Excerpt from: The Spirit of Gardening by Nancy Mair

There are four aspects to our being: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. These can also be represented in the garden: The physical features; the mental elements of design, function, and interest; the emotional feeling of the garden; and the spiritual place for inspiration. Look at what aspects are the strongest in you, for that is what you will relate to most easily. I’ll give a few examples:

A person who is very physical–does a lot of sports, loves exercise, always wants to be on the move–may want the garden or yard to have features that allow for physical activities or sports. Is there room to play volleyball, croquet, basketball, or to swim? What would you like to do at home? How about workshop? The phsycial act of working in the gardening–pruning, planting, weeding, raking and composting–may also be very fulfilling.

A mental, logical, or intellectual person may enjoy the visual lines of a garden more than flowers, or like a feature that sparks curiosity or observation. The garden will need to appeal to the mind–with an orderly or methodical layout, practical things, or elements that make sense. Look at the elements of your lifestyle and what interests you, like a vegetable or herb garden, statuary or art, stonework, or organic gardening and composting.

If your real thrill is in propagation planting plants, a greenhouse may be the perfect “garden” for you, where you can spend time in controlled environment with your projects. Also practical items, like an automatic watering system, may be greatly appreciated.