First point of “nice garden”: Decide how much and what kinds of work you would like to have to do. You might love to have a constant stream of little things to do, like weeding, harvesting, raking gravel or mowing grass. Or you might be content with shaking the hammock cushions once a week. Second point of “nice garden”: Make it a place where you would like to spend a few minutes more. It does not have to be seed catalogue exuberant, it does not have to be golf green perfect. It just has to be a bit friendly, green and relaxing. So say we’ll go for an intermediate level of work. The garden will need some care but won’t be in ruins just because you take a weekend off.

Then I’d go for a nice patch of meadow, with knee-high grass and a lot of flowers. You may want to cut it with a scythe now and then – but that’s a way cooler method than ordinary motor mowing, isn’t it? If you do not already have trees in your garden (but have space enough), go get a few. Cherries can be awesome, both when they bloom and when they offer a light snack. And in between too – there are varieties with a beautifully reddish bark. A tiled area would be nice too, with some kind of fireplace, a table and some chairs. Surround it on at least one side with some high plants, like bamboo or lilac. This might become your new living room. If you like, put some plants in big flower pots too. If you still have some space left, put seeds for selected vegetables in it. Peas are fun, they grow fast and you can eat them fresh.

And strawberries are a classic. And then there’s a lot of spice things that woud fit too – try taking your favorites from the greengrocer’s and see if you can make them survive. Chives tend to be good in this respect, as do parsley. A small vegetable patch do increase the workload, sure. But not necessesarily that very much, and then you get the little joy of seeing things grow, sometimes from day to day, knowing that the harvest is absolutely fresh and as organic as you like. And a handful of sunwarm strawberries are hard to beat. So, to sum it up: A nice garden contains something green to look at, a place to sit while looking, and something to munch on now and then. And if you like, something that makes you look like working when you’re actually lost in deep thoughts.