Gardeners work in harmony with the seasons. Just walking through countryside, as I did in the snow yesterday, helps me feel in harmony with myself and the world. Continue reading
Tag: Yard art
Garden Art: Stone Head in Topiary
A witty placement of a veiled stone head at Gresgarth Hall Gardens in NW England. She’s ‘clothed’ in box topiary that has been trimmed into a cube.
She’s positioned near the door so it’s easy to imagine her as a kind of guardian angel.
A Fairy Wrestles With a Dandelion – Will Her Wish Come True?
This week’s photo challenge Weight(less) asks us to look at the effect of gravity in an image of something heavy or light. I decided to combine the two. While you might not immediately think of a fairy or a dandelion seed head as heavy, I’m going to try to change your mind. Continue reading
Mississippi Museum of Art: Bottle Tree Orchard
Over the last few days I’ve been watching a bottle tree orchard unfurl in The Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art. My picture shows one of the bottle trees as dusk was falling this evening. It has been wonderful to have the chance to see the smiles and animated expressions on the faces of the first few people to interact with it. Continue reading
Wordless Wednesday: Glass in the garden
Garden Glass: Careful!
This poised, piled glass installation was part of a garden art exhibition we visited in a Cotswolds garden. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, before or since. It’s not something I’d fancy having in my own garden, for various reasons, but I’ll never forget how surprising it seemed. Continue reading
Weekly Photo Challenge: wicker family
The weekly photo challenge asks us to photograph something from three different angles. You’ll not be too surprised to learn that I only managed two shots of this wicker installation at the Chorley Flower Show (yes, you read that correctly) before my eye drifted off to the flowers in the background. Continue reading
Rick Griffin – Landscape Architect
As promised, here’s a glimpse into Rick and Shirley Griffin’s private garden in Jackson, Mississippi. Professionally, Rick works with whatever style his client prefers, but confesses to a “natural inclination to the funky”, which he allows full rein in his private garden. At work or at play, he bubbles with natural enthusiasm and creativity. Continue reading
Weekly photo challenge: broken
For many gardeners, as for most modern artists – gardening is an art, isn’t it? – broken is just a good excuse to recycle. This week’s challenge took me back to the day when we visited two master recyclers, Elmer and Linda Long, at their Bottle Tree Ranch in the Mojave Desert.
Art in the garden: wooden head
It’s hard to explain why one particular work of art immediately appeals to you, while another doesn’t. It’s often an instinctive, love-at-first-sight for me – something that defies reason. Continue reading
Sneak peek into a garden folly
I couldn’t resist giving you a sneak peek into this garden folly in a corner of the treasure trove private garden of influential landscape architect, Rick Griffin and his wife Shirley. If you have time to explore this picture, you’ll find many lovingly chosen details. Continue reading
Weird Image Wednesday: pitchfork bottle tree
There are many community events on WordPress – some established, others being added all the time. Events can be fun, inspiring, thought-provoking or scary – they almost always prompt you to do something slightly out of your comfort zone.
A celebration of our gardening differences
We went to a meeting of the cactus society recently. My sweetheart wanted to find out more about succulents that survive outside in cold, wet climates, such as here in the North of England. Though we met some lovely, welcoming people, I couldn’t help observing that the presentation featured a lot of remarkably similar small, green spiky things.
So why am I posting this picture, taken earlier this year at a cactus nursery – Cactus King – in Texas? It’s to celebrate differences between gardeners, and our wild enthusiasms for particular genres of plants that others frankly find just okay. I might not be in any danger of going wild over cacti myself, but it wouldn’t do for us to be all the same, would it? Continue reading
