Monday, June 12, 2006

Landscaping - one of my favorite art forms




I spent nearly the entire last week out of state (in Ohio) helping my brother with a big landscaping job he had to do -quite a change from my stay-at-home-mom life. My children played with their cousins while I was working as the official "plant lady".
How I LOVE to "paint" with plants!
A yard is such a wonderful canvas! The dirt is the the base for the artwork. It can be pepared by removing sod, adding compost/manure to enrich and soften the soil. Oh, the delicious smell of good, fresh dirt - I love it!
Now, the great fun begins - the planning, shopping, and adding the lovely colors, textures, shapes, and bloom seasons of a variety of plants. Then, add an embellishment or two, or three, or more (a boulder, a statue, a sculpture, an edging, a trellis), and you have a lovely, ever changing work of art!
With plants I can express so many moods - here a bright, bold, and splashy corner, there a quiet, subdued, gentle, and contemplative little grove, here a stark, rigid space, there a soft, sweet, secluded romantic spot, etc.

I think landscaping is one of my most favorite art forms - certainly one of the ones I feel most comfortable with!
Oh, yeah, these photos are from my perennial beds.

Cara

2 comments:

Izabella Blue said...

these are lovely pictures~ ooohhh I miss having plants like that, still not used to the desert plant life :)

xo

Unknown said...

Cara I need you at my place! How beautiful!
Crystal