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Gardens Become The New Living Rooms

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (AP) - When Gail Robertson was looking for more space to entertain guests, she began by clearing weeds from her overgrown back yard rather than scheduling a makeover of the house.

Edel Mohr had in mind a private place to come home to after a hectic workday. She fashioned a quiet sitting area from a shady spot beneath a tall oak tree next to her bungalow.

Candy Lenderman wanted to create a home that would be an asset to the city's Old Historic Northeast neighborhood, where she bought two lots several years ago. The backyard garden rooms and connecting pathways she added have become botanical learning labs for local kids.

Gardens are becoming the new living rooms in America, and these St. Petersburg women are among the many homeowners who are turning redecorating inside out. They're going outdoors for additional living space, rather than working from within.

"If the weather is good, and in Florida it usually is, we head outside," Robertson said. "We move around according to where the sun is shining and how we're feeling.

She converted one backyard corner into a dining area centered around four weatherproof chairs and a table - a setting suggesting "wrought-iron formal." An arbor of flowering vines shelters a porch swing on the opposite side of the garden, while a few well-placed mirrors give the illusion of depth.

"There's no overall theme here," Robertson said. "Just put the right plant in the right place."

Mohr bought her house 10 years ago and did the landscaping one section at a time.

"I wanted to have an enchanted feeling," she said. "When I step out of that back door after coming home, I feel I'm in a different world."

There is nothing new about the concept of garden rooms. The ancient Greeks and Romans often shaped their homes around statuary, fountains, and flowers. Asian cultures brought rocks, sculpted sand, and wildlife to their designs.

Today typical garden rooms, however, might just as easily incorporate weatherproof stereo gear, stainless steel barbecues, copper-clad fire pits, teakwood furniture, propane-powered heaters, and room-sized rugs, along with badminton nets. That degree of accessorizing makes living outdoors more popular and more comfortable, enticing families to linger longer.

People aren't simply adding pieces to their garden rooms - they're adding pricey pieces, said Peter Cilio, vice president and creative director of Campania International, in Quakertown, PA. The company makes garden accessories including planters, birdbaths, and fountains.

"They're not buying things they'll quickly throw away," Cilio added. "They're not afraid to spend money on something that's authentic and that will make their outdoor space more beautiful."

"They're decorating with containers, statuary, and with water. They're getting the full range of natural experiences. The sound of running water and greenery is a good way to do that."

Today's busy lifestyles often drive the move toward garden rooms. People want someplace relaxing, comfortable, and private, said Emily Nolting, an extension horticulturist with Kansas State University.

"It's a place to become unstressed," Nolting said. "People like to be where there are living things. Plants. Fish. Birds."

Others see garden rooms as seasonal extensions of their home's interior.

"When they don't have room for large lawns or patios anymore, or they're running out of room for things in the house," Nolting said. "By turning a small (outdoor) area into something grandiose, it gives them a feeling of space."

Most people begin by determining just what it is they want from a garden room. Perhaps the family could use a formal area for parties, family gatherings or weddings. Maybe it's an expansive place on the lawn for roughhousing, a flag football game, some volleyball or croquet. Or what may be missing is a getaway - a quiet spot for thinking or working with a laptop computer. Garden rooms designed as courtyards also make great places for family dining, especially if they're convenient to the kitchen and are surrounded by fragrant and flowering herbs.

Color plays an important role, of course, as it does when designing interiors. If plants are chosen carefully, then garden rooms will change with the seasons. They might begin with blooms and berries and finish with a foliage flourish - leaves turning from green to yellow, orange and red.

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