A bed of tulips underplanted with snapdragons, themselves underplanted by pansies, offered a subject too colourful to resist. Continue reading “Tulips, Snapdragons and Pansies”
Finding Distressed Textures at an Agriculture Museum
When wallpaper was the stuff people pasted and hung on walls, rather than the screen saver of a mobile phone or computer, I worked for a wallpaper company. We used the term ‘distressed textures’ to classify designs that did the role of a plain paper, but were more broken up and patchy. Some mimicked flaking plaster, rusted metal or grungy wood, others were abstract.
Designers took inspiration from all walks of life, and mood boards of patterned objects decorated the studio: inspiration for themed collections with titles such as Cairo and Great Plains.
I was reminded of those mood boards last month at the Ag Museum in Jackson, MS, where visual treats were everywhere, hidden in plain sight. Inspiration for Agricola, I imagined: a contemporary homage to farm implements. Continue reading “Finding Distressed Textures at an Agriculture Museum”
Wordless Wednesday: Gnome
Foxglove with Dianthus
Usually I’d aim to get more of the foxglove spire in the picture, but an alternative viewpoint seemed to work better, focusing on a few spotted flowers. Continue reading “Foxglove with Dianthus”
Whimsical Yard Art in the Cooper-Young District
I promised to share more pictures from the recent Cooper-Young Garden Walk. Here’s some of the yard art (garden art, where I’m from) that was liberally scattered around the 90 or so private gardens taking part. Continue reading “Whimsical Yard Art in the Cooper-Young District”
Violas and Petunias
Shared for Cee’s Flower of the Day.
Cooper-Young Annual Garden Walk, 2022, Memphis, Tennessee
We recently visited Memphis for one of the most eagerly anticipated gardening events in the American South: two days where 90 or so private gardens in the historic Cooper-Young district of Memphis throw open their gates to band-wearing members of the public.
While a suggested route took in many of the highlights, as first-timers, we decided to explore each quadrant as fully as we could. That’s not a light undertaking – Cooper-Young claims to host the largest garden walk in the Mid-South. If there’s one with a better mix of gardens of all styles and skill levels, or a more welcoming one, I want to see it. Continue reading “Cooper-Young Annual Garden Walk, 2022, Memphis, Tennessee”
Susan Rushton 