Stop The Fast Forward!

Posted on December 22, 2015 by pgbundil

Is Spring cutting line? Sure feels like it. Here we are in the last stretch of December and it feels like April. The long range forecast assures a balmy Christmas. That might be just fine out in California but in the North-east? The fireplace sits cold and unused and winter jackets still hang fresh from the cleaners. Admittedly, it’s kind of fun to head outdoors without the weight of layers but I’m beginning to get nervous. I’m holding my breath as I await the drop of the other shoe.

Clearly, weather patterns are topsy-turvy. The west is getting all the snow generally reserved for the east. Is Nature messing with our minds? Climate change is very real people! Seems humans are not the only ones confused. Looking around, the garden is showing distinct signs of spring awakening.

When news arrived that the cherry blossoms were in bloom in our nation’s capital, I thought it was a hoax. Like an April Fools joke. But then, as I wandered around the garden and elsewhere, I noticed plants that ought to be dormant bearing nascent buds and/or leaves. Normally, such sights make me insanely happy but at this time, I’m downright alarmed.

What are the immediate consequences? Perhaps some light color from early bloomers like cherry and forsythia will no doubt still put a smile on our faces. It might even be fun to go for spring-like walks in late December. But, where is this taking us? To a forever changed climate pattern in these parts or will winter roar in with a vengeance in January? In either case, what does that imply? Should I go ahead and order crape myrtles that I’ve envied in southern gardens?

A return to the usual winter conditions would kill the emerging growth but perhaps all will not be lost. While there will be some damage and even the loss of certain spring blooms, the plants will rally. They are resilient for the most part. The gardener will simply have to take their cue and stoically carry on with a potentially less than spectacular post-winter show.

However, if we completely forgo a cold season, it’ll wreak havoc. All bloom/fruit time bets are off. Plants that require a spell of hard cold will struggle to stay in character – after all, how can they play their part when the script has been completely changed? Others will bloom too early and who knows what this will do to producing fruit and seeds as the pollinating insects and migratory birds may not be around to do their job.

I’m not as yet aware how this warm weather is affecting animals that hibernate. Are they getting tired or do they have some sort of internal mechanism that compensates and adjusts? Have certain birds delayed their winter sojourn to enjoy these warm days of December? If so, what will happen if the temperatures plummet suddenly? Questions flood my mind as I casually sip my tea seated on the stone bench in the meadow and gaze upon squirrels at play. In December!

Meanwhile, how will we gardeners go about the ministry of our duties? Do I get my usual winter rest or am I to keep going with tasks brought forward per force?
I’m concerned about the myriad bulbs that need the winter to come up properly in spring. I spy the tips of bulbs piercing through the still unfrozen earth. A friend noticed that hyacinth bulbs planted in a pot and kept outdoors were protruding through the soil. So she brought them in and watered the pot. No leaves were put out and only the emergent end of the flower stalk bloomed. In fact, the plant did not grow any further. It merely put forth what it could and called it quits. So sad. Is this what we can expect more of?

To say I’m worried is an understatement. We are currently going through an unsettling period. The four distinct seasons, their arrivals, durations and departures have set the rhythms of our lives. We’ve come to know what to expect and what to do by their timeliness. Our own resilience is now being called upon. Plus our willingness to do our part in coping and caring for this beautiful Earth that is seeing shifts and changes. Some phenomena are natural but there is plenty that we humans have wrought. The answers to my numerous questions will come only in due course.
I’d like very much to hit the ‘Rewind’ button.

On a brighter note, today is the Winter Solstice. An extra minute of daylight every day hence! Use the minutes well – smile at a stranger, write a ‘thinking of you’ note to someone, take deep breaths and calm your mind, drink a glass of water, do some stretches, hug your pet, floss your teeth, read a poem, make a sketch …

Don’t the images below remind you of the start of spring?:

Magnolia

Hydrangea

Vinca

Buddleia

Iris

Climbing hydrangea

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The Enduring Gift

Posted on December 8, 2015 by pgbundil

Perhaps it is a sign of growing wise with age but I’m just plain tired of the commercial pressure to run out or get on-line to buy the latest and trendiest products to hand around as gifts. Am I the only one astounded that cars are considered perfectly normal Christmas presents? The insistent barrage from all manner of media dictate that I should not be the one who missed out on being the coolest gift giver. The message preys on the pervasive insecurity of humans – the fear of being the odd one out, to be considered stingy, ‘out of it’, unfashionable. Yet, for the most part, a month after the holidays, both gift and giver are forgotten. The world resumes its day to day rhythm and struggles to keep New Year resolutions and make those credit card payments. What are we doing to ourselves? More importantly, what does this say about us?

I have no idea how to change anybody but I do know what I can and will do to give what I believe is an authentic, thoughtful gift. One that surpasses time and trends. A gift that endures.
And I’m not talking packs of tube socks, electric toothbrush or flannel pajamas. While these are all practical, much used, loved and long lasting items, they admittedly do not carry the pizazz to elicit the squeal of delight one expects. They are simply not special. (Personally, I don’t need the squeal. I’ll take a genuine. heart-warming hug instead).

So how does one converge thoughtful with interesting? Welcome to the garden where it will show you how. Here, being rich or poor is inconsequential. What matters is the generosity of the heart.
The garden itself is a timeless, most generous gift. Day after day all through the years it feeds, nurtures, comforts, inspires and delights. For so much, all it asks in return is your time and attention. And there you have the key elements of honest, sincere giving – reciprocity, time and attentiveness.
Keeping this in mind, here is how I apply myself to the season of giving which, in my mind, is all year round.

First and foremost, I believe in passing on the benefits of being present in a garden. So, I’m happy to welcome friends to my own garden not only for gatherings I put together, but also for their own quiet pursuits like meditating, painting or writing. To those in need of continued encouragement to garden and gain inspiration, I give memberships to the New York Botanical Garden ( or the premier botanical garden in their area) and the Garden Conservancy. Then all through the year they can visit public and private gardens gaining intangible benefits that will last a long time. ( Pssst!This works for non-gardeners too!)

Staying with the horticultural theme, gifts of young trees, shrubs and plants are always welcome. Sometimes they are in memory of or in honor of somebody or some event. Toss in an assurance to help with their planting and your gift is golden. If funds are short, a promise to help with weeding and/or mowing on a weekly/monthly basis will be priceless. Even the offer to share your garden’s bounty is always much appreciated. Homegrown fresh flowers, herbs, veggies and fruits provide the most elegant of offerings. Sharing, helping, kindness equals feeling good all around.

One of the sweetest gifts I’ve received was a flat of young plants from seeds carefully collected by an old gardener going through very hard times. Knowing my love for columbines, he’d collected seeds from those in his plot and got them started. When they were ready for planting, he presented them to me. It felt like I’d just inherited the earth.

With children, taking the time to teach them or have them ‘help’ in the garden is one of the best gift exchanges of all. The adult gets to enjoy alone time with the child, pass on valuable lessons and the young one gains more than he/she can ever know. While receiving instruction on growing plants, thoughts and secrets are shared, confidence boosted and bonds strengthened.

If someone enjoys music or the theater, get tickets to a performance. Go together. Share a meal before or after. That memory will endure far longer than any object you might have given. Trust me.
If tickets are beyond your budget, make a date to watch the show on DVD/Netflix/on-line. Pizza, popcorn and libation of choice round out the present nicely.

One year, struggling to come up with gift ideas for boys, I taught a college sophomore a few super- simple recipes he could use to ‘impress’ his friends at his next party. We not only got to know each other better but, we shared lots of laughter over those tasty treats and the young man has gone on to become quite the amateur chef. I didn’t make him a cook. All I did was show him he could do it.

If a child plays a music instrument, then taking her to a concert where the soloist plays that particular instrument will go a long way in sustaining the interest. It doesn’t have to be a concert at Lincoln Center ( which of course is a real pleasure), but there are lesser known,highly talented groups/orchestras that play locally. Tickets to their events are less costly and just as enjoyable. In which case, a season’s subscription could be in order.

Likewise, an interest in art or natural history can be supported with membership to museums. Taking that person to a special exhibit might be all you can afford but it’ll be more than sufficient to show how much you care.

Walking/biking dates with a friend, a regular visit and game of Scrabble with one confined to the bed/house, a weekly phone or Skype chat living someone living far away …. the list is endless. Recently, a friend told me her son, a college freshman in the Midwest, missed the colorful fall of the Northeast. So, I sent him a box of multi-hued leaves. I had fun picking the leaves and he had a good laugh receiving them. I was sent a photo of his window decorated with said leaves.

The common thread through all of these gifts is that triumvirate of thoughtful giving: Personal Time, Attention and Understanding. The garden taught me that.

Note: From Dec 8 – 22, 2015, the Holiday Art Show is on at the Phyllis Harriman gallery of the New York Art Students League. Lots of art to be enjoyed! You might score a great deal. Take a friend and make it a play date. Full disclosure – I have a painting in the show.

Enjoy the photos of this year’s Train Show at NYBG. It is always inspiring and delightful.

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Planning Time

Posted on December 1, 2015 by pgbundil

I’m thoroughly enjoying this protracted autumn. While concerned thoughts of global warming and memories of last winter come to mind, I’m nevertheless taking full advantage of these magnificent, sepia-hued days.

After months of giving us its all, the garden has slowed down and retired for a much deserved rest. Now is the time to envision our plans for the ‘perfect’ garden. This quiet period is exactly when we must do the hard work of planning, preparing and executing ideas and dreams. The fullness of spring and summer do not let this happen. If you have an image in your mind/phone/camera that depicts your version of paradise, then the moment is nigh to begin making it a reality. By the time winter is making an exit, your dream garden can be well on its way to becoming a reality.

With this intent, the old pergola is being replaced by a better, bigger and sturdier one. The two wisteria that ramble all over it can at this time be safely clipped and propped to remove the existing structure from under. The slate flooring below now has the four concrete foundations poured, set and waiting to support the posts of the cedar replacement.
Not only could this task not be done in the growing seasons, it would have been difficult to actually visualize the dimensions and design of the new pergola in the midst of so much growth.
Come spring, the wisteria should be able to resume its jolly habit of sprawling and wrapping itself all over. I fully expect to be thanked for their new accommodations with prolific blooms..

Even as the hedges, trees and grasses provide the ‘bones’ of the garden, the seed heads and waning foliage offer a visually textured feast that glows in the low autumn light. I see the ‘holes in the plantings and make notes. In the next few weeks, I will select appropriate additions for these areas. Just like the seedpods, our minds are full of promises to come.

On my walks in the woods, I observe trees and plants that trigger my acquisitive habit. I return to my garden to see clearly just where I might be able to introduce the coveted ones. Given that the garden is small and already intensely planted, only a few from my wish list will make it. But I’ll keep in mind the rest as they can be placed in other gardens.

The natural undulations of the land are visible now that vegetation is either cut down or removed. This permits me to see how the flow of rain water is guided and why certain plants did well and others did not. These same crests and dips dictate to the required height specifications when introducing plants to be a part of a natural grouping or meadow. For instance, a low growing plant set on a higher point will be visible and show itself at equal stature to a mid-height plant growing in an indentation. All planting does not require a flat surface.

Similarly, decisions on fences and hedges can be made in the clarity of a garden in hibernation. Style, height and function are made apparent. Let the earth speak to you.

In the process of noting, observing and planning for the garden, I find myself filling up on creative inspiration for new art and poetry as well. Nature has that knack. She will open your mind and expand your heart every time you spend time with her. And she will give you enough work to do for a lifetime.

Announcements!:

1.For those of you following my work with the HIV/AIDS children, a new post has been added on the Lucky Ones page: the-van-den-bergs-visit-the-children-november-2015

2. Three opportunities to buy art and related products for the holidays: https://seedsofdesign.com/happenings/

I am participating in all three. Do come. Support the arts by giving art!

Enjoy the photos of late fall:

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Nature To The Rescue

Posted on November 24, 2015 by pgbundil

Thanksgiving always makes me pause to review the year, where I am in my intentions, what has been experienced and where I want to be. No matter how the twelve months since the previous Thanksgiving have been, I’m invariably left brimming with gratitude. It is my favorite holiday because it is all about appreciating our lives just as they are and for the gifts we’ve been given in the form of family and friends. Cultivating gratitude is the genesis of happiness.

This year is particularly poignant. There is currently so much strife, heartache and hate mongering in the world that even the simplest of blessings stands out in stark contrast.

While struggling to make sense of the many horrific happenings, I’ve been naturally gravitating to nature. Long walks amongst the fading autumnal vegetation have become mainstays. With the seasonal garden tasks all addressed, I’ve moved indoors to get amaryllis and paperwhites started. The Schlumbergera ( Thanksgiving/Christmas cactii) are beginning to bloom and have been placed to advantage. Nothing like a shot of fuchsia to liven up the days of low light. The orchids in bloom uplift my spirit by bringing up memories of joyous days with family in Singapore this past July. Flower power is a very real thing.

In the kitchen, meals rich in autumn’s bounty give comfort. Sweet and fragrant roasted root vegetables with thyme, carrot soup made silky with goat cheese, shaved Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and roast grapes, saffron risotto with wild mushrooms, fresh pasta with garlic sauce, arugula and walnuts. So much delicious choice!

All of this points to the obvious. Nature will heal our hearts and soothe our tempers if we will only let it. After all, horticulture therapy has demonstrated its efficacy in helping those battling physical or mental illnesses. Prisoners have been transformed when charged with gardening responsibilities. Adults and children wounded by life experiences have gained confidence and a sense of self from growing a garden. When a person grows the food that feeds him and his family, a profound sense of accomplishment is born. Plants have long been used medicinally and cosmetically. Products that improve our lives gently.

Those of us who have are gardeners have always known to escape into the garden to work out problems, get rid of negative emotions, find solace from trying situations, gain inspiration when creatively blocked. I’ve yet to be let down by a timely dose of Nature. And I challenge you to find anybody who regrets having spent time communing with the natural world. The fact is that if you’re busy in a garden, you learn to respect life and understand that we are each but a small part of a glorious whole. One’s own well-being depends on the well-being of all living matter. It is as simple and as complex as that. And so, if you’re busy in a garden, you have no time or energy to think or do anything horrid.

On my part, this season, I’m paying forward the joy I receive from plants. I’m forcing bulbs to give friends some holiday cheer, a promise of a young tree to be planted next spring to console a grieving neighbor – each year when it blooms will be cause to celebrate the departed loved one, a native plant seed starter kit for a young adult emerging from the fog of mental illness, batches of vegetable stew well seasoned with garden herbs to stock up the freezer of a dear one recovering from cardiac surgery and now on a salt free diet, divisions of choice plants from my garden for a novice gardener. Nature offers as many gifts as needed. Help yourself.

Happy Thanksgiving to you! May it be filled with blessings and plenty of laughter.

Here is some flower power for you:

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Help!

Posted on November 10, 2015 by pgbundil

This past week, I made a personal breakthrough. I got major help with the bulb planting. This might sound irrelevant or inconsequential to most but to me, this is huge. All of the years I’ve gardened, I have operated on my self-imposed credo – My garden, my work. This, in my mind meant that I ( and family) must do all the “real” garden work myself. I cannot recall ever reading or being told such a rule but somehow, it was branded in my head.

And for the most part, it has been more than fine. The early years were fraught with big projects. Making a garden from scratch required a great deal of time and energy. I went about it quite happily and it never occurred to me to do otherwise. Then, motherhood happened. That, naturally made me adjust to the new lifestyle but fitting my responsibilities into it was not really difficult. I weeded during nap time, occupied my child with play in the garden while I took care of daily chores and generally balanced it all reasonably well. The bonus was that I got to share my love of all things outdoors with my daughter. She observed and learned as children are wont to do. And then I got to give ( she’ll say forced) her some responsibilities in the ‘family’ garden. Ha!

However, in the course of those same years, my other interests and projects took off as well. Time was at a premium. Not willing to let any aspect of the garden give, I judiciously stayed super-organized and zealously stayed on top of all the chores. Actually, I did that with everything I had going on. I drove my family crazy on many occasions. However tired and over-committed I was, I pushed myself hard. I simply had to fulfill my own mandated list of ideas and jobs in the garden.

While I was forging ahead and succeeding in other endeavors, it was not only lack of time that lessened my gardening hours. The ugly head of Middle-Age reared. Aaaargh! Please tell me that you know what I’m talking about! The stiffness of the body on awaking each morning. The achy joints and muscles taking more time to heal. My knees and back are not what they used to be. Every task takes longer and some are downright painful. Yet, till this summer/fall, I persisted. Finally, the wisdom that comes with age (still middle-aged!) dawned. I needed help with the tasks.

First I had to reconcile myself to this notion. It was okay to have some assistance. Remember these lines from the song ‘Help’ by the Beatles:

Help!

When I was younger, so much younger than today
I never needed anybody’s help in any way

But now these days are gone…. ?

Boy! Now I can truly relate!

I cannot imagine why I resisted so long. I think it felt that in getting someone else to do some chores in the garden, I was giving up autonomy or even saying I was not so capable. Yes, I realize now that it was all in my head and my thoughts were pure hogwash.

And thus, I got some good help with certain chores and got my 750 bulbs planted. I could not have got ready for 2 art shows and met some deadlines without that. There is no question that I’ll continue to work hard in the garden. It is after all my passion. But it is such a relief to share the work so I can focus on the other equally important areas of my life. Feels good to have finally wised up.

Don’t forget! The art exhibit at the Chappaqua Library is on till Jan 8. Do visit. A big thank you to those who came to the reception – I loved seeing you.

Given that it is bulb planting time, I thought I’d share images of bulbs in bloom to inspire. It is not too late to plant! –

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Working It Out

Posted on November 3, 2015 by pgbundil

After that sudden freeze we had a couple of weeks ago, we are currently experiencing September-like temperatures. Methinks Mother Nature is teasing. Or maybe she is testing us?

It is hard to be enthusiastic about chores in autumn. There is much to do and after all that work, we are faced with short, cold days and long, even colder nights. So while the weather is still balmy, it feels only right to soak in the warmth and revel in the beauty of the season. The way the colors glow without ever seeming gaudy inspires and confounds the artist in me. I am eternally humbled by Nature’s mastery.

Despite wanting to just sit outside, there really has been much activity in the garden. A great deal to tidy up, cut back, clean, prune and put away. The raking of leaves alone is a big task. It goes even slower when distracted by the richness of hues in the fallen leaves. The pots need to be emptied and cleaned; they get put away only when they’re truly dry lest some mold or bacterium settles in to taint next spring’s plantings. The very large pots, once cleaned, will be wrapped in plastic and then burlap so they can stay on site. Wisteria and fruit trees are pruned to a state of tidiness. Fall window boxes installed. The greenhouse is already harboring the tender plants – refilling the propane tanks used to keep the greenhouses heated becomes a weekly job from now till the spring thaw.
I have about 750 bulbs to plant and normally, I’d have got them into the ground by now. But with the soil still being so warm, I’ve postponed it till next week.

Yes, there is plenty happening in the garden. Putting it to bed is much more challenging than getting a 3-year old to sleep. More exhausting too. The only way to keep doing the hard work is to remind oneself of why we garden and what makes one a gardener.

Here is how I see it. To be given the chance to create a garden is a divine endowment. A calling even. It happens from within. Simply owning a piece of property does not a garden make. Look around – not every house has a true garden. Having the inner fire to make something of it is the first sign. And then, one surrenders to Nature. We make mistakes, fail repeatedly and still keep at it. We cannot distance ourselves from gardening. We are connected deeply. What a gardener gives, he gets in return. It is a beautiful, complex relationship – where each lets the other shine and thrive. It is built on forgiveness, constant nurturing, trust and love. Most importantly, there is room to grow individually. If you stop to think about this, you’ll see what I mean.

Now in the autumn, while the gardener is clearing and cleaning up so the garden can rest, the garden in turn, is instructing on accepting change, preparing for the future with grace and bringing a self-awareness so we can become more of who we want to be. As I get rid of the detritus and debris from the garden, I consciously go inside of myself. To peel back layers that I thought I needed and instead begin to feel comfortable with my exposed flaws and vulnerabilities. To accept who I really am and take joy in that.

The bones of the garden are now more visible. Without adornment of flower or foliage, it lies naked in repose. All is as it should be. I too welcome the winter to spend in introspection and gratitude. Together we will emerge next spring – renewed and ready.

Pssst! I’m starting some amaryllis today to cheer me on.

Note: If you live in my neck of the woods, please be sure to see the Northern Westchester Artists Guild exhibit at the Chappaqua Library. Nov 8 – Jan 4.

I have two paintings in this show and would love to see you at the reception on Nov 8, 3:00 – 6:00 pm.

Chappaqua Library,185, South Greeley Ave, Chappaqua, NY 10514.

Enjoy these images of fall taken today at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture (www.stonebarnscenter.org) :

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Favoring Fall

Posted on October 20, 2015 by pgbundil

Is it my imagination or is this fall a real winner? The colors are simply spectacular – I’ve been hard pressed to stop gazing and get down to the business of seasonal chores and other work demands. This past weekend, we had a taste of the frigid months to follow. It got very cold and the nights experienced hard frost. The saving grace was the sheer beauty of the foliage. Happily, temperatures are predicted to go up to the 70’s by mid-week. I hope the autumn lingers on much longer.

Because of my recent travels, the garden chores have not been attended to as they ought to have been. It has been a busy scramble to cut back and clean up. The former is done and the latter is in progress. Thankfully, I got the greenhouse cleaned and ready just in time to receive the vulnerable plants before the hard frost.

This has been an exceptional year for apples. My garden’s bounty concurs. I’m trying to brace myself for the hours in the kitchen – apple sauce, pies, baked apples, apple cakes ….
I’m sorry to see the last of the leafy green veggies. A steady diet of winter root vegetables can get tedious. So I’m arming myself with new and interesting recipes. The goal is to try and stick to seasonal produce as much as possible.

Apart from the grand task of planting my 700+ bulbs, there are two big projects I’d like to get done in the next few weeks. The first is that of dividing up the irises and replanting them – this needs doing every so many years and I’ve procrastinated for two years already. The guilt is getting to me.
The second job is that of replacing the wisteria covered gazebo. When I planted the pair of wisteria and directed them to climb up the structure, I knew full well that the gazebo was not going to stand up to the powerful twining nature of the climbers. My eagerness, okay my impatience, to get the native wisteria established and fuelled by the romantic vision of feasting with loved ones under the vine dripping with purple, pendulous racemes, got the better of me and I disregarded the obvious. Sure enough, the metal has been tortured and is now screaming for mercy. A strong, wooden replacement is in order.

As I write about these jobs, I’m feeling a wee bit overwhelmed. Much to do in the remaining few weeks before we’re once again in the deep freeze. So I’ll just have to get on with it.

But lets not get too obsessive about the work. It would be a shame to stop taking the time to appreciate the splendors of this season. I need these memories to get me through the more minimalistic palette of winter.

Appropriately named Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

A portion of the apple harvest

A reminder to pause every now and then

Fuelling up for the long flight south

Illuminating the road

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Surprise!

Posted on October 13, 2015 by pgbundil

I love surprises. Not the scare-me-out-of-my-skin sort of surprises but more like the sweet, unexpected, put a smile on the face kind. Applying a sense of humor tempered with ingenuity results in the best kind of unanticipated joy. It is as much fun to think up such surprises as they are to experience.

I remember one April Fool’s day when I had the best time coming up with surprise after-school snacks for my daughter and her friend. How about sushi and baked potato with sour cream? The mortified look my child gave me when presented with those foods was priceless. I could see her wondering how she could possibly explain the weird parent to her fellow first-grader. All turned to laughter when they discovered that the potato was chocolate mousse cake covered in cocoa-dusted marzipan to look like a baked potato topped with creme fraiche. And the sushi was gummy bears wrapped in rice krispies and then further rolled with green, seaweed looking fruit leather.

Similarly, the garden is a great place for clever amusement. They could be odd or unusual looking plants but more often, sculptures and other objects provide the better, longer lasting effects.
I won’t say any more. Instead, I’ll let the images below speak. Tell me what you think.

The above two images show how to play down formality and infuse some humor. The busts peeking from the greenery look like a game of Hide and Seek is under way.

Check out those thorns on the leaves! Not great for surprises.

One can only see this sculpture if one comes around the corner of the pool house at the Bakwin garden. It is like a figure pausing for breath after a swim. I love that element of art situated so cunningly.

A giant rubber ducky! Also at the Bakwin garden – it is a laugh out loud sight amidst the very classy garden. Very fun.

Books of stone in my garden. I had the titles engraved for a dose of fun and a bit of food for thought. This one says The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.

Books of stone in my garden. I had the titles engraved for a dose of fun and a bit of food for thought. This one says On The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.

The last two photos refer to my own books. Why the heck not? It is after all my garden!

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David And Garden

Posted on October 7, 2015 by pgbundil

On being confronted with anything profound or meaningful, I always ask myself what the takeaway lessons might be. So, when I was privileged to view Michelangelo’s David in Florence last week, the swirl of emotions and thoughts had me gazing and contemplating for quite a while. Unlike so much else that is overhyped, David lives up to his reputation. His creator’s genius is apparent and it got me wondering how this masterpiece could instruct me. In the garden in particular as that is of course one of my own passions.

Indulge me as I share my thoughts:

The quality of the starting materials is crucial. Good, rich soil. Healthy plants. Clean tools and organic applications.
Let the medium tell you how to proceed. The type of soil, amount of light and general climate should determine how and what sort of garden to create.
Aesthetics matter. If David were not so handsome, we wouldn’t be caring so much. Likewise, a garden must be beautiful. Function is not enough.
Understand the rules thoroughly and then break them. Just as Michelangelo knew his anatomy and proportions before deciding to enlarge the size of David’s hands, head and such so the viewer looking from below would perceive it as correct, a garden too can be made to appear much more than it is. Illusions are possible only through knowledge.
Keep it simple or at least make it look simple.
A well thought out small garden can hold its own against any of the grander sorts. Don’t let the big guys intimidate. Likewise, don’t be afraid to try something challenging or new.
A beautifully designed garden needs no further embellishments. David looks perfect just as is!

For your own inspiration, I give you David in all his glory:

This last image is a tribute to the original sculpture by a contemporary artist. What do you think of it?

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Green Acres

Posted on September 29, 2015 by pgbundil

No doubt with summer at an end, the garden is looking all too blah. I know mine is. It’d look even worse if the fall flowers were not doing their thing by throwing splashes of color to liven up the scene. We’ve grown so accustomed to planting for color that we’ve completely neglected that most dominant of horticultural colors. Yes, the ubiquitous green.

Green comes in so many hues and yet, we lump it as one humdrum ole’ pigment. Such a shame considering we are absolutely starving for it well before winter has called it quits. In spring, the different shades of green are all too apparent. Spring green, sap green, chartreuse green, olive green, blue-green, gray-green, pthallo green, the list goes on. And every single one of those shades is a welcome sight. So what happens as the year goes along? A lot of the plants that started out looking different seem to turn the same type of green.

It simply means one must select more carefully to create a diversity in greens. The choices are plenty. Variegated plants as well as the huge range of plants with foliage of different greens can infuse the garden with enough excitement. Toss in diverse textures and shapes and you have something truly fantastic. We know all of this but often fail to make the effort because we are too focused on other colors. Hence that humdrum look in late summer.

I got to think more on this matter these last couple of days. I’m enjoying a Tuscan vacation and the classical Italianate gardens are pretty much mostly green. And a uniform green at that. The effect is rather soothingly simple and elegant. Occasional spatters of color only serve to emphasize the minimalistic use of it. The gardens focus more on elements like pattern, perspective and positioning. The simplicity is most deceptive as much thought and skill is required to create these gardens. They are the opposite of cottage gardens where anything goes. It isn’t enough to know plants. A good knowledge of mathematics and architecture along with a heightened sense of aesthetics is required. A tall order for us average gardeners. No wonder that style is not so popular today.

But, I think we should revisit the idea that a garden must always have ‘color’. The more I visit the classical gardens in Tuscany, the more appealing they are becoming. There is something very restful and calm in them. For visual interest, think parterre or knot gardens. Not the highly stylized, hard to maintain sorts of beds but the basic patterns of squares and circles outlined in boxwood and a single shrub or tree in the middle. True, the box needs trimming but that would be just a couple of times a year. There’d be no staking or deadheading! The gravel on the paths and within the beds would make mowing and weeding an occasional necessity. The central trees/shrubs could bear flowers and/or fruit. Does this have any appeal to you?

The problem is, such gardens tend to be quite formal in appearance. A far cry from our more informal looking chateaux. But for the duration of my trip, I’m going to indulge in dreaming up an all green, super-simple, elegant garden.

The following images are of the famous Boboli gardens in Florence and one other private garden. While the low borders are of boxwood, the wall-like hedges are of bay laurel! So utterly fitting to this region – a tip of the hat to its Roman history.

I apologize for the poor quality of the photographs as I’m having some technical problems. Will post much nicer ones in future posts!

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Seeds of Design

by Shobha Vanchiswar

Category Archives: Deep thoughts

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Planning Time

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