When I think of gardens, I tend to hold the memories of my childhood in England as the standard for what a garden should look like. Lots of lupins, lawns and laid out to look natural but usually quite planned or designed and with certain features such as flowering trees, ornamental flowers and plants. But more and more, as an American, living on a continent with many different climates and contours, I have come to appreciate that gardening is about stewardship, aesthetics and practical solutions. So each day when I walk past this brick holder of flowers and the pots of giant cactus I admire the effort and thought that has gone into it. Likewise, I can appreciate the garden next door, which is a green carpeted expanse suppressing the weeds and trees and creepers that would surely spring up if the front lot is left unattended. The gardener has placed a solitary pot on the green carpet, sometimes with flowers planted in it, but more often it acts as a dusty birdbath. I appreciate that someone has taken the time to solve their "gardening problem" even if it doesn't meet whatever standard I may be holding for what a garden should look like. I know there are people in my neighborhood who would sneer at this 'polyolefin green carpet garden' but sometimes, we just have to be practical when it comes it aesthetics and stewardship.
I liked this blog especially the bit about english gardens. Our front garden is a cheat too, just little white rocks on a tarpaulin to keep the weeds and grass down (done by landlord) on which I have placed some flower pots, as it gets very little sunlight but seems to get hit by the wind, I've even had to resort to sticking a few artificial flowers in the pots, nothing else survives. Still it is a 'garden' though.
ReplyDeleteCool!I like the sound of rocks on a tarpaulin with some flowerpots with artificial flowers... that really pushes out the edges of what a garden is!
ReplyDelete