It's always been a joke that it's my jungle; and that my jungle is massive. But this year for the first time the rain was so limited that the jungle seemed small and mean; did not flower; was crowded with every seasonal weed as they sensed weakness in the introduced plants, and moved in, busily and greenly, to take over.
I need a new perspective on the big bed, a focus that can be relied upon if the weather won't bring the flowers. Fortunately, I went to an art show this year that was full of great ideas in this area:
Idea 1: Statues
The obvious solution is a statue. My partner got quite excited by the idea of having a massive head or torso in the garden, something like a Frink or a Hirst. But I worry that may crowd out the flowers, I'd prefer something more vertical - not that that means I need to change artist of course. Try this Frink, that'd work, plenty of spaces to let the light through.
Idea 2: Columns
All-year round upright interest can be provided by columns. Columnar Cyprus are the normal solution here, but I don't trust my soil to keep them alive. I need something a bit more self-contained. White concrete will probably be less stressful and polluting than the rusty steel, but that does look lovely against the green foliage. Including teeth in the column may actually be possible; I could cast them from my denture.
Idea 3: Colourful Screens
Playmobil coloured perspex, lazer-cut painted wood, but either way, the sun can reach the plants here. The interest is in looking through the screen, and how this changes the plants around it. Pros: I might just be able to get everything I need from a local skip. Cons: it might just look like I raided a local skip.
Idea 4: Birds on Sticks
Tracey Emin's A moment without you is proper sculpture park art. Not quite enough bronze to tempt the scrappers, but enough to recall a sketch of a Roman Legionary banner, awkwardly drawn by a studious child. Beautiful. Also, as I hoard broomsticks (I'm always sure they'll come in useful, so I saw the dead broom heads off them and keep them in the corner of the garage) and own quite a lot of artificial birds (in some sort of attempt to connect with happy moments of my childhood probably) so could probably knock up some slightly cockeyed and sequinny spoofs of these in an afternoon.
Or I could just knuckle down and pull up the bindweed, tidy the planting, move the roses, put the miniature cherry in the middle, and call it a day, I guess.
Or maybe.....
I need a new perspective on the big bed, a focus that can be relied upon if the weather won't bring the flowers. Fortunately, I went to an art show this year that was full of great ideas in this area:
Idea 1: Statues
The obvious solution is a statue. My partner got quite excited by the idea of having a massive head or torso in the garden, something like a Frink or a Hirst. But I worry that may crowd out the flowers, I'd prefer something more vertical - not that that means I need to change artist of course. Try this Frink, that'd work, plenty of spaces to let the light through.
Idea 2: Columns
All-year round upright interest can be provided by columns. Columnar Cyprus are the normal solution here, but I don't trust my soil to keep them alive. I need something a bit more self-contained. White concrete will probably be less stressful and polluting than the rusty steel, but that does look lovely against the green foliage. Including teeth in the column may actually be possible; I could cast them from my denture.
Idea 3: Colourful Screens
Playmobil coloured perspex, lazer-cut painted wood, but either way, the sun can reach the plants here. The interest is in looking through the screen, and how this changes the plants around it. Pros: I might just be able to get everything I need from a local skip. Cons: it might just look like I raided a local skip.
Idea 4: Birds on Sticks
Tracey Emin's A moment without you is proper sculpture park art. Not quite enough bronze to tempt the scrappers, but enough to recall a sketch of a Roman Legionary banner, awkwardly drawn by a studious child. Beautiful. Also, as I hoard broomsticks (I'm always sure they'll come in useful, so I saw the dead broom heads off them and keep them in the corner of the garage) and own quite a lot of artificial birds (in some sort of attempt to connect with happy moments of my childhood probably) so could probably knock up some slightly cockeyed and sequinny spoofs of these in an afternoon.
Or I could just knuckle down and pull up the bindweed, tidy the planting, move the roses, put the miniature cherry in the middle, and call it a day, I guess.
Or maybe.....
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