Monday, December 14, 2015

How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb Landscapes

Since I had my TV show on CBS, I've known what my favorite Garden TV format would be.  Of course it wasn't the TV show I hosted.
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Show premise, I arrive to a new client's garden, with an 18-wheeler truck stuffed with oodles of plants, stone, focal points, furnishings, paints, light fixtures, brick, fencing, wood, etc.  And, a huge RV full of men skilled in planting, masonry, carpentry, and etc.  Next, meet the homeowner/s, meandering their interior & exterior, discover their inner narratives to extrapolate into Gardenese.
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A few days later, voila, their Garden, designed, installed, completed.
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Next episode, new homeowner/s, new site, yet 18-wheeler truck ingredients the same.  Repeat for each episode.

the garden: Ulf Nordfjell a Classic:
Pic of garden by, Ulf Nordfjell , on Gardenista.
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Taking from the TV show scenario, described, I would love to have a Flower/Garden Show create multiple Gardens from the same photograph.  Yet, not using the photo design, each entry must create their own Garden Design from the exact ingredients in the photo.  

Madison Cox Design:
Pic Madison Cox Design
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Every Garden in these pics I adore, yet, my mind cannot stop there.  It stretches, wanting to know how many good gardens could be made with the few ingredients of the photo.  Into myriad landscapes.

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Found, pic above, www.uruguay-az.blogspot.com..My private Garden Design game.  Not selfish, decided I must pass it forward, free, to you.  Wicked, yes?  Not a gift, a quest, a hunger, striving for more gardens, more beauty.  Simply..Set the bar high.  Take a good garden, make more good gardens from it..Do take the link, especially, to,  Madison Cox Design.
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Garden & Be Well,     XO Tara
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Copy, it's the 1st rule of garden design.  Copy from the best.  What is Gardenese?  The style of historic gardening I discovered studying the best historic gardens across Europe for 2+ decades.  How are they different, to today's landscapes?  They are gardens of stewardship.  Always organic, they balance the needs of, wildlife, soil, water, air, art, agriculture, life, community, souls.  In addition they save money on cooling costs in summer, heating expense in winter, while raising property value, and reduce maintenance expense.  
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Most important factor learned studying the best historic gardens?  They are not about spending money.  Instead, saving money.  They are about using what's best for YOUR site, available materials, and siting plants to shade in summer, let the sun hit in winter, block prevailing winds, flow with your home's interior.  Flow with your home's interior?  Start your landscape design inside your home, using views from windows.  Copying colors from interiors, and furnishing styles, outside, in your garden.
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Yes, it is this simple.
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Dumbest Garden Design thought I ever had?  Thinking pictures of pretty gardens in books, catalogs, magazines were beautiful because the homeowners had-the-money-to-do-it.  Woefully misguided thinking.  Instead, they were simply smarter than me.

3 comments:

Vera said...

Yes, yes - all about borrowing other people's brains!

That's what we do w/you, you know?

Penelope Bianchi said...

Love Madison Cox!

I met him in around 1989; on a decorating tour of the EAST (NYCity); (I was completely "gobsmacked" by his garden that he did!!

I damn near fainted when I saw Jennifer Bartlett's garden on her rooftop. Genius does spring right out at you! It is so OBVIOUS!

Brava!

Love this post!

XXOO

Penny

Dewena said...

I wish you could have the television gardening show you write about here. I would be one of the many standing in line wishing you could do ours!