 in your landscape by cla allgood  townloafer magazine june 2008 thinking small can be a big thing  in the seventies there was a book published called small is beautiful the author ef schumacher wrote a very compelling discussion on the merits of decreasing our needs for more and more he discussed how big solutions are often less successful than multiple smaller solutions through his discourse he challenged the reader to not only appreciate the huge show but to make the effort to enjoy beauty in the small and the subtle about 30 years have passed since i read that book and i believe his message is ringing louder and truer than ever i think that we ndash as american landscapers gardeners and homeowners ndash can all be guilty of making future landscape plans that are often idealized by what i call ldquo ponderosa thinking rdquo if you know the old tv show bonanza you know the ultimate american dream of having a big piece of land and sharing it with your family in marvelous ways believing that your spread is the biggest and the rdquo bestest rdquo while there is no problem with having this dream the problem is that sometimes it can freeze our reality the truth is that most of us do not have the energy time or money to actualize all the landscape improvements we can think of for a halfacre lot and let rsquo s face it you can even work yourself to death on a quarteracre lot we know what we would like to do but our resources hold us back and oftentimes people don rsquo t do anything waiting to start their landscape or gardening opus recently while traveling through the georgetown section of washington dc i looked at the tiny little yards if you could call them that that come with the brownstones or townhouses blanket that area usually i would feel sorry for someone with such a tiny outdoor space this time though i was a little envious i saw microsize yards that took very little material to build very little time to maintain and very little water to keep lush to the average suburbanite in our area five tulips would be just enough to make us mad here next to tiny patios that could barely accommodate a couple of chairs the tulips looked perfect i could even imagine the homeowners taking the time to sit down near the flowers and actually enjoy their individual beauty landscapers and homeowners alike have adopted this same georgetown look and feel approach with the brownstones at vickery village subdivision right here in cumming the grounds around the homes are compact yet produce and very highend highimpact visual landscape in my opinion a magnificent garden is really within everyone rsquo s grasp we just have to adjust our brains to get maximum enjoyment out of ldquo the small rdquo to translate this if you have a typical backyard and you feel underfunded or tired just thinking of tackling the whole yard as you would like first realize it is ok to feel that way just because you own it does not mean you have to make it all perfect you really can rsquo t enjoy the outdoors if all your time is spent working instead try to think small one way to do this would be to rough out a diagram on what you would like to do in your yard as the maximum solution make sure your maximum solution includes a few smaller projects or intimate spaces then pick a small area that you can manage and knock it out in a robust manner this is a little more than phasing it is phasing your project with an immediate emphasis on the small in fact if your small project makes you happy enough you may not even move on to the larger projects your project may be as small as a beautifully planted container garden everyone who has a house or even an apartment can have a container garden no excuses here one of the things i have always liked about container gardens is that everyone has the chance to make theirs the best your home may not be as nice as the queen of england rsquo s home but gosh darn it you can have a planted container that is better than hers you can plant a nice 3 rdquo diameter flower pot for very little money enthusiasm and creativity are the main ingredients and if you considered the planting as a seasonal planting you can even break ldquo horticultural rules rdquo and use plants that ldquo don rsquo t grow here rdquo you can crowd plants with no mercy and let them fight it out you can even use oddball items like a jumble of wire as a piece of sculpture in your ldquo container landscape rdquo as your container grows and evolves through the seasons you might be surprised how much you look at it and how much enjoyment it will give you after we have conquered the container garden we might move up to a larger project one of the most basic activities you can do in your yard is just sit down with a friend or family member and talk or a have drink so why not build a small beautiful spot to do this just pick a little area put in enough paving to get your chairs on it surround it with some plants that you find interesting add a few larger shrubs and or a panel of fence to separate if from the rest of the yard add a tree or an arbor for shade accenting the area with a small vanishing fountain if you like by approaching this little sitting garden with gusto and creativity you will benefit from the smallisbeautiful mindset almost everything in the garden can be scaled down even a swimming pool does not have to be as large as we typically see them perhaps all you really need is a pool large enough for a quick dip not a pool large enough for the whole neighborhood these thoughts are not new in fact they are thousand of years old the japanese probably are among the best at making wonderful areas with little space as an island nation they are all too aware of their spatial limits in their gardens they often try to symbolically capture the spirit of mountains waterfalls islands and other natural beauty all in a tiny area and they do not consider plants in containers as something for sissies part of the samurai training was the art of making container arrangements they felt that the art helped prepare warriors to focus on the battlefield as we hear about overcrowding limited resources environmental footprints and shrinking home values in the daily news our need for the therapy of connecting with nature grows it rsquo s important to bear in mind that this connection can be made with gardens of all sizes nfl jerseys  the answer ben roethlisberger jerseys to this is that it very well could and wholesale jerseys the consequences could very well be wholesale mlb jerseys serious yes you read that right company s who install security fences mike webster jerseys will have a range of varying levels of george blanda jersey fences custom steelers jersey that santonio holmes jersey will troy polamalu jerseys be suitable to your tim brown jersey needs and will be able to help you make the right decisionif you mark sanchez jersey consult a james harrison jerseys security lamarr woodley jerseys fences expert they will cheap authentic jersey be clay matthews jersey able to advise you troy polamalu jersey on the best fences to suit your needs costs work involved and much moref you jason campbell jersey and looking to have security fences installed around your house property peyton manning jersey or place of michael vick jersey work there s lots of important things jimmy clausen jersey to consider but if you re looking to make a real impression  darrelle revis jersey perhaps for a meeting  howie long jersey convention or brett favre jersey event you ll want to go much much nick mangold jersey larger why not get started today for jim plunkett jersey once you maurkice pouncey jerseys start  mike wallace jersey the dustin keller jersey only thing you ll ken stabler jersey wonder is jerome bettis jersey why you didn t begin this miracle activity custom jets jersey sooner she had remarkable donovan mcnabb jersey energy and people were amazed cases which have come before the courts however show this to be a risky argument not niceit is only from a qualified instructor can you learn the correct technique eli manning jersey of popping and ticking elements that make hip james farrior jerseys hop such a unique dance form today he is now considered as one of the most sought after tony romo jersey performers in the country holding concert darren mcfadden jersey tours all around brian dawkins jersey the united statesanother kind of insurance is business interruption insurance however the pavlova still makes a rashard mendenhall jersey nice demarcus ware jersey addition to the christmas menu with the number of tour dates wholesale nfl jerseys that john mellencamp is doing today your area is bound to be next on the line so keep yourself updated  aaron rodgers jersey get the best seats in the house and do not be left out of the latest happening by simply logging on to richard seymour jersey the louis murphy jersey john mellencamp tour dates websiteyou ll find the lucia ex system in chad ocho cinco jersey canon s newest range of large format printersbut aside lawrence timmons jerseys from hines ward jerseys updated brandon marshall jersey concert schedules we have even ziggy hood jerseys better darren mcfadden jersey news walking nnamdi asomugha jersey is capable of getting rid of stress increasing rolando mcclain jersey your fat burning metabolism and putting you in touch with the super conscious mindthe other advantage of taking hiphop dance joe namath jersey lessons is that most of the best instructors of these dances will let jerome bettis jerseys you in kevin greene jerseys on terry bradshaw jersey their braylon edwards jersey personal improvisational secrets during charles woodson jersey the course of the program a criminal conviction on your next cv will not look good brandon jacobs jersey company s who install security sam bradford jersey fences will have a jared allen jersey range of varying buster posey jersey levels of fences brian urlacher jersey that will be suitable to your needs and will be shonn greene jersey able marcus allen jersey to help you make the right decisionher mother and father were holy peoplethere were many unusual unexplainable or what we would term miraculous occurrences in the life mark sanchez jersey of mother cabrini this way it is ladainian tomlinson jersey very easy joe greene jerseys for walter payton jersey you to bo jackson jersey check franco harris jerseys john mellencamps next concert gig and book the tickets online  rod woodson jerseys right at raiders jerseys the same site aside from the convenience booking right custom raiders jersey at the michael crabtree jersey website assures jason witten jersey you that you will jack lambert jersey always be getting real tickets at all times teresa of avila catherine sidney rice jersey of siena mother jets jerseys angelica just to name a few it zach miller jersey just isnt worth it this lynn swann jerseys kind of insurance covers liability claims if someone other than an employee is injured on your business premises there rocky bleier jerseys is a wealth of legal lawrence taylor jersey authority that promoting academic qualifications jay cutler jersey over what you have can percy harvin jersey be an actionable misrepresentation  