Garden Art means different things to different people.

In the vegetable garden it can take the form of a screen to mask the compost bin, or a painting on the side of the tool shed. Some of us – and by us I mean gardeners – take care to lay out our herb gardens to create patterns that please the eye. Then we add decorative elements that bring us joy or remind us where the time has flown.

Herbs join flowers, ceramic fish, and a sun-dial in this garden in Santa Fe, NM

Herbs join flowers, ceramic fish, and a sun-dial in this garden in Santa Fe, NM

Most of the time garden art means a sculptural element that we add to gardens as focal points, as whimsical elements, to make statements, or as mementoes. Focal points work especially well when space is limited and the city encroaches just outside the garden walls.

Alert to the urban sounds just beyond the fence, bronze deer bring a welcome reminder of the natural world to a pocket garden in Portland, OR.

Alert to the urban sounds just beyond the fence, bronze deer bring a welcome reminder of the natural world to a pocket garden in Portland, OR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focal points also serve to draw us along the garden path, sometimes giving us pleasant surprises.

We take a turn around a newly-installed garden in Port Ludlow, WA where a civic-minded resident transformed his empty lot into an informal neighborhood park.

We take a turn around a newly-installed garden in Port Ludlow, WA where a civic-minded resident transformed his empty lot into an informal neighborhood park.

We appreciate the bold statements some art makes. It draws our attention to elements of the context in which a garden sits, to contributions of indigenous people, to the past from which the garden derives.

The courtyard of a museum in Santa Fe NM reminds us of the cultural context from which much of the art and gardens of New Mexico grow.

The courtyard of a museum in Santa Fe NM reminds us of the cultural context from which much of the art and gardens of New Mexico grow.

Whimsy plays a vital role in the choice of garden art. It brings magic and mystery to gardens, and enhances the joy of growing flowers, herbs, and trees.

There be dragons among the gaillardia, yarrow, rosemary, and apples in this Santa Fe, NM garden.

There be dragons among the gaillardia, yarrow, rosemary, and apples in this Santa Fe, NM garden.

But I think we love it best when the garden is the art and its plants serve as sculpture, form, and function. David and I designed the informal park in Port Ludlow I mentioned above. It is such a delight to take a blank slate and transform earth and light, soil and water into a lovely place to be.

michael's garden

We invite you to share your stories of the greenworld, and welcome you to join us at one of our stops on the road. See our events page for all the details. If you have a favorite spot we should not miss, please let us know.

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