Thought I'd share one of the sweet secret gardens from this year's tour in the Point neighborhood of Newport. I'm always impressed with the many and varied layers of interest the homeowners of these secret gardens are able to pack into a small space. This one, like others on the annual self-guided spring Secret Garden Tour in Newport, takes advantage of the placement of outbuildings and fences relative to the footprint of the main house to create a compelling outdoor room. Like many of the houses in my upcoming book The New Small House, this compact garden provides delightful additional season living space.

The Tour is also a great opportunity for an idjit gardener, such as myself, to learn about new plants, shrubs and trees and in what conditions they thrive. I always add the common names of new favorites to a notepad (on my phone, these days), so I can consider them for my garden next planting season. The Secret Garden Tours also offer a fall tour in different areas of Newport that you might want to mark on your calendar now. I haven't been on one of the fall tours yet, but maybe this fall will be the year to start another annual tradition. Funds from the Newport Secret Garden Tours go towards enhancing arts education and cultural programs in Aquidneck Island's public schools.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

We're in luck, WBUR's The ARTery has compiled some upcoming New England garden tours for us again this summer. I plan to attend, at minimum, the Newport Secret Garden Tour June 26-28. Browse The ARTery listing to see if there's a tour or two you can catch this season. It's a delightful way to spend an afternoon, and an invaluable learning opportunity for this idjit gardener.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Here's another clever object-turned-planter à la the planted bench that I posted not long ago. What's especially brilliant about this intervention is that the bed frame isn't actually planted. It's merely placed such that the plantings appear to emerge from the frame and spill over like generous bed clothes. Our expectations of what a bed is and how its frame might be planted enable the gardener's slight of hand.

Plus, it's fun to see a well-realized pun flourish.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

I've been lamenting how I haven't had time this spring to post my usual list of recommended upcoming New England garden tours. Then, today, much to my delight, I discovered that WBUR's The ARTery did much of the work for me. Follow The ARTery link to plan your garden tour outings for the 2014 season. I'll be headed to the Newport Secret Garden Tour on Saturday and hope to see you there.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

I have a weakness for re-purposed objects in the garden. Years ago, one of my favorite features in my mother's garden was my grandfather's antique side chair that my mother transformed by replacing the tired seat upholstery with a planted seat of moss and meadow flowers. This sweet bench with curvy arms, curvy back, and a curvy heart cutout punctuated by five offset terra cotta flower pots strikes a similarly charming chord. (BTW I spotted this bench at The Victorian Inn in Edgartown, MA.)

Re-purposed garden objects sited outside the garden can also be a delight. You may recall the wheelbarrow planter I featured some time ago.

There's simply something about the garden that invites us to play with expectations -- by transforming an object that's generally found indoors, into a strictly outdoor object, or re-imagining something meant as a work tool into a decorative display piece. What object might you transform as a foil for your garden? I'm thinking an old, galvanized watering can might make for a nice planter; just remember to drill drainage holes in the bottom. Drop me a note with your ideas over at the KHS Facebook Page.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast