies" whenever I enter or leave my home. My neighbor even said to me jokingly,"You know, they won’t grow while you sit there and watch them." I can’t help it, though. The ultimate expression of this artistic medium will be on the day my"space" theme becomes a reality with all of the colors and shapes of my vision coming together, much like in a painting, out of my head and onto the canvas for the rest of the world to see.