Holy Sissinghurst, Batman!!! There is a way of making gardens that I feel has run its course. It has reached its zenith, its apex, its apotheosis. It can go no further. It has gone far enough. Too far. I speak of the Outdoor Room. Let me be clear. I love the original intent of […]
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Behold my Camellia ‘Niccio’s Bella Rossa': Sad, right? Let me tell you the story of this plant. I spotted her a few years ago at the garden center. […]
Yes, No, Maybe so? By Susan Hines2009 composed salad LA: Coen + Partners Photos: Paul Crosby, Paul Crosby Architectural PhotographyIn just a few wee. […]
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Thoughts on Noel Kingsbury's contribution and a review of his latest book with Piet OudolfNoel Kingsbury is the great chronicler of contemporary plant. […]
A new memorial opened last month in D.C., this one honoring Veterans Disabled for Life. I’ve watched its progress from the U.S. Botanic Gardens across the street, and seen it presented to a reviewing agency, so was excited to finally see it open. Here’s a fun 2-minute video of...
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For just this month a 6-acre strip of lawn on the National Mall has been turned into a portrait in sand and dirt by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada called “Out of Many, One.” Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, it’s a composite of many ethnic groups, a generic face of Americans. About...
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Wandering around Pittsburgh I came upon this fabulous mural depicting cherry blossoms in bloom and a charming collection of old homes. It was off the beaten track, enlivening not a park but the parking lot for a neighborhood restaurant. How does something so wonderful get done, anyway? By an...
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This year’s international Park(ing) Day falls on September 19, a mere two weeks from now. On that day, individuals, groups, and businesses in cities around the world will commandeer on-street parking spaces and convert them to temporary parklets. These people-friendly spaces might include plants, seating, bike parking, games, exercise...
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From my recent stay in Pittsburgh I’ve shown you Randyland, which writer/adventurers Susan Reimer, Ginny Smith, Carrie Engel and I stumbled upon while playing hooky from hotel conference rooms. We were on our way to another destination, installation-art gallery the Mattress Factory, which had been called a “must-see” by keynote speaker...
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Is a particular plant a weed? Is a garden a work of art? And who gets to decide? If you’ve read our recent rantings, you’ve likely noticed these questions do not have simple answers. The answers vary, depending on the gardener. Many gardeners (like me) learn their land slowly....
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The Royal Hort Society is holding a debate I’d love to hear. The topic is: “Are Gardens Art?” and get a load of the line-up of debaters — a critic, a designer, a plantsperson and a philosopher: Andrew Wilson (Chair of the debate panel) – Award winning Garden Designer,...
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For decades,Washingtonians have known about a Marc Chagall mosaic in the back garden of a private residence in Georgetown and have strained to see mere glimpses of it from over the garden wall. Homeowner Evelyn Nef and her husband had been great friends with the Chagalls, who spent summers...
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Just in time for local wildflower season (finally), the Burchfield Penney Art Museum is mounting a show of Charles Burchfield’s early botanical drawings. Along with them, they have the models made by another artist, Paul Marchand, who specialized in dioramas and other 3D displays for the local science museum’s...
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We are what we eat, right? What we wear says a lot about us, doesn’t it? Basically, everything we put out into the world says something about who we are, and people are reading those cues all of the time. So during this holiday season, I did a thing...
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A lot of us gardening addicts think we live in our own little particularized universe, isolated by our allegiance to perennials, seeds, bulbs, vines, compost, mulch, pruners, trowels, and topsoil. Nobody we know cares about gardening as much as we do. I know I feel that way. That’s why,...
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I recently ventured to Virginia to a place I’d never been before – the Pentagon Memorial to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Its design by two young architects had been selected in a heated international competition by a group that included family members of the victims, as...
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Not the kind that goes on your finger. We’re talking boulders here, folks. Specifically, one large boulder in the middle of a lawn. What’s up with that? What statement is it making? Is it being displayed as a natural sculpture? Is it being used to add a little textural...
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This is the time when the newly emerged hostas look their freshest (“June Frost,” below)—no slug damage, leaves torn by the sprinkler, or other signs of wear yet. It’s also the weekend of our annual art festival, which brings “sunshine artists” from far and wide into my neighborhood. You’d...
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Thanks once again to my Hollywood brother for this one, who actually managed to cast an actor to do most of the heavy lifting.
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At first I wasn’t sure that showing the paintings of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera together, along with all the biographical drama that comes with that, was such a great idea. I’m somewhat of a purist when it comes to looking at art—I want to be able to assess...
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Walking through an exhibit made to look like an old house filled with the characters and stories and artifacts from a book I wrote…that is a weird experience. And I realize that it sounds like shameless self-promotion to talk about it, but–it must be talked about. It’s happening at...
Read related articles in: But is it Art?As long as we're talking about booze today, here's a strange and marvelous thing: the people at Hendrick's Gin are injecting their usual madcap absurdity into London Cocktail Week, an event it pains me greatly to miss. Anyway, they've created an Umbrella Emporium to pay tribute to the cocktail...
Read related articles in: But is it Art?, Garden Rant Cocktail HourNow that the book tour madness has settled down a bit, I'm hoping I'll get to pick up my paintbrush more often. I always paint small–it's all I have time for–and the most expedient way to move them out of my attic and on to someone ele's wall seems...
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Commented on The Road To Hell Is Paved With Chunky Gravel And Indifferently Chosen Plants { I think you are using the word "judge" a little liberally here... this blog seems to offer a chance to "discern" and "critique" the merits... } – Mar 03, 10:55 AM
Commented on Donate to DC Gardens - Even if you Live Somewhere Else! { Congratulations! Video is great and showcases the sometimes-hidden beauty of my home town. Hope it does well. } – Mar 03, 12:13 AM
Commented on The Road To Hell Is Paved With Chunky Gravel And Indifferently Chosen Plants { Hi again Tom - that is a fair opinion. I was on a public sidewalk taking a picture of the front of a house. The... } – Mar 02, 2:30 PM Commented on The Road To Hell Is Paved With Chunky Gravel And Indifferently Chosen Plants { Hello Tom, welcome and thank you for your comment. Yes, the plants are babies, but I am very familiar with this plant material, and they... } – Mar 02, 2:24 PM
Commented on The Road To Hell Is Paved With Chunky Gravel And Indifferently Chosen Plants { And, not to sound overly critical, but I do agree with JM that publishing readily identifiable homes as examples of "bad" landscaping without the permission... } – Mar 02, 1:20 PM Commented on The Road To Hell Is Paved With Chunky Gravel And Indifferently Chosen Plants { To be fair, these appear to be recently planted and the plants, while not all are identifiable, those that are, appear to be "babies". Is... } – Mar 02, 1:13 PMWe are:
perfect
magazine
gardens.
Gardening
our
asses
off.
Having a
hell of a lot
of fun.
