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We had dense fog this morning so I did something rare and took my iPhone camera along while I walked. Interesting how the horizon being made invisible made the views more horizontal. Above you can see the boats gone and the snow fences in the process of being rolled out down at the beach. Below are the remaining leaves that have fallen from the trees along a lakefront park.
The moody landscape affected me and I couldn't help but reflect on how odd it will be tomorrow when we celebrate Thanksgiving at around 60 degrees...I hope Climate Change does not bring us such a trying weather year as this past one. I hope Climate Change becomes something in the coming year that Movers and Shakers take on as the Global Environmental Crisis it is.
As always, when I partake of Thanksgiving, I am so grateful for all the things we have here, those that most Americans don't even know are astonishing (except maybe if they were intimately effected by Hurricane Sandy or travel to developing countries), like functional infrastructure: water, heat, electricity, roads, public transportation, hospitals, schools, grocery stores and citizenship.
Wherever you are, whomever you're with, whatever you do and whatever you eat: I hope your holiday is joyful and inspires gratitude!
The up side of Climate Change is that we had some beautiful weather yesterday while installing these client containers. What I thought was interesting was that we used the same materials for two completely different clients with differing tastes and home settings.
In the two shots of the entering and exiting views of this pot, you can see how we have made it elegant for the exterior, but fun for the client view from her door. Two of these frame the entry to a lovely Victorian row house in the city. Since it was our last installation for the season, we shared a celebratory drink with the client and reflected that we had been working together 14 years! I am really incredibly blessed with clients and work that gives me joy...
Here is the nature I was imaging in my previous post...thank you for all your emails, especially far-flung Shay! Above was my one-minute of sunshine in the parking lot at the Red Rock Canyon visitor's center. This is in the direction of Vegas which is about a 45 minute drive. Lamentably, my plane was delayed so I only had the opportunity during my 22-hr trip for a half-hour hike. But, as always, being in this incredibly spiritual spot recharged me.
This time, I realized the trail I hike here is about the same elevation as the village where we stay in Guatemala, at 5000 feet, the lowest of the dozen or so villages AFOPADI serves in the Cuchumatanes. I wished I lived in Vegas so I could train and up my stamina and red blood cells. I was also jealous of the moderate grade and well-groomed steady trails in Red Rock, so different from the climbing paths of loose dirt on deforested slopes in the mountains of Guatemala.
Just Below: Can you find the Juniper?
Just Below That: You can't miss the fantasy trees. Palm trees of this sort don't even grow in the Mojave desert where Vegas is located. I really enjoyed these faux trees though, holding up the airport vault.
A few weeks ago, I visited my parents in Indiana. Their cabin is in the midst of the most incredible nature, but since it was pre-Election, they were focused on the t.v. (no Internet access out there). But, on my way home, my mom sent me down a special road because the trees were at the height of their fall color. It was especially breathtaking since our extreme drought this past summer left me with low expectations.
And now, because my expectations on the Election were surpassed, and because, even though Climate Change was not mentioned during the campaign until Sandy, I believe the more realistic candidate for addressing its effects is still President, I can rest and enjoy nature for a day. Hope you can too.
Luckily, I know just the place to do that tomorrow....
My dear friend and colleague, fellow landscape designer, Garth Conrad, from MELA passed away Thursday. For once, dumb luck was on my side and I saw him a few hours before he passed away. Garth was a remarkable person: kind, intelligent, generous, modest and visionary. He was always leading us in the membership and on the board towards a sustainable future. I hope his inspiring life sustains his soul as it does the rest of us still in body.
I've been meaning to report on the high point of our Swedish trip: visiting Piet Oudolf's Dream Park in Enkoping! The garden was even better than I imagined...and I loved it for years on the basis of the book illustrations I've seen.
The concept are these large, scattered, tri-part Beech hedges with organic paths throughout. Note the yellow plant: it is Ligularia. In the States, it requires so much water that it is sold as a shade plant. In this garden, it is out in full sun, so that tells us about differing conditions....my experience with Swedish soil is that it also tends to be more acidic. This is near Stockholm which is Zone 6; Chicago is Zone 5.
One of the many things I found Piet did masterfully, is setting these white blooms out so they diffuse the light. Even though these photos were taken mid-day (you can tell by how washed out they are), you can see how the lower angle of the light makes plants sparkle. Here, in particular, note the Astilbe (lower right) and the gigantic Persicaria polymorpha (taller, shrub-like perennial mid-left to right of beech hedge with bench).
This bottom image captures the one plant that Piet seems to have scattered around the garden (not massed), it is a form of Sea Holly (Eryngium).
The effect manifests in its jewel-like quality being repeated and knitting together the garden. Oh la la!
I learn something from every client (not always what I anticipate learning...), but I do have a few who are remarkable gardeners and have taught me much about plants. Just recently, I had the good fortune to visit one of these people and their garden on the south side of Chicago...that is to say: a very urban garden. Due to the mid-afternoon timing, my photos were not terrific; yet I have several to give you a sense of this wonderful space, mostly about the gardener's fern collection.
The garden is located behind a Victorian row house, next to an alley and underneath a large, mature Silver Maple which, if you've ever dug beneath one, you will remember for its impenetrable roots. Above, you can see the entrance path off the back porch.
Here the collector proudly shows off myriad spores on the fronds of a Japanese Tassel Fern (Polystichum polyblepharum). Below stands a glorious specimen of Remote Wood Fern (Dryopteris remota).Take note, Linda and Mark! These ferns are not typically found in our regional gardens. In fact, my client has had many adventures with ferns in far-flung places. While I cannot travel to all those spots, visiting his garden is a transporting trip and a worthy substitute. Mostly, what I enjoy is his never-ending enthusiasm. This interest by shared by the famous neurologist, Oliver Sacks. Look him up on-line with ferns and you will find many compelling documents including his Oaxaca Journal.
