I have a passion for gardening but no skill to back it up. I love the idea of making things grow and tending to them, but it's probably better for everyone involved that I'm growing plats and not children. About half of my plants didn't survive the winter.

I've started the process of wandering through garden centers before work, after work, on weekends, and even on my lunch break. I wander and read and think and imagine...

I imagine a patio that is a dream to enter and a shame to have to leave.

The sight of trees, bushes, flowers, water; all set against a man-made hardscape backdrop.
The smell of nature. The aroma of jasmine wafting past your nostrils with every other step.
The sound of leaves rustling, of birds calling out to one another "I've found it!"
The touch of a wayward vine against your leg as you wander down a path through nature's overindulgence.
The taste of sweet fruit picked right from the vine that is the fruit of your labor.

I imagine myself spending lazy afternoons in this backyard nature escape, probably in a hammock. I have yet to buy or even attempt to mount a hammock in my yard because that is the last step in the long process of designing the patio.

While my mind makes decisions and I continue to wander the stores, here's a glimpse of what I have to work with so far. My yard is a whopping 22.5 ft x 17 ft.