Depicting mood = Sorrow, in the garden

Actually, we are supposed to be searching out an article on planting a melancholy garden....awaiting the return of Gorse, the topic expanded to planting to evoke emotion in the garden.....consider it like laughter at a funeral...a tension breaker.

Nice sentiment, Moon!
Maybe like an Irish wake.

God bless the Irish wake....and all those who came to say goodbye....grin

I don't like that single paver at the bottom of the stairs either.

It looks out of place and makes me unhappy.....grin

Right, but it gives me energy in the form of needing to right a wrong....


maybe that's why it's there, to disturb us....

This message was edited Sep 9, 2009 7:28 PM

Anger and retribution in the garden....Hmmmm

and justice and peace for all *grin*

du-uh... SunnyBorders. Happy... I just got it. Hey, I just remembered! My nephew's wedding was in Aurora. (my brother lives in Newmarket). Really pretty town, folks!

That's all for me. DH is lonely watching Beatles stuff on VH1 Classics all by himself. It's "the big Beatle day" (audiophiles here)

Have a great evening Julie.....and in the end......have a great night

Smiley,
When you are going to visit your brother during growing season,
D-mail me if you want to see some perennial gardens.
Have several, but there's also another one, in Aurora, which is quite exceptional.
Sunny

Will do, SunnyB.

here's one: While watching The Beatles Anthology on VH1 Classics, I thought that "The Long & Winding Road" always makes me feel melancholy.

What are anyone's thoughts on what color/type of plant would convey that emotion? Just food for thought.

Julie, I picture a country road overhung with trees in the winter time....always have where that song is concerned...think it has something to do with reading Tom Wolf's Look Homeward Angel and the cover art on that particular edition paperback......something to do with the long cold walk back to the warmth of love and family.

Nice, Moon. I've always thought of autumn when I hear that song.

I can see that, it does seem to draw you toward the end of the year doesn't it?

Smiley,
Calico aster (Aster lateriflorus).
Use a lot of 'Lady in Black', but not in bloom yet.
Gets relatively large, slightly arching, muted flower colour (seems overall: maroonish), bronzy-purplish foliage and the last (of at least my) asters to bloom in fall.

That's a really pretty flower, SunnyB. Like I said above (somewhere!) I'm really going to rethink my garden next year.

OMG!! 96 replies!! I couldn't believe it!! ...and the "mysterious" melancholy Gorse2 was MIA - for quite some time! Sorry folks. Loved the "thread" - Wonderful thread. Read EVERY single response...can't possibly answer all - but will give a "run down" on major points to the best of my ability. (ANd, rather sheepishly, admit that I've been "found out", so to speak....more than I ever realized I could be...i.e.... some of the comments, questions, made sense to me and hit a "nerve" - because I KNOW me - but you are not supposed to "know" me- but some of you sure "guessed" some things about me even though you may not have realized it - so I'll fess up for the sake of the all those deft "sleuths" out there. For the rest of you, perhaps my "secrets" will give some general amusement?.
First, I"ve been "absent" because #1. I am a bit of a hermit....example: Have had no T.V. since 1998 - so no idea what VH1 is..... #2. Just moved across state lines - very hectic - been concentrating on the basics - like where to buy toilet paper!
Now, Gorse - should have been a "dead" (irony intended) giveaway to all my fellow plant "nuts"! Gorse is a large, coarse bush that fills the hills of Britain with it's bright yellow flowers. So, now you know - I LOVE yellow - my fave color. Yellow is considered by psychologists to be the happiest color in the spectrum. My outward persona IS "happy" -so no "dead" here, LOL! But, alas, deep inside I believe I do suffer from "melancholia" - clue number
number two - a number of you wondered about the precise meaning of melancholia, some of you noted that the term seemed "archaic"...etc. To me - melancholia is a complex state, and a long lasting one - involving, yes, sadness, perhaps feelings for things once known but lost, and nostalgia - but in general - melancholia is soooo much more than that. It is "complex" and I know no other word to describe it....The "archaic" bit - well, my mum (yes, mum not "MOHM") is British - so I learned British English in early childhood (several fierce teasing sessions in kindergarten quickly made me realize I was "different' and "talked funny" - boy, did I learn to mimic an American Accent VERY quickly) but alas, I use (especially in my writing - afterall don't we all have our mom's voices in our head? "Sally Ann, I said no!", "George Brian, don't pick your nose, it's not polite". Well, the difference is - I have a posh British voice re-running through my head ...LOL....does this mean I qualify for being "challenged" in someway or somhow???) Ok, so I use words like melancholia and "dreampt" (And, no I have not seen the word dreampt anywhere -except in 15th century British English? Any linguists or English teachers out there? )...but, the British - even today, seem to hang on to words that have long since departed websters!! Ok, enough about language and onto the rest.....Ok, yes, I'm an "artist" sort of - god, I so wanted to hide this - slink, slink......you smart gardeners!! So many people tell me I ought to "write" - but truth be told I HATE writing.....I like to paint. Acutally, mostly I draw - in oil pastels on canvas board - yes my colors are dark and moody - I paint "emotion". I am not an "intellectual" painter at all....OH, Monet - impressionism is quite different from surrealism . You are all correct - surrealism is "unsettling" and can be creepy. I personally don't like it. Impressionists were trying to break out of the old-school academic painting that had been done for centuries in Europe. The impressionists painted en plein air - fancy art term that basically means they took their canvas and paints outdoors instead of sitting in some stuffy studio. This was considered a "no-no" at the time. The impressionists tried to capture "light" - hence the studies of Notre Dame - done over and over again at different times of day. Hence the reliance on so much "white" - the painting style was quick - have you ever tried to paint when the sun is too hot, you need an umbrella, and the "no-seeums" are everywhere? Believe me - that brush moves quickly!! Hence you get an "impression" of what the artist saw - not some detailed, fine-tuned, completely "finished" painting of the subject. Also, I DO believe Monet's paintings became "darker" and more "fuzzy" BECAUSE of his deteriorating eye sight and not due to his mood - but I could be wrong..... Someone made a joke about melancholia and pet death - well, yeah, I just lost my 18 year old dachshund - and funnily enough - I got a beautiful slab of Arizona Flagstone which my husband helped me lay over her resting place (so the coyotes don't dig her up) and, yes, I"ve already created a "memorial" garden for her - a huge area covered with rain-water harvesting cactus intersperesed with the native yellow creosote and coyote bushes. The cactus will be "sculptural" but they are not planted in stiff rows - I intend to place paths between them once I see which way they want to grow -I'm not a masochist - not willing to fight with the glochids!! Near the slab I've placed a sitting bench beneath a lone mesquite tree (quite wizened). I intend to plant two golden barrel cactus on either side of the tree. Oddly enough, one of the veterinarian assistants, when informed of my intent to plant a "memorial" garden for my pet was "horrified". I couldn't imagine why...then she said - well, what if the garden dies? I laughed - it will be very difficult to kill opuntias! Although, the rabbits and hares are really doing a number on them. I like to think that Violet is happy in doggy heaven proudly looking over the lovely natural garden I planted in her memory.
Alas, like you - I digress - this IS supposed to be a melancholy thread, is it not?
A lavender - great idea. It is associated with Provence (France)...the "old world"...it has been historically used in linen closets, it has been proven to induce sleep - even the color lavender has been shown to induce a sense of calm - making it easier to sleep. Plus, my mum, used Lavendar everything - would it surprise you that I bought 3 bars of Yardley's Lavender soap this week? Alas, memories of mum, too! At least I'll have the "nostalgia" part of melancholia...(N.B.: Mum is still living, thank G_D) Ah, rosemary - also very traditional - mum used it in cooking ALL the time - great idea - same purple flowers, airy foliage - great addition to the nostalgia part of melancholia...
Hmmm...so many posts - so many topics. Shall I keep going? Loved the idea of depicting "sorrow" with bell -shaped or tear dropped shaped flowers. Yes, agreed - dark colors and perhaps moody maroons would help me indicate "melancholy". And, the black grass idea was good. The willow over the pond - liked that idea - and do have a willow on the way - pond is a bit "iffy" in the desert - but my property abuts a dry wash which can fill up dramatically during monsoon season - so we'll see. I can't afford to "irrigate" like crazy - and besides - the water simply isn't available out here even if one could afford it - all kinds of restrictions....so, been using Brad Lancasters' Rainwater harvesting for drylands and beyond - especially love volume 2 - but have volume 1 as well. He's a bit wordy (takes one to know one!) but even if you just give the sketches a quick once over - you'll learn alot. Also, the ideas are modern AND ancient - have been used in the Negev Desert, Israel, the southwestern us, and africa - if you are lucky enough to live somewhere with real rainfall -ie east coast us - don't discount this book - it has great ideas for "rescuing" the water we all have - from pollution, runoff, etc And you don't have to be a left-wing "hippie" to learn from it - I'm not!!
Ok, temporarily stepping off my soapbox here- on to the next topic. yes, have thought of moon gardening. Scents, white flowers etc - but Melancholy is going to need a bit of all these elements I think? someone asked about significance of white. In western culture - traditionally white was/is associated with "purity" - hence the white wedding gown. But in Japan - white is associated with Death!! I guess culture IS relevant. White in a garden would tend to reflect ALOT of light - both during the day - and as others noted - in the moonlight.
Melancholy scents - great idea! One of my fave for this is "bicornis mathiola" the species from which most stocks come from. thompson & morgan offered this every year for years - but I noticed this years catalog disappointingly has the colored hybrid version - i fear the scent won't be quite as good. the flower is lanky and nondescript by day - the flower opens at night to a pale pinkishwhite and the scent is OVERpowering - much like cloves only better. (BtW, all you gals trying to attract men - cloves are supposedly one of the scents men enjoy and can actually smell well - their snouts aren't as good as ours, apparently. does this account for all those smelly socks?) Other great scents you guys inspired me with - I forgot - jimson weed (sacred datura) - giant white trumpets -open at night - beautifully scented -native to the desert. Word of warning- can be hallucinogenic - but NOT worth trying - most people DIE from jimson weed. (no, i've never tried it and don't know how one would "try" to obtain the hallucinogenic effect - my knowledge is Jimson weed = certain death. DONT: DO IT>) ....Old fashioned Sweet William - gives that old world feel to the garden - has a clove like scent , again, somewhat sweeter though - and more complex than just "clove-like" - my fave variety - Black sooty- definitely melancholy looking - but doubt I can give it enough water here.....we'll see.Pink Jasmine Polyanthum(spelling?) - so common in AZ - can't find it here - definitely fills the night air with a heady fragrance -especially if planted near house. Bonus - moonlight type flower - and frequented by the beautiful sphinx moths...Property already came with Halls Honeysuckle - which is NOT invasive in the southwest - water limits it from spreading out of a garden.... And, I just planted 4 carolina jasmines - another scent that brings me nostalgia for Africa- where I first smelt it. Orange blossoms smell good - but the easiest citrus to grow out here in the desert seems to be Ponderosa Limon (a cross between citron and lemon?). Single tuberose - like the scent - but it doesn't seem to waft on the breeze enough....Maybe I'll try some hyacinths -close to the house where I water anyway - and we get roof runoff....
Oh, cool - whoever suggested the black columbine - never heard of them. Where can I get them? And, do you know the botanical name or specific common name?
Woodland idea - really great - reminded me of how much snow on trees can make one feel a little wistful in winter. But I think I'll be waiting a long time for trees and snow here....
Wow - a feeling of mystery. whoever suggested that. RIGHT ON. Hadn't thought of it at all - but I'm sure that is a part of MY concept of melancholia...I'd like to add some mystery to my garden ...any ideas anyone??????
Someone said - dark colors, fragrance, reds/purples/blacks - times gone by - yes. I think those ideas are great. Especially the concept of "times gone by" - how would I create that in the garden though? Old discarded tools maybe ? I don't really want to go overboard with stuff and end up "tacky" but something to designate "times or time, gone by" sounds really intriguing....
Hmmmm...who didn't think gardening was therapeutic? my mum always teased me growing up - saying -"oh, don't worry dear, being in the garden is good therapy for you" - I found this particularly annoying in my 20's when I considered myself to be quite normal. Adding to my "misery" - my brothers - 2- no sisters (darn!) dubbed me "mud puppy" - well you know what happens when you dig in the dirt and then water, don't you? Nevertheless, I VERY much resented the mud-puppy nickname. Now, at near middle age - I'm resigned to it all. I guess i was, and still am a "mudpuppy" and yes, I suppose I am a bit of a crackpot! What gardener isn't? Alls I can say is - in my opinion- birdwatchers are 'weirder" -for starters - they are more aggressive (despite our weed pulling - yes, especially therapeutic when one is mad at the boss, that teenage son, or the spouse....- have you ever seen a "flock" and Yes, I do mean "flock" of avid bird watchers descend on some migratory route - binoculars in tow? They are downright itimidating - and I DO mean the birdwatchers not the birds of prey! LOL) Well, by now I've probably insulted everyone...so, I'll just keep going...
Kooodos (spellling?) to the poster who questioned "would formal or informal" design best depict "melancholia". I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA! And, haven't even thought of this.....this certainly made me take a step back - I''ll need to figure that one out before I even seriously start.....Anybody have any "gut " feelings on this one? Formal, informal, or mixed?????
Ah....which brings me to my next point - the discussions (numerous) on Formal design vs free-flowing. Positively shocking! Or as Nana used to say (mum's mum and 100% scots), "Good Godfathers!!". Wow, did all of you throw me for a loop on this one. Here's my take - being american born (hello - buffalo - thats where I popped out!), but conceived in Britain - I suppose I'm bicultural thru and thru. Some of my earliest memories are of being hauled off to Britain (I thought it was another state - don't ask! LOL) where I saw endless formal gardens, and "National Trust" properties - ie. estates of the aristocracy before they went broke! NEVER< NEVER in my life- never in my wildest dreams have I ever associated formal British gardens or old-world European gardens (even on Castle grounds) with "cold", "arrogant" , "off putting", or "confusing". Please don't be offended! I was just floored that anyone could/would/did feel or think this way - then those comments really got me thinking. What did I feel when I saw these types of gardens? Why did I feel this way, etc etc, So it was an excellent lesson for me. First - I came to the conclusion stated above - part of it may be "cultural" - I was exposed to formal gardens as young as 2 years old - so formal appears "normal" to me...but maybe most Americans aren't as exposed (particularly at such a young age) to "formal" gardens. 2nd, if you haven't guessed by now - my thinking (and writing- groan - please groan with me!) is , well, um, how, shall i say? RATHER Circular! So having a "chaotic" personality, a circular thinking pattern, a bi-cultural background (ie "old world") - I find formal gardens to be the epitome of the perfect garden. The feeling I get is one of order (something I lack and crave), tranquility, peace, the comfort of the "old world" and most of all a formal garden tends to "ground" me (pun not intended.) Aren't there any other scatter-brained gardener/artist types out there, that may understand this?? And, to all of you who find the formal gardens somewhat disconcerting - Pleeeeease - come put my life in order - maybe I won't crave neatly clipped boxwood hedges so much anymore! LOL>
oooooooo- The angry gardeners! Scary! Never thought of that. I go into gardens to escape anger! But I think you are right - REd - nothing but bright red ought to do it - maybe chaos too- trash thrown about - weeds let to overgrow - sinister looking tools like sycthes carelessly laid about. Throw in some Salvador Dali paintings...wow - totally creepy. and, if you really want to get "angry" I guess you could push hapless visitors into thorn bushes. OUch. I think I'll stay out of the angry territory - pulling weeds seems safer, less harmless, and a surefire way to take out one's anger in a fairly harmless way. At least the weed could be tossed aside in the garden bed - justifying one's killing of it in the name of adding to the compost...
Julie Q - I have returned! With the longest post ever..(I wonder if there is a limit?) Hey, 1:51 a.m. - I AM an insomniac! Write me anytime....Oh, SMiley mom - was born in Buffalo (probably why I like snow) but don't remember buffalo - moved when I was 2 years old. Sunny Borders - topic-schmopic - I've enjoyed evey bit of it. I am after all a self-professed(self-confessed) circular thinker!Moonhowl - no off topic = everybit of feedback helped in some way. and, yes, I'm back - for better or worse. ...
Hmmmm...Surealism in the garden would definitely be "unsettling", if not "anger" inducing. I can't imagine anyone liking it - "the nightmare garden "on elm street?. I"ve been known to be slightly "eccentric" but in a nice sort of way (not a jeffrey dahmer kinda way) ....This was really brought home to me in Az -when a local, lonely, 10 year old, used to come into my garden as I was mudpuppying (which was frequent!) and pour her heart out to me. It was then I learned that all the neighborhood kids referred to me as "THAT lady"....I almost dropped the garden hose! But managed to smile kindly at her. Though I was curious - why was I known as that lady? the only thing my husband could guess at - is our yard was overgrown with plants (in a barren mining town) and perhaps the kids just never saw anything like it! Anyway, I for one shall be avoiding the "surreal" and/or angry/horror look in my yard! However, being somewhat open minded - yes, I agree - lets see photos of everyone's emotion gardens (assuming I've started a trend) - I'll just peek at the surreal entries with one eye covered with my hand, like a little kid - just in case they prove to be too scary!!
Repeat, but like I said I find gardening to be definitely "therapeutic" - so I garden for peace, joy, tranquility, and solitude - so I won't be looking to find or create any anger there!
oh, yesterday, I bought a new (to me) pansy - called "scary" something - it looked very similar to the variety in Thompson & Morgans's seed catalog - called Bowles viola. Never had much luck with those seeds - believe I finally got one plant to grow in all the years i tried - again 110 degrees f isn't exactly "viola" weather....Anyway, this was definitely a pansy (slightly larger than a viola) nearly black - very dark velvety purple - some sort of hybrid I guess, at least that's what the nurseryman indicated...anyhow, I fell in love with them - because, of yes, well, they were soooooooooooooo melancholic - I promised myself I'd only buy one (I didn't really need any winter annuals right now) but in the end - couldn't resist - I think I bought 4 , or was it 5, maybe 6? I shall put them in the ground tomorrow. I DO hope they reseed.
To the weeping crabtree writer - I Had considered planting a weeping cherry - they are very romantic, nostalgic looking, pale pink, but form a huge canopy - and I'm afraid even in my back yard (with pre-installed sprinklers - property came with them) I'm not sure I could water it enough even if I left the sprinklers on night and day....but the weeping cherry I saw in a catalog - I felt would definitely help add to my melancholy garden.
I'm afraid for now it's mostly cactus - native xeric plants - and the wild hares, bunnies, snakes (big fat ugly kinds that scare me) , desert pack rats, real rats, grey mice, a HUGE owl, an escaped rotweiler who wouldn't let me out of my OWN house (he was dragging a large broken chain and seemed to be doing a wonderful job "guarding" me from leaving my own house - until a police man finally came and rescued me). It was the night of the Rotweiler that I told my husband I feared the animals would never end - it's one thing to have wild critters outside but when one sees the snake slither under the house, hears the rat prance across the ceiling, and sees the mice and packrats scamper across the carpet, not to mention the creature that was in our kitchen drawer one night - the creature I was convinced was a poltergeist.....He just sort of chuckled. And, told me, Honey, it's going to be alright. He was off the next day and got up before me. I was sitting at the kitchen table when all of a sudden I heard from the sun room - "Is that a sheep I see in the back yard?". MY eyes shot WIDE open, I nearly choked on my o.j. and shouted, "please tell me you ARE joking? Please tell me you are just doing this because of yesterday, and the night before, and the day before, etc etc".......Then came the reply, "NO, you know, I think it might be a goat..." That was it - morning person i'm not- but I shot out of that chair and raced to my husband - and, yes, sitting in the back yard - a mere 10 feet from the back sun room door was indeed a VERY large sheep. We had that sheep for 48 hours (no one would come rescue it) ...until I finally went to a neighbor (who owns a horse and burro) - unfortunatley they were all sick with swiine flu! However, when they told me I'd be best off walking it down the dirt lane to see if I could lead it home - I explained it appeared to be quite lame - and I was now worried...(we hadn't noticed the lame leg earlier). I'd say the animal story ended there but it didn't - my next door neighbor - a fast talking, urban, new jersey transplant came over to ask if we'd got the pigs or the camel yet. NO, HE WASN'T JOKING. Needless to say, I feel a bit like zha-zha gabor - with her song of "new york is where I'd rather be , I get allergic smelling hay". seriously, I wanted to be out in the country - so I could GARDEN! But the inundation of critters has been a steep learning curve for me - the most dreaded - the snakes and rats - I can live with the sheep and rotweiler!!
Back to the topic - Yes, we are supposed to be talking about garden design that would promote "melancholy" - but it appears we all have had fun on this thread. My point exactly. (Melancholy not withstanding...) ONe needn't stop having fun just because one is inclined toward melancholia....
Again, to the VH1 classic posters! you lost me there...what the hey is vH1? I'm assuming it's TV - but as stated before no tv since 1998 (really) - told you I was a bit of a hermit..probably what took me so long to get back to this thread. Finally, to Moonhowl again, "the return of Gorse"...nearly had me in stitches! It sounds like a play I was once forced to read in French no less - called "Waiting for Godot" or something like that. NOw there is an "absurd" book if ever there were one!
Hmmmm...laughter at a funeral - your whole 96 reply thread has definitely helped break my tension (from this dreadful move - the readjustment to a new place etc)...Honestly, I wish I could invite all of you to come over to my house! (The thread certainly made me realize I need to do a lot more thinking and planning before I do any "planting")
Happy Gardening - even if some of us will be wallowing in melancholia from time to time.
A Gorse is a Gorse of course! P.S. Actually looking for gorse seeds - haven't found any yet!

love it!

A Gorse is a Gorse of Course, unless the Gorse is the famous....grin...ancient TV moment. Welcome back. I thoroughly enjoyed this thread and knew, sooner or later, it would draw you back. One rarely considers the existential side of gardening and why do you garden is one of the hardest most thought provoking questions....perhaps the most unsettling answer to that was "In my garden I am God".

I have always considered gardening a leap of faith...each year the renewal of that faith that things will grow, it will rain enough but not too much, critters won't eat everything, etc. I have also always felt my garden was a core to the passions, emotions and day to day of my life, my grounding to the Earth.

As for hermitism...a lot to be said for the value of solitude, providing one maintains a small thread of connection to the greater gestalt...grin

Welcome back Gorse....don't remain a stranger....grin.....Moon

Ulex europaeus, Gorse http://www.b-and-t-world-seeds.com/carth.asp?species=Ulex%20europaeus&sref=400570

Gorse my mother still says "shall" and "cahn't" "Shall I make some tea?" Proper Bostonian, ancestors off one of the first British ships *grin*
Very funny about your Wild Animal Kingdom over there, how can you POSSIBLY convey a sense of melancholy with giant sheep roaming about?? Somewhere somebody is laughing!
I agree about the birdwatchers....I have seen them in action....very strange!

My weeping crabapple tree desperately needed saving, I found it rootbound & forgotten in a corner of a nursery, and I had to rescue it....I'm completely emotionally attached to it and I planted it just a little too close to the house because I wanted it near me (or my screened porch). Irrational and sad.

A sense of mystery in the garden.....a path that turns to a hidden place? A hat tossed on a bench? A piece of artwork that means something special to just the gardener?

I can't comment intelligently because I am still laughing. Welcome back Gorse.

shoot Smiley were we supposed to sound intelligent? It's kinda early....*grin*

I always wondered why people planted trees too close to the house... I see that all over around here. Can anything be done for your tree, Lynnie?

No, I want it where it is lol I told you I'm irrational over it. I'm usually VERY precise about spacing (control issues) but with THIS tree I'm irrational. it's only about 3 feet too close....

Well that's good! I've seen them butted right up against the house and think "what were they thinking??" Kills me to see a japanese maple that way.

oooh Smiley there's one right near me like that! Actually two, jammed together against the house, and it kills me too!

wow! truly wish I'd seen this thread earlier. just want to add that it has been ten years since my Mom passed and I am just now able to have bought myself a beautiful little African Violet, Mom's most favorite houseplant. The connotations of this little love are, for most I would assume, year-long happiness, cheer and joy. For me, however, bittersweet. God Bless Moms everywhere for teaching their daughters the overwhelming fullfilment and joy only gardening can bring...

Welcome Dmichellea. Understand your feelings quite well. My Mom died in 1990, and there are some things that still give me pause. But, the gift of gardening she gave me endures as do my memories of her.

A lovely tribute to your Mom.

The question of formal vs informal: What about semi-formal? I saw a garden recently on a gardening TV show that was described this way. Overall the garden was laid out symmetrically with plants in each area displayed with an air of wild abandon but a touch of something formal included in each (statuary, fruit tree, etc). Example: a formal boxwood hedge bordering a well packed free form cottage garden. I hope I'm describing this well enough that you can picture what I saw. This lady's gardens were quite charming.

The point? A formal garden is a statement of logic, construct and symmetry. The informal - flowing emotion and seemingly random plants. Another way to say it: a semiformal garden is a statement about the desire for staid tradition contrasted against and combined with the happen-chance of reality. Hmm, sounds like a life statement for many of us... A statement that could easily fulfill the desire to express a wide range of emotions including melancholy or nostalgia.

Good luck with your project
~Sharon

Good observations Sharon. And I think there are almost as many interpretations of Formal and Informal as there are gardeners....I like the Semi-Formal idea...kind of Order surrounding Chaos...grin

sharon that sounds like my kind of thing, semi formal...wish I had seen the show.
dmichellea that's a very pretty African Violet, I hope it brings you fond memories.

Gee, Lynnie, Smiley, ya think we scared everyone away? saw an article on a Memory Garden that was pretty interesting. The gardener used plant favorites of loved ones along with plants that reminded her of loved ones and incorporated items to represent them also.

that's kinda what I'm doing Moon, although in the absence of a plant "favorite" I'm picking them by personality...the priare fire crabapple is for a fiery & intense lost one, the semi weeping with white flowers, for a gentle soul.....

How neat, Lynnie. I really like the personality/plant choices. That would work better here since so many of the remembered like things that don't do well here....and houseplants....grin

I liked the object to represent folks too. She used an old rocking chair with geraniums for her grandmother and an umbrella with a clematis growing on the spokes for an aunt.

What??? No link???

I walked past this garden and for some reason thought of this thread. I don't know if you can see but there are a pair of cowboy boots sticking out of the dirt.

It was a print article in the dentist's office....grin

Wow. Not sure the message, but the feeling is rather nostalgic....except for the cross....hmmmm

looks like an old sad & hopeless western movie scene.....that's melancholy for sure.