Travelling is wonderful, but nothing beats being at Glen Villa on a perfect autumn day, when the air is clear, the sky is blue and nothing in particular has to be done. This morning I walked around the garden, my first walk-about in three weeks. A few flowers are still blooming, like the never-say-die sedum…
Jeff Koons is not my favourite artist. In fact, I don’t really like his work. But I do like his Puppy. And I loved the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, inside and out. Koons’ Puppy is suitably festive outside Frank Gehry’s trademark gay curves. In the plaza next to the museum, towering over pedestrians, Koons’ highland terrier is a…
Patrick Blanc’s vertical garden at the Caixa Forum in Madrid is even more spectacular than the photos suggest. It is located in the old section of Madrid, beside the busy Paseo del Prado and near the Reina Sofia, one of Madrid’s outstanding art museums. Passers-by give a sense of scale. I wish I could give you some…
Strictly speaking, the answer is — no. Both are living sculptures, but they are made in different ways. Mosaiculture is also a contemporary form of plant display, while topiary has a long and distinguished history, dating back to Roman times. So, what are the differences? The most obvious one is that topiary uses a single plant to create…
Mosaiculture is the name given to three dimensional sculptures made of plants. This summer, the Montreal Botanical Garden played host to dozens of creations from around the world, all illustrating the theme, Land of Hope. I postponed visiting the show until a few weeks ago, thinking I wouldn’t like it. But I did. I was captured by…
Do I look confused? I am. Help straighten me out! Last week I included a survey in my blog post. Many of you responded. But even more of you did not. Will you take a few minutes now to respond? I’d really appreciate it. Your input will help me make the blog better! And that,…
Gardeners in temperate climes may wonder why I love Jeffersonia diphylla. For them it grows easily, spreads nicely and offers a touch of light in a shaded border. A nice plant, but nothing special. Jeffersonia doesn’t grow easily for me. I have to coddle it, and it is one of the few plants at Glen…
We all know that weeding is a chore, right? We also know that a weed for one person is a flower for someone else. Or, as often expressed, it’s any plant growing where it isn’t wanted. Some people don’t like ajuga in the lawn. I do. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it better, describing a…
Last week I was in Quebec City for the annual symposium of the Garden Writers’ Association. I met many interesting people from across North America (and one or two from England and elsewhere) and saw some private gardens that had much to offer. I visited some public gardens, some I hadn’t seen for years, and…
I like the idea of living with the land. Or rather, with the wildlife on it. Last week’s post about defeating the deer made me think about how many animals I live with at Glen Villa, either occasionally or on a regular basis. I’m happy to share real estate with the ducks who nest annually at the…