Two weeks ago I wrote about using water in a garden to reflect the things around it. Water has been used this way for a very long time, and often with a warning attached: think back to the Greek legend of Narcissus, the young boy who fell in love with his reflection in a pool and died. Reflections are…
Last week I wrote about reflections in the garden. I intended to continue the theme this week… and I will return to it. But this week I’m reflecting in a different way, looking back at where I’ve been, considering where I’m going to go. For the last few months I’ve been taking part in…
Who could walk past this scene without pausing to admire the clouds reflected in the water below? Reflections show the world around us. They can reveal aspects of a scene we might otherwise miss. They are — or can be — great additions to any garden. But using them well requires thought and planning. Water…
A technical note: It is no longer necessary to register in order to comment on a post. So please do! In the meantime, don’t be scared, join me for a walk in the woods… If you go down in the woods today,you’re sure of a big surprise. I went down in the woods — and was…
It’s been raining steadily for the last few days and most trees have lost their leaves. But not all. The linden tree at the end of the lawn was radiant one day last week, just before the rain began to fall. Colour remains, but you have to look more closely to find it. The hydrangea bushes…
Not long ago I spent some time going through old gardening magazines. I was looking for photos to use for an art project but the articles and ads I came across proved more diverting than I expected. Magazines used to be ubiquitous. No longer. At least two of the magazines I was thumbing through have gone out…
Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving, a holiday that usually coincides with the best colour of the fall season. This year, colours hit their peak a week or so ago, and are still going strong. They were, and are, spectacular! Not so the colours of my poor little corkscrew hazel. I’m starting to feel sorry for the tree:…
Et, voila! Welcome to the new Glen Villa Gardens website, Site and Insight: Reflecting on Art and Landscape. The new Site and Insight merges my old website and my weekly blog, and adds new features with more information about gardens, landscape and art. I’m delighted with the appearance and the ease with which readers can move through the various…
Talk about à propos. Recently I came across the words below, written by the great British landscape architect and designer, Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe. They struck a chord — a loud chord in a major key. The past is now pointing me to a soon-to-be present, with a new website and blog combined. For those of you…
Site and Insight. I’ve used these words many times in talking about gardens, in thinking about landscapes, in writing about both. Recently I’ve added a third word to the list. Sight, Site and Insight. This is what art, landscape and design are based on: looking at what surrounds you, observing the lay of the land, the…