Garden Journal

A Clear View

Are your blinds open right now? Or perhaps the better question is: if they aren’t, do you want them to be?

I’ve spent most of my life in a blind-less, curtainless utopia. This privilege comes from living on a few acres, where the only sign of my neighbors is the faint glow of their porch lights in winter, when bare branches no longer shield the view. This freedom is wonderful. I know the way moonlight casts shifting shadows through my house as I get a midnight drink of water. I recognize the flock of 30 (!) turkeys that sometimes wander through my yard. I’ve learned to avoid the blinding strip of afternoon sunlight that makes half my couch unusable for hours. My windows bring nature to me.

But you don’t need acres, solitude, or even to ditch your blinds (though I highly recommend it) to connect with nature through your windows. If the view out isn’t exactly inspiring, here are some ideas to spruce it up — no matter your landscape or budget.

Hang a bird feeder

A bird feeder livens up any window in all seasons. Hang one outside the window where you eat breakfast or where you curl up with a book. For extra enjoyment, download an app like Audubon or Merlin to identify the birds you see.

Put in a window box

A window box brings color and texture right up to your eyes. In spring, plant bright tulips and trailing violas. For summer, swap in cascading petunias or fragrant lavender. Even in winter, evergreens or dried seed heads can add visual interest.

Create a sense of privacy

Do you keep your blinds closed because you feel like you're on display? A few strategic plantings can change that.

• Plant an airy tree. Think Amelanchier (serviceberry), Cornus alternifolia (pagoda dogwood), or a small Japanese maple. Planted 15-20 feet from your window, a tree like this filters the view without blocking light.

• Define your borders. For backyard privacy, a mixed evergreen hedge (like holly, juniper, and pine) offers variety and year-round screening. Prefer a classic look? A row of fast-growing arborvitaes works, too.

Surprise and delight through the seasons

Sure, boxwoods provide structure all year, but they’re the frame — not the painting. The real joy comes from plants that evolve with the seasons.

• Think beyond basic bulbs. Tulips and daffodils now come in an incredible variety of shapes and colors. Check out specialty suppliers like Johnny’s Seeds for inspiration.

• Layer your plantings. Combine spring bulbs (crocus, tulip, daffodils), summer perennials (purple-top vervain, coneflower, black-eyed susan, monarda), and fall-blooming flowers (asters) so something is always catching your eye.

Create a focal point

A strategically placed object can make your garden feel more inviting — even if you never step outside. This idea nods to an 18th-century design concept called a folly — a decorative structure that suggests a space is used, even if it isn’t. Place a pair of brightly colored Adirondack chairs in the most idyllic spot in your yard. Maybe you’ll sit in them. Maybe you won’t. Either way, they create a scene that draws your eye and expands the sense of possibility.

Kayla Oldham Hammitt is a landscape architect and a horticulture and landscaping instructor at Prosser Career Education Center in New Albany, Indiana.

Story and Illustration by Kayla Oldham Hammitt

Today's Transitions / Spring 2025