Today's post is from guest blogger Cindy Cragg, home stylist for WILLIAMSBURG®, www.williamsburgmarketplace.com, the lifestyle brand of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
The idea of an outdoor room or “garden room,” as it was called in the 18th-century, has come in and out of fashion over the years. In colonial times, having a pleasure garden in addition to a kitchen garden was a sign of wealth. Unlike the utilitarian kitchen garden, the pleasure garden might have been used for afternoon tea or private reflection and was often separated by rows of boxwood hedges and trees.
Both gardens were an integral part of the home, but it was the pleasure garden that was created to be a private sanctuary. This concept of being enveloped in a secluded garden oasis has enticed people for centuries.
What we have intuitively known for years, studies now confirm that flowers can have an instant effect on a person’s mood. Whether you are enjoying a single bloom, like was common with the rare and expensive tulip in the 18th-century, delighting in a fresh creation of fruit and flowers on the center of your dining room table, or immersing yourself in an outdoor wonderland, there is no doubt that elements from the garden are good for the soul.
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For this reason, thousands come each year to stroll through the renowned gardens of Colonial Williamsburg. With each season comes a different adventure for the senses: springtime blooms on the Dogwood trees, Crape Myrtle and Lavender fill the gardens in the summer, Chrysanthemum and Bittersweet in the fall, and in the winter lush green boxwood hedges and ruby red holly berries dot the landscape.
Fortunately, even if you can’t come to Colonial Williamsburg you can still bring the beautiful colors and textures into your home with the WILLIAMSBURG Salt-glaze Pitcher arrangement. For a lavish holiday display or a quiet corner of your home, this little bit of nature will help create that special place for you or somebody that you love.
The WILLIAMSBURG Salt Glaze pitcher can help you create your own little corner of serenity.
