Depicting mood = Sorrow, in the garden

I also have a lot of pink and purple at present, Smiley, overwhelmingly phlox (great year for phlox) and echinacea (mostly pink).

The New England asters are also just coming into bloom; again more pink, purple and also magenta.

On the other hand, there's also lots of yellow (rudbeckias; especially Goldsturm) and also lots of yellow, orange and red in the form of lots of helenium (also great year for helenium).

If I personally am unable to generalize about which colours, can still say it's all about colour.

Am not a 'white garden' person, myself. What feelings were/are all-white gardens intended to cultivate?

I think serenity when I think of an all white garden.

I think Moon Garden when I see an all white garden....it glows in the evening light and with the right plants the fragrance can be encompassing......but, would not personally want a large garden of all white plantings...I am more the Rainbow Bright gardener...

I don't think it is all about color either. An all-white garden in the sun would be much different than one in the shade, for example.

Also, the texture of the plants, the type of foliage, the height, etc. all must be taken into account.

Then, arrangement-- formal vs. informal for example--would make an artistic difference.

Agreed Julie, and also the eye of the beholder....we each perceive things differently based on experience and preference.

Agree with above, but meant it was "all about colour" for me, not for others.
And even for me, that's a little bit of an exaggeration.

I certainly take into account final height, bloom time, leaf texture, etc in setting up a perennial bed, as well as do staking, deadheading and cutting back through the growing season. It all contributes to the overall effect.

Nevertheless, my experience with people visiting and commenting on perennial gardens (only gardens I have experience with) has been that what they notice about the spring bulbs and following succession of perennials is especially colour.

I hear you. That is my experience with visitors to my garden for the most part, However I am fortunate to have some friends that are professionals, and their comments run more to overall structure, design, combination of texture and finally color. I enjoy pairing unusual plant/color/texture combinations in the garden and in containers for the garden. Every year I put together containers and baskets for Mother's Day for my friend's nursery. It is indeed heartening to hear some of the commentary, and even more so when he tells me he sold them all....grin

As far as structure goes, do you think a formal garden would denote more sorrow than a casual arrangement? Or would a harscape be more sorrowful? Isn't a "hardscape garden" more of an artistic installation? Or maybe it's the intentions of the gardener, not the eye of the beholder, that sets the mood?
When people see my yard they know I'm trying to do SOMETHING they just can't figure out what lol and I'm not sure either.
Moon the structure of your garden (in the posts I've seen anyway) is what I noticed first, but that's probably because the shot was far enough away, then as people get closer the details emerge.

mine is just a hodgepodge. I was thinking of bloom time, not color, when I planted. I'm not happy with the outcome and wil definitely re-think some things next year.

I like white interspersed with the colors. kind of breaks things up.

Lynnie, to me a formal garden means strength. I appreciate them. but prefer a freer, breezier feel to my garden.

Great points.

Moon of course you're right. If profession horticulturalist and landscapers did not see more than visitors to gardens, those of us who've employed them or worked with them (have a small perennial gardening business) would be rather annoyed. To be honest, I would also say that the current generation of routine landscapers, here at least, are most interested in doing stone work: big bucks and one-time installation. Maintaining stone work, shrubs and trees also requires much less intensive labour than maintaining perennial beds.

Agree formal gardens suggest strength, or in more mundane terms they're meant to impress. The most obvious example would be Versaille where Louis XIV could impress and keep an eye on his resident nobility.

Presumably is also a practical reason for the 'rooms' that a garden like Sissinghurst is divided up into; can go to the spring garden in spring and the michaelmas daisy garden in fall. So much easier to maintain dismembered gardens like this.

Totally agree on the use of white to highlight colour. White phlox (use David) and Chrysanthemum serotinum are useful here, at this time of year. Also like white small bulbs, like crocus, and white ephemerals, like trilliums, for the reason they stand out towards the back of a bed in spring. Do like Gertrude Jekyll's splash of lemon yellow too.


This message was edited Sep 8, 2009 11:45 AM

I don't know, Lynnie, I have seen some pretty sad gardens out there....grin.... seriously, I get a sense cold arrogance from some formal gardens...like the plants are placed to inspire envy rather than joy. By the same token, there are the Sissinghurst rooms, some of which are quite pleasing, others that evoke a "hauteur" that I find irritating.

I think the best use of "garden rooms" is one that flows throughout the garden without each area shouting at you that it is different from the others. Went on a garden tour a few years back and the theme was Garden Rooms. To me, the most successful ones were those that followed a few basic "decorating guidelines"...when decorating your home, you strive for a continuity that expresses your interests and lifestyle....rarely would someone have a home where each room was so extremely different from the others, "This is the red room, this is the blue room...etc."

The garden voted as "Best of show" was the one that had threads of continuity running throughout. All of the paths were of the same material, ornamentation (garden jewelry) was chosen with the room theme in mind, and texture and structure of plantings blurred the edges as you transitioned from area to area. My favorite was the "Children's Garden".

It was bordered by low hedges that had been used in a number of areas, but when you strolled through the gate, you were greeted by vibrant yellow sunflowers that cloaked what was beyond them, but encouraged you to "come see" by the split path around them. The garden was filled with sunny yellow plantings that caught your eye and drew you toward them...only then did soft pastels begin to catch your eye. Tucked here and there in the plantings were stone bunnies, and turtles and frogs that drew your eye and made you smile. small stained glass dragon flies and butterflies were suspended in flight, catching the sun like little jewels. A huge fig tree formed the central point, and tucked beneath it was a small gnome village with child sized chairs, a table and benches. I watched the few children on the tour with us and they were delighted and their parents had a hard time pulling them away....there were twists and turns that gently led you to another gate that opened onto a lovely woodland garden with a pond and the entrance path was planted with daisies and rudbeckias leading to a copse of small trees and then out to the sunny edge of the pond.

I love the ideas that this "room garden" is very mysterious, evokes curiosity, and then each room would evoke a different mood. I'd love to see something like that. I did my side yard with a feeling of mystery. In fact most of my beloved plants are on the side yard where you see it from the bathroom and bedroom windows. There is no practical reason to walk over there unless seeking some soiltude. Our house is small and joyfully full, but sometimes when one feels the need to be alone, a shady spot under the plumb trees with a couple potted japanese maples, callas, mints, hucheras, white begonias, coumbine, some small angle statuary ( both looking down) and clematis, can really soothe the soul. This is about 6X20 ft, very much a room.

It sounds real nice, wonder.

You "guys" would like the garden walk here in Buffalo. Most of it is in Allentown, which is the "artsy" part of Buffalo. Quaint old homes, close together, and it's amazing what people do in their tiny yards. These little oasis' are created as you walk up, and think you're in a different world. I'll have to take a notebook next year to catch the colors/emotions/forms.

Sounds like you have created a sanctuary for yourself, and to me that is what gardening is all about. Whether a place to relax, a place to meditate or visit with friends, or just a bed that requires attention and gives one time for thought.

Sounds lovely Wonder.
It would appear you have a 'study hall" Julie.....drawing ideas from other gardens helps us to determine what we want for our own. Get the camera, take lots of pictures...share them here....GRIN

I need to make by brain think about something other than numbers (I'm a bookkeeper). I always thought my yard was pretty nice. Now it feels like a jumble. I've learned so much from this website, I can't even begin.

Yes, Moon, I definitely need a new camera. Ours is old.. can't get the detail... not enough megapixels...

Bet your yard is pretty nice, Smiley.
Like a jumble myself, but particularly in the form of organized chaos.
Maybe gives the feeling of freedom, every plant for themselves.
Of course, however, behind the garden is the gardener pulling the strings.

Allentown sounds pretty interesting. Think tiny gardens are a real challenge.

yes, a lot of the gardeners went UP! Not just with vines & climbers, either.

My cousin lives in Buffalo i should tell her about this tour. She's got a beautiful property and just starting to garden.

oh yes, for next year. it's at the end of June. I hope she likes it here.

I've always thought formal gardens are about control. I imagine some people would find peace in the symmetry and control of their environment.
I like continuity and flow, myself. I would sure like my yard to feel and look like one place.

Guess to be fair, all gardening is about control.
Eventually the weeds and invasives will win.
As they say, gardens die with their gardener.

Saw this garden feature (steps and planting) on local garden tour in June.
Any feelings about it?
The second picture puts it in context.

Context.

I would consider it welcoming or inviting....it calls your attention to the steps rather than them just being there.

while it's certainly beautiful, to me it looks... offputting? like it wants to be welcoming (by the warmth of the flowers) yet is formal (hardscape). Like saying "look at my pretty flowers. Oh, and here is the garden boy who tends them".

I don't think the plantings themselves are formal....the house certainly is, and the urns.
The plants soften the look nicely (am I saying that right, I don't know why I'm up at this hour!)

Wow, Lynnie, and I thought I wasn't very good with time!

Time I'm good with , sleep not so much lol

Our thread-starter has not returned. The discussion seems to have evolved, but has caused a lot of food for thought.

One thing I have noticed, is that all gardens can convey a mood, but there is a difference between one that is planned for that purpose and one that is part of the overall "style".

Like art for art's sake vs. art to match your couch...haha

I am intrigued by the former, and would love to see, like Gorse2 began us off, any resources depicting such.

Ars gratis ars is the logo for MGM studios....which is perhaps why there are bad movies out there in addition to classics.

Sorry, don't mean to offend. I am not placing judgment.
They are just different objectives.

No offense Julie, just a comment on art for art's sake.....sometimes I think things are id'ed as "ART" that are more personal opinion than art.

That's very true, Moon. I am surrounded by art and artists, having come from, married and spawned artists.

So, JulieQ, are you looking for garden books that portray moods?

JulieG

Re steps-planting feature.

Like the comments, all eminently sensible.
Smiley's interpretation of the feature's personality - not bad!

Had a lot longer to think about this than others. Liked? Not-liked?
Now think it kind of floats. And it's heavy. Confusing. Know the feature was designed by the homeowner, though the stone and iron work on the property would have been done commercially.

Could have done with a path to and from, but then would have been too wide for the other pathway. My feeling: the steps to nowhere. Confusing. But, of course, it's all personal taste.

I couldn't quite figure out why they did not continue the pavers from the top step to the arbor/gate. It is obviously meant to be used as such and setting pavers on angle would have provided a path and enough informality to further "soften' the steps....plus, the one at the bottom would no longer look out of place or an after thought.

Take Julie's point (intended mood versus chosen style): maybe the thread starter needs to tell some of us to get back on topic!

Perhaps the thread starter should rejoin the conversation. How have we gone off topic, Sunny?

Practical solution, Moon.
Still I'm going to try to stay on topic.
I'm in the mood for mood.
Actually, have a bit of a mental block against all moods except happy.
Of course, that requires everyone else to be happy too.
In all seriousness, not possible.
Sad.
Melancholy and sorrow.

Not really, it goes beyond that, in your words...steps to nowhere....exactly my point. The flowers soften the look of what would be rather grandiose steps, inviting you to climb them...yet once at the top, the atmosphere becomes less inviting and more reclusive....climb my pretty steps, but do not enter my garden.

Supposed to be talking about garden design that promotes feelings of melancholy and sorrow. And we're having fun!