Not long ago, I visited The Cloisters in New York City. By definition, a cloister is an open hallway that surrounds a protected garden. It is a natural walkway where monks and nuns might retreat into nature and still have a degree of protection from the elements, like wind, rain, snow, sun–and other people, too.

At the Cloisters in New York City, there are several gardens, and all of them are peaceful sanctuaries. As I was walking around and through those gardens, I thought to myself that everyone needs a natural sanctuary–a garden where they can retreat from society and its demands.

“When the hornet hangs in the hollyhock, And the brown bee drones i’ the rose, And the west is a red-streaked four-o’clock, And summer is near its close It’s Oh, for the gate, and the locust lane; And dusk, and dew, and home again!” – Madison Cawein

When it is possible, I grow fragrant flowers, like lavender, peonies, and irises, and strolling through my garden also becomes an experience of aromatherapy.

Jacki Kellum Garden in New Jersey

Jacki Kellum Garden Gate in New Jersey

“Come into the garden, Maud, For the black bat, night, has flown,
Come into the garden, Maud, I am here at the gate alone; Maud
And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad,
And the musk of the rose is blown.
For a breeze of morning moves, And the planet of Love is on high,
Beginning to faint in the light that she loves On a bed of daffodil sky.” – Tennyson

Forest Daffodil
Jacki Kellum Watercolor Painting

 

Fireball Red Hibiscus
Jacki Kellum Watercolor Painting

One of my primary purposes for gardening is to grow a ready supply of flowers and other pants for painting. Another reason is that my spirit needs to live amidst the flowers that I plant to become my garden. I painted the above fireball hibiscus from my red hibiscus that was planted in my New Jersey, near my waterfall.

Jacki Kellum Garden Pond and Waterfall August 2015

Waterfall Near Jacki Kellum’s Home in the Ozarks

This past summer, I moved to the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, and you cannot travel far in any direction without seeing REAL waterfalls and creeks in the Ozarks.

“I divined and chose a distant place to dwell
I pick leaves to thatch a hut among the pines
Scoop out a pond and lead a runnel from the spring
By now I am used to doing without the world
Picking ferns I pass the years that are left.” Han Shan

Another reason that I garden is to transform the houses where I live into my homes. My garden is my antidote for life’s wounds and it is where I go to be restored. Even during the winter, nature is my solace.

Jacki Kellum’s Garden Gate in New Jersey

“When the hornet hangs in the hollyhock, And the brown bee drones i’ the rose, And the west is a red-streaked four-o’clock, And summer is near its close It’s Oh, for the gate, and the locust lane; And dusk, and dew, and home again!” – Madison Cawein

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Next week, I’ll move into what I hope will be my permanent home in the Ozarks. My 125-year-old new house has never been owned by a gardener before, and the grounds are a blank canvas for me to create what I hope will be my last secret garden. Fortunately, the backyard is already enclosed within a privacy fence, and my new studio is glassed, and it opens into my back garden.

My new old house is on Cherry Street, and today, I’ll begin planting a cherry tree garden there:

My New Old House Is on Cherry Street – To Celebrate, I’m Planting A Cherry Tree Garden

Today, I’ll begin planting roses at my new old house.

Today, I’m Starting My Rose Garden in My New Old House

Climbing roses have a way of making a garden not only fragrant but a secret place, too.

Build A Wall of Roses for A Gorgeous Garden Escape

Secret Garden — those words are the common denominator in this post.

Many artists and writers have created secret gardens for themselves. Perhaps we all simply love the beauty of a gorgeous garden, but I believe that the need is more about mindfulness and about becoming meditative. There is something Zen-like about a Secret Garden. That Zen-like meditative essence is the balm for my soul.