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Order In The Court, Please.

Everywhere I look in my shop, there are signs of dissolution, depression and disrepair-the late summer doldrums have set in.  August in Michigan is glaringly hot and dry-nothing much on deck but that sun that is so hot- promising to soon go low, and signal the fall.  Great.  The perennial garden is every unhappy shade of yellow, accented by some purple bits. Time to pick up, dust everything off, and remake.  Every space in the shop decimated by early summer sales worries my eye.  How’s that?  I can try to explain.  In this picture, I see 9 containers whose relationship to each other is unclear.  This looks to me like a person was comparing containers of the same shape in different materials, in an effort to sort out what they liked.  I think I am looking at the remains of their discussion.              

What we have going on here I call a gaposis.  This word of my own invention refers to those places that have gaps-something is missing.  The stone mini-cistern is not so friendly to the shape of the brown glazed pot next to it.  The empty floor space suggests that which held this visual space together is no longer there.  Any gardener who has ever lost a tree understands this look.  Spaces-terraces, landscapes, cities, communities-  are best organized around that element or group of elements that sets a mood.  If you do not have any mood-making going on, it may be time to rearrange. 

This small space has so much going on that nothing is going on.  It is difficult to make sense of the space-what was the intention here?  I am sure there was no intent; I am thinking these things are new to the shop, and waiting for a home.  People respond strongly to the overall look of a space.  Since we are as much interested in design as we are in garden ornament, our intentions are important.  Landscapes with a strong idea that is intentionally expressed are visually successful. 

This concrete table with a Belgian oak base is very good looking.  Three objects tucked underneath its top obstruct one’s view of the table legs.  The wirework boxes look stored, not displayed.  That every object is the same height-that height that fits neatly under the table top-is visually sleepy.  I like objects arranged at different heights, and in different planes.  A row of matching arborvitae that describes one plane in a space is asking for what comes next.  The relationship of one plant to another, or one object to another, is often more important than the individual elements.  There really is no such thing as a boring plant, or object-only boring placements.  

Varying the heights and sizes of objects in a shop is very important. Anything that cannot be clearly seen will be ignored.  In the landscape, a view to something beautiful needs framing, not blocking.  It is not always so easy to figure out what goes together in a lively and fresh way. I may move something around 10 times, and finally give up-hoping inspiration might strike at some other time.  I greatly admire those people who dress shop windows in an exciting way.  When I see an interesting plant, my very next thought is where that plant might be placed to good advantage.

Both of these tables are very handsome in their own right.  Each needs its place to shine.  I would be very confident having both, but I would separate them such that my eye would move from one to the other. How strong elements are placed in a composition makes for movement and rhythm.  As for the old English shoe rack pictured above-it was never meant to hold big heavy pots-physically, or visually.  I find that once you use an object for the sole purpose of displaying another object, you diminish its visual stature.  Any designer in charge controls the volume and pace of a composition.  While one Japanese maple may be singular and visually stellar, rows or blocks of them become something else entirely-a crop.  Picking the best maple from a block-tougher than you might think.   One of my most favorite gardens was accidental in this regard.  I had such a love for peonies and more peonies,  I lined them out in rows, just to get them in the ground.  This desperation placement diminished the importance of the specific variety in favor of an overall look that enchanted me.         

Texture is a very important element in design. There is plenty of texture action going on here, but the result is muddled.  Layering one plant against another, or one object against another is loads of fun.  I have moved around more plants more than I would care to admit-just to get that arrangement which suits me.  This arrangement I would try to simplify-it just needs more air space.  That is my point of view speaking.  Another person might find this densely occupied space just perfect. Congestion is not for me. Differing points of view makes for very different outcomes.  This is precisely why I like OPG’s- other people’s gardens are great fun to see.   


I imagine there is some gardener somewhere that has a vintage child’s wheelbarrow as a centerpiece on their dining table, but I worry this placement does not do justice to this one.  No doubt I will need to drag it all over to find just the right spot.  


The end of the spring/early summer session in the shop means there will be some time involved in recreating a mood.  I was well on my way when I took this picture; more to come.

Posted on: August 9, 2010 5 Comments
Filed Under: Detroit Garden Works

At A Glance: Previous Ensembles

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2006

2007

2004

2003


2010

Posted on: July 25, 2010 3 Comments
Filed Under: Garden Design, Picture This, Detroit Garden Works Tagged With:

The Garden On Tour

There was plenty to worry about with this year’s tour-most of the worries had to do with weather.  Our extremely hot weather had been somewhat mitigated by regular and heavy rain, but that combination can also provide a forum for fungus of all descriptions. I have had some trouble keeping up with the water at my own house-but I was determined to let the chips fall where they may.  I was not trying to secure a berth in the World Series of Gardening-I was trying to raise a little money for a worthy cause.

Only a few days a year are the garden gates wide open; this is nice to see. What I see when I leave home in the morning, and what I drive up to at night-I have taken a lot of trouble to design this space. I see it every day, twice a day.  This day was mostly overcast.  Overcast days make the color of these Sum and Substance hostas seem especially intense; they so light up a shady spot. Light and dark, contrasting textures, a coherent view-these are things I am interested in as a designer.  As a gardener, I have the patience to let a garden evolve.

I grow lots of flowers at the end of my drive- as this is what I want to see when I drive up. It softens the iron of the fence, and gates. From the street, the fence, and these pots and the in ground plantings comprise the midground space of my view. I always find the midground space the hardest to deal with-near and far seems so much easier to resolve. 

My driveway ends is a large piazza-like space.  It is interesting to see how people proceed from this point.  How that driveway unexpectedly enlarges makes it the center of my landscape, from which all other possible paths radiate.  Some went up the path to the north side garden.  Some came into the pool yard first. Some lingered in this space, considering their decision about how to proceed.  Watching how people use a space tells you a lot about how successfully you have planned it.   

My north side garden is a very small space; there is not even that much to see.  The main attraction is from the ground level.  How the path curves out of immediate view invites a visitor to explore.  I almost never use this path.  It is enough for me, that it makes a visual invitation.  I have been thinking I should place something up there to make the walk worth the trouble. But for now, the mystery of where this path might lead is enough.

I have tried several different plants under this bench.  The space needs to be planted with something other than grass,, as this 9 foot bench is very heavy, and too much trouble to move. Grass would be very unhappy with the shade cast by the bench. The European ginger seems to be quite happy here.  The shiny leaves are a beautiful contrast to the cool bluish steel.  The bench is set on several courses of brick, so it does not sink into the ground.  Raising this bed to the level of the pool coping makes the bench at a much more comfortable height for me to sit.    

When I bought my house, the beds sloped down to the drive.  There was always dirt and debris sliding out of the bed and onto the brick surface-a messy look.  A low dry laid retaining wall of sandstone cleaned up the mess. It also made it easier to water my magnolias; a flat space under trees helps keep water from draining off before it can be absorbed.  It also provides a perch, either to visitors, or to me, when I want to spend some time there.  I was pleased to see that wall being used by guests.

The front yard gates are only open once a year-on this day.  The pool needs to be gated and locked,  for safety reasons.  The view with the gates open is very pretty-this was my favorite spot in the yard yesterday.  As the rose garden is a sunken garden, the generous landing of old brick provides ample notice that there is a change of grade.  The brick on the sides of the path neaten up a space adjacent to the hydrangeas, where grass is reluctant to grow.  I like the simplicity of the brick, rather than introducing another plant.   

I am always keen to have visitors to the garden.  They ask about things, and make comments that would never occur to me. Someone else’s point of view can help me to get moving when I feel stuck.  Most gardeners are very positive in their commentary, and not at all concerned whether their advice gets taken to heart.  Some things they notice make me realize my emphasis might be misplaced, or not strong enough. If you are confident to ask others what they think, something good might just come of what you hear.  If what you hear is too far afield, say thanks and move on.  Good gardeners trust their instincts. 


My neighbors, Fred and Jean, will be moving back to England this fall.  This is their third year, tending the tour for me.  They always come round before the tour to go over the new plants, the old plants, what flowers are in the pots.  They like to be able to answer questions, just like me.  They attended horticulture school in England many years ago.  I trust my garden to them.  We all talked gardening yesterday until we had not one word left.  I am quite sure we are just like other gardeners, in other states, and other countries-all over this planet.  This part I really like.

Posted on: July 19, 2010 1 Comment
Filed Under: Detroit Garden Works, Parties and Events

Monday Opinion: The Garden Cruise Event

It is never that hard to spot a gardener.  They treat everything associated with it as an event worthy of celebration. Ther excitement is genuine-even when there is a threat of thunderstorms looming, and an unwavering forecast for 89 degrees.  The weather proved to be something other than predicted; an overcast sky made it infintely easier to tolerate the heat.  By day’s end, people began to filter in to our reception; we were ready for them.  Christine, Monica and Jenny-looking good!

Ms. Minnie has a garden every bit as exuberant and extravagantly dressed as she is.  I would never garden as she does, nor would she garden as I do-but we are gardening friends.  She came with friends in tow all looking like they were all on their way to church.  This analogy is not far off, really.  Gardening people, people concerned about the environment, naturalists, zoologists and biologists, horticulturalists-no end of people have the idea that anything associated with the living world demands proper respect. As in, go to church, and thank God for what you have.  

I do not own a single outfit as sumptuous as Minnie’s, but I view every aspect of landscape and gardening as an event.   This is why I so enjoy the garden tour.  I have long since quit fretting about the one rose I missed in my deadheading rounds before a tour.  Gardeners understand that a landscape is an evolving set of events that even the most dedicated would be hard pressed to keep up with. They talk lots about what looks good and is working, and studiously ignore what languishes.  Sometimes things in a garden just sulk, no matter what you do.

Judy presented a rather extraordinary picture with this maple helicopter firmly affixed to her nose.  Did you know that is you split one open, it is sticky on the inside?  I did not.  Apparently she and her brother would stick themselves all over with helicopters when they fell.  I was glad I had missed picking some up before the tour-how else would I have learned this, but for my less than perfect housekeeping? 

Skirts and shorts were the order of the day.  This picture says nothing about the heat, just everything about a group of devoted gardeners getting together, and happy to share their love of gardens.

Julia Hofley, noted garden speaker, and her husband Eric, owner and publisher of The Michigan Gardener, are gardeners of the most serious sort.  They go as many places, in as many countries as they can manage-visiting and learning about gardeners and their gardens. They study and are most articulate about everything from dwarf conifers to roses hardy in our zone to design to effective deer repellant. They are enthusiastic and articulate advocates of the natural world and all that goes with.  They managed to take this picture of themselves with my camera; I have no idea what their process was here. This might be the most evocative picture of the day-intense interest and pleasure in participating in the event-all over their faces.

I used to draw conclusions about women and gardens, based on the footwear-but no more.  I have seen no end of open toed high heels, snappy sandals and dressy outfits navigate a landscape without any problem.  Why not-gardens are for partying as much as anything else. In this case, I think there may have been a change of clothes for the reception on the part of one guest, but not the other. Do not they both look great?

No matter the dress, it was clear there was an event going on.  As long as as there are gardens, there will be garden events. Celebrations around the seasons.  It is important and satisfying to help make things grow. 


If you were not able to make the reception for the 2010 garden tour, perhaps you’ll be available in 2011.  It was a heck of a lot of good fun. Fast and furious discourse.  Exchange.  Intelligent and imaginative exchange.  All the things that people do best.

Posted on: July 19, 2010 4 Comments
Filed Under: Strictly Opinion, Detroit Garden Works Tagged With: ,