Patina
The word patina refers to an oxide that forms on a metal surface. Metals react with oxygen in ways that change their surface. The most dramatically obvious patina is rust. Iron and steel exposed to weather will rust; a patina of iron oxide will form on its surface, eventually corroding that surface. The shiny orange brown color of new copper will turn turquoise/green and brown with exposure to the weather. Bronze and lead both acquire patina, with time. How surfaces behave, withstand weather, or deteriorate outdoors is topic of much concern to people who either manufacture or collect garden ornament. But in regard to objects used or displayed outdoors, patina can more broadly refer to any material whose surface has been altered by age and exposure to the elements. This English antique stone urn has a surface that clearly has aged. The stone has become pitted and worn; these open stone pores have provided a foothold for colonies of lichens. Able to withstand extended periods of time with no water, lichens spring back to life after a rain sufficient such that the stone absorbs water. This weathered quality of the surface of this pot, surely much different than its new surface, is what I call beautiful patina.
The surface of these old iron cisterns probably bears little resemblance to their surface when the new iron was first cast. The hot rolled, pickled and oiled steel that Buck uses to create boxes and pots is all about a resistance to any patina. When hot rolled steel comes out of the rollers, structural steel shapes are sprayed with a chemical that forms what is called millscale; this dirty, crusty surface coating makes the steel look dark grey. Plate steel or coiled steel plate is pickled; this chemical bath is designed to delay the formation of rust. A spray of oil over the pickled steel further protects it. Suffice it to say that welding steel is a very dirty business. These cisterns have acquired a patina of both rust and moss; a surface that stays moist is an ideal home for moss. The color of this aged surface is subtly beautiful.
Concrete is a very porous material. Comprised of portland cement, sand, and aggregate rock, its surface weathers dramatically, given enough time. The antique faux bois bench is probably 80 years old; its surface tells that story. The Italian stone putti in the background are carved from stone native to Vincenza, Italy. This stone is exceptionally porous when new, and ever more porous as it ages. The colonies of moss that have taken hold on these sculptures tell that story.
Lead is a classic material for garden ornament. At one time it was considerably less expensive to produce ornament in lead, as opposed to stone or marble. It is completely durable, impervious to any number of century’s worth of weather; this makes it ideal for placement outdoors. Its soft and somber grey color is handsome in a garden. The densest of all metals, lead is is also very soft. A large urn will collapse on its own socle or foot, given sufficient time for gravity to do its job. I could make a mark in a lead surface with my fingernail; old lead has a decidedly graphic patina. Old lead will develop a white patina in spots; very old lead may be quite pale in color.
This lead cistern, arguably several hundred years old, evidences every day of that history, yet it still does the job for which it was made. It hold water.
The patterns and shapes of this stone basket of fruit are blurred with age. I am sure that at one time, every grape and apple was precisely rendered. I do not miss that stage, long past. I like objects with a history, that tell a story of another garden at an earlier time. The oldest object in my garden is no more than 70 years old. I like when my new things settle in, and begin to look like they belong.
This antique English stone urn was at one time painted. Who knows the story of the gouge in the rim, or the circumstances by which the surface has shed paint and stone so dramatically. Garden antiques in perfect condition are rare. By the same token, garden antiques in deteriorated condition have a character that cannot be reproduced.. Like a garden, there is no substitute for age on a garden ornament.
This antique English cistern was rough hewn from a solid piece of Cotswold stone at least several hundred years ago. The suface is populated with more than a few species of plants. The stone absorbs the water it contains, keeping all those plants on the surface happy and healthy. I am happy to report it has a new home now with a gardener who appreciates its age and patina.
I know little of the hstory of this stone pediment, save that it is of English origin. The black patina which covers much of ther stone dates it to the Industrial Revolution-a time when the residue from burning coal patinated many architectural stone pieces. This aged surface is visually striking. Fragments such as this make a clear and compelling statement about time and nature.
Posted on: August 7, 2010 2 Comments
Making Interesting Conversation
The big blue tuscan kale I know as Nero di Toscano is a favorite plant. The giant blistered blue-green leaves have that vaguely prehistoric look to them. The common name, dinosaur kale, aptly describes this massive growing, highly textured plant. As with any member of the brassica family, they are beloved by chewing insects. It is a rare cabbage or kale whose leaves do not bear holes and chomp marks.
The lower leaves mature in a spectacularly unattractive way. Some ornamental cabbages are grown for the cut flower trade; a long thick stem will have a tuft of brightly colored or white leaves sitting on top. All plants have characteristics that are less than desirable. Annabelle hydrangeas are weak stemmed, and flop over the minute they are in full bloom. The roses get blackspot; post-bloom maturing foliage on daylilies is nasty looking. Designing with plants is much about pairing them with other plants that minimize those faults. I would not give up growing kale over their legs.
I planted the pots in front of the shop this year with the aforementioned kale, green and white variegated plectranthus, and sun parasol white mandevillea. I thought the three planted together would make for some interesting conversation. This plectranthus is lax growing. The thick stems will droop under their own weight. They grow vigorously-in this case, they are growing vigorously around the kale that are loosing their lower leaves. Their trailing habit makes them the perfect cover-up for those awkwardly leggy and stiff growing kale.
Related to coleus, they do respond to pinching back, but once the weather gets hot, they grow with huge stem spaces between the leaves. This puts them on the verge of becoming a vining plant. This does however take time. They are great for a gardener that likes to watch things grow. These pots in their infancy were not all that great looking. I avoided looking at them all together for the first month after they were planted.
These concrete pots are quite tall, and have a smaller planting area that what I would like. Though they have a graceful presence as an object, it is not easy to grow something in them large enough to balance all that pot height. I think this planting is my best shot ever at getting a finished proportion that is right. We have had such a warm and rainy growing season this year that the pots are already rootbound. Maintaining these another few months will be a challenge. I need more horizontal volume from that plectranthus-judicious pinching back is in order.
The third party at the table, the white mandevillea, is a tropical vine that doens’t begin to get going until the weather gets really hot. This plant did not perform particularly well last summer, as the weather stayed cool. The Sun Parasol series is known for its glossy and disease resistant foliage. The red cultivar is particularly heavy blooming. My experience with other varieties, such as Alice de Pont-spider mites and mildew rule the day. No thank you. Though this plant is a vine, I decided to grow it as a trailer, and let the chips fall where they might. One never knows what a plant will do, left to its own devices.
Early on, I was worried this might have been a mistake. The pots looked ungainly, underscaled, and ill-defined. But plants seek the sun, and live companionably with other plants. Most of the plants on this earth manage to live and prosper without much help from people. The three plants in these pots share one characterisitc-they are all vigorous growers. The battle they do for light and water is creating the overall shape you see. They share the light and water as they are fairly equally matched. The large mandevillea flowers help cover the leggy kale as much as the plectrathus does. The mandevillea gets support from the stiff stems of the plectranthus.
These tall pots are finally beginning to look like something. The combination is to my eye more interesting than any of the individual plants. Growing mandevillea as a trailer, and plectranthus as a climber and a kale for some other purpose than braising is what makes gardening so interesting. Whenever I visit a garden or a landscape, a good deal of what I see is that conversation between the gardener and the natural world. Is there an interesting conversation going on? Is one of the involved parties talking too much, or not enough?
I am hoping these containers are a little better than half-way to being good. Should they never get really good-fine. There will be something about the experiment that will help make me a more interesting gardener.
Posted on: July 25, 2010 3 Comments
A Landscape In Focus
Every landscape presents something upon which the eye will focus. Designing with the intent of guiding the eye can be the toughest part of the design process, as you may need to envision something which is not yet there. Or the visiting eye may focus on something to which your eyes have become so accustomed, you literally do not see it any more. Garbage cans, pool equipment, air conditioning units-these are prime examples of what may be more prominent in your landscape than what you imagine. I often see transformers and air conditioning equipment surrounded by giant hedges. I wonder if this hedge style treatment does not in fact draw more attention to an unsightly object than the unsightly object itself. The very beautiful object pictured above, an English trough of considerable age; was placed where the lawn becomes a mixed shrub border. The border itself is quiet and unassuming; the planted trough organized the space visually in a strong and lively way. The white flowers can be seen from a great distance in several directions.
Garden furniture can likewise punctuate a landscaped space to good effect. This landscape has a natural and park-like feeling. Though this dining suite may not be a dinner destination, it encourages vistors to linger in the garden by providing seating. Though the furniture is wirework, it becomes a visually organizing metaphor for the intent of landscape. Parks usually provide places for people to be, and observe the outdoors.
This very fine antique English sundial holds court in this landscape. Aided and abetted by its massive size, striking shape, and pale limestone material, it grabs the eye the moment it comes into view.
This 19th century French cast iron hound is one of a pair, flanking the entrance to my drive. I see my driveway twice a day-this makes it an important garden to me. My picea mucrunulatum is a gorgeous old plant; they were in my front yard when I bought my house 15 years ago. I moved them to the drive, so I would be sure to see them every day. The dogs draw one’s eye first, they invite a viewer to look more closely at this beautiful evergreen.
Not every local point is an object. These old spikes-who could pass them by? One year I had in my mind to do an annual garden with a little Mediterranean feeling. Those massive spiky heads atop those gnarly trunks-noticeable. Most of the visual vistors to my shop are the people who drive by every day. A focal point of this scale is sufficiently significant enough for a quick look. It might even encourage someone of gardening ilk to turn around and come back for a more thorough look-see.
This weathered English teak bench is handsome and solid. One hardly notices the browning tips on the boxwood, or the hose. Some objects have the power to distract one’s eye away from something that is not so lovely. If I had to have a hose available in the garden, I would want to stash it under just such a bench as this one.
This landscape has a stunning distant view of a lake, and mature trees. But this 19th century American made fountain does a great job of holding the entire view together. In the lawn, a suite of white wood garden furniture. The furniture helps to visually describe how far away the space is from the spot where I am standing. It further more organizes the lawn space. I do love the composition of this landscape from this particular view. There is a strongly represented foreground, a defined mid-ground, and a dreamy far ground. The large trees between the lawn and the lake proide a quiet backdrop for the fountain. They also further define “at a distance” in a visual way.
This concrete furniture I no longer have, but I did like what it did for the front of the shop. Concrete chairs are completely impractical for a dining space that gets used every day in the summer, but they are a great choice for providing a focal point in a garden. I have the luxury of changing what sits between these trees every year. What pleases you in an ornament, beautifully placed, can influence the look and mood of your entire landscape.
Posted on: July 14, 2010 1 Comment