A client broached the topic. “I am afraid I have tunnel vision about my landscape, and I even don’t know it”. She made me laugh. That is an oxymoron if I ever heard one; I told her. If the words were coming out, the idea had already taken hold. It says a lot about a certain kind of good design process that she would even consider the pitfalls of tunnel vision. It is worth worrying about-no question. Ranking right up there with sheets that have been on the bed one too many days, every gardener needs to think about what it would be, how it could be better, to make a change or two. Do new. Prune up, remove, take a new direction-get fresh. Think about what it would mean not to have something. I have an old, big, and not good looking maple on my driveway. What is left of a crown that has been greatly thinned by scald and maple decline, does not screen any untoward view. What would it be like to cut that thing down, and put a sculpture on the trunk that has been left really high? As I view the tree from my Romeo and Juliet balcony, a tall trunk and sculpture might be striking. Pleasing. Better than what I look at now.
Am I a victim of my own tunnel vision? The tree was fairly mature the day I moved in 15 years ago, albeit in better condition than it is now. If its always been there, does that prove it should always be there? Getting fresh can be plenty scary, especially when it involves taking down a tree. But sometimes a tree is just one of God’s biggest weeds. Just because something is big, doesn’t make it precious. I would never take down a healthy tree on a whim; I would rather design around it, or showcase it. It is a case of tunnel vision, though, when you can’t see that some trees are just weeds.
Tunnel vision is as common as a dandelion in a lawn. Don’t worry if you have them every so often. Start to worry when your one dandelion is starting to colonize. I have a neighbor who has thrown his Christmas tree in his back yard for the past two years. Now he has 3 little dead magnolias he put in, and didn’t water; they are still in the ground. And later, plastic pots on their sides have the skeletons of dead plants in them. A decaying rowboat makes another statement. He somehow got the idea his back yard was a place for refuse; now it has become a refuse dump. Never mind him; my Princeton Gold maples are screening that mess from my view. But if you come to some day, and find you have tunnel vision colonies, get the best professional help you can find.
I am the first to admit that I am my own worst enemy in my yard. I have a thing about history in a garden. I have two old Palabin lilacs on standard that I inherited; their heads must be 8 feet in diameter. I have always barked underneath them-why? Because that has been their history. I know there are plenty of times I would give anything for a good designer to shake me. Even when I do get it, from Buck, or a friend, I still can be stubborn about holding on to what has always been for dear life. The process of change is not really that charming.
I lived in my house for 6 years doing nothing except watering, and barking the beds I inherited. It finally occurred to me that no matter how busy I was, if I were going to get a garden made in what lifetime I had left, I had better get moving. The best thing about sponsoring a garden tour to benefit the Greening of Detroit was raising 12,000.00 for them. The second best thing was hearing people tell me they were inspired to ditch the blinders, and take on a project that had been been staring at them for a good while. As I like to be encouraged too, this felt good.
In my dreams, I would throw off the constraints of my history, I would entertain new ideas; I would embrace the unknown. I would research. I would stop fussing, and look at things from a different angle, or in different light. I would learn, digest, and make plans. I would fume, and come up to grade like a firecracker that just got its fuse lit.
Every day I ask my clients to give up the ideas they have had about their landscapes for a new and fresh idea. Old landscapes may need some chopping, some rearranging. and some re-orienting, I tell them. There are those places that only a bulldozer can rescue. Or places that need more lawn, or a thorough cleanup. I am familiar with their shock. My clients put up with plenty from me; I know first hand that feeling of dread and distaste that comes along with knowing there needs to be some changes made. But in truth, a little change can be like a new sparkplug for your gardening engine.
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Occasionally I get garden requests that are out of the mainstream. The brother of one of my clients called and asked if I would be willing to host a birthday party for his sister at my store; so why not? She loves her garden, and anything flower-related, so it wasn’t hard to imagine this place dolled up and ready for party guests. Though he lives in California, he was able to plan with the local help of Fran Gross; her events are always well choreographed and beautiful. Arranging the store for guests, and doing the flowers would be my part. As the party was a surprise, we lined our iron gates with fabric. Douglas had told her he wanted her to look at something he was thinking of getting her for her birthday-little did she know. She had ten seconds to process that her initials were in fact on the gates, framed in gerbera daisies, before she walked into a crowd of guests. What fun for her-and her guests.
We did lots of flowers-all in variations of a her favorite color-pink. This vase placed outside the front door -a flowery ice cream cone with pink nerines, pink spray roses and a tutu of La Reve lilies. Yummy.
Pink and gold were the colors of the day. Table cloths, and napkins, the gold chairs and clear glass plates edged in gold set a very festive, and very feminine tone. I thought the flowers should be tall-in the airspace. This not only makes conversation easy at the table top level, it creates interest at eye level when people walk into a room. More than anything, a party should be designed such to put the idea of celebration in the air.
These party favors are the work of my client. He knew his sister not only as very feminine and vibrant woman, but also as a very successful and high powered business woman. She successfully balances being a woman, and a boss; this is not easy to do. The flower coated hammer is his wry and supportive gesture. The personal element celebrates the relationship of friends and family; the party is for everyone.
The flowers set on top of twig stands are primarily every version and form of pink I could find. But some contrasting color showcases that pink. The brown amaranthus, yellow freesia and roses are a nod to the gold table accessories.
The arrangements are shaped such that most of the blossoms are visible from a seated position; the oval overall shape is like a friendly umbrella over each table.
I I think the room looks lovely.
The flowers brought life to the room. All it needed was company-and company she got. What an incredibly thoughtful brother. What fun it was to be a part of what is such a good memory for her.
Garden spaces are at their best, filled with people.
The burnt orange/carmine and chartreuse leaf of the coleus “Freckles” is a study in color contrast in and of itself. The orange impatiens does a good job of the harmony for this tune.
Every year I grow nicotiana alata lime. The color of the flower takes on a different aura, when paired with other colors. With other greens the flowers are soft and subtle. A little pale carmine in the coleus leaf, and pilea, is an echo, not a trumpet blast.
I am having a carmine and orange season, and enjoying it immensely. Carmine alone sometimes has the effect of setting one’s teeth on edge; the addition of the orange makes for a very warm pleasing glow. When I get home in the evening, the overcast light makes all the color appear even more saturated. The design idea here-figure out what time of day you will be in your garden, or what time of day you best like to be in your garden. You’ll have an idea of what the light will be; choose your color accordingly.
I like here the relationship of the green to the orange. Zesty!
Lime and carmine together I simply find appealing-all understanding of the science of color aside. The color of live flowers or plants-they call this a special kind of color-living color. I wouldn’t be without it.