tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post4346991263689149046..comments2024-03-24T12:55:07.300-04:00Comments on grounded design by Thomas Rainer: Gardens are FrivolousAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-4969530704697790192012-06-09T16:36:41.566-04:002012-06-09T16:36:41.566-04:00Thanks for this very honest, objective and intrigu...Thanks for this very honest, objective and intriguing article Thomas. I think you make a solid point. I even think that the laymen with absolutely no interest in gardening would find this argument compelling. Thanks again.The Jolly Green Gardenernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-25255122818005848422012-06-05T10:35:36.668-04:002012-06-05T10:35:36.668-04:00First, I very very much enjoy your blog, Thomas, a...First, I very very much enjoy your blog, Thomas, and this post in particular.<br /><br />I would not be a gardener if I hadn't begun by "embracing failure." In my first house's wee garden, I fully expected everything I put in the ground to perish. Thus, I was not disappointed when plants died, but I was happily surprised and pleased when they survived. Over time, I even came to expect survival!<br /><br />I think the comparison of gardening to music is apt in many ways. In college, a fellow student was studying music and liked to pontificate about how all popular music was terrible, there were perhaps only two artists out there making any worthwhile music, all else was contemptible--basically he was a music snob. Timid young thing that I was, I did not contradict him, but I thought and still think he was ridiculous. Most pop musicians are not out to become the next Beethoven, or even the next Peter Gabriel. The purpose of their music is to please their audience. And if it pleases the audience, then it's GOOD. Likewise in the garden: every once in a while, this still-amateurish gardener is intimidated by the lovely designs she sees in her neighborhood or online, and she doubts her own skills and accomplishments in her garden. Then she spends the weekend in the sun IN that garden, watching the wind and the dogs play in the flowers, and she remembers: this is for ME. There's no contest between my garden and others. And I fall in love with my little paradise all over again.pqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09876994478538351281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-9845284339994363142012-06-04T14:51:27.366-04:002012-06-04T14:51:27.366-04:00Very provocative.
In my own little garden, I thi...Very provocative. <br /><br />In my own little garden, I think about what I can do to provide pollen for the bees, seeds and berries for the birds, etc.<br /><br />But then I think that if I just let the land grow wild, I wonder if I would provide more food for wildlife through all the 'weed' seeds and flowers. I'd certainly provide more cover for turkeys and rabbits and mice and foxes and ...Aaron Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15229176286446531945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-84160612069941002412012-06-03T19:12:45.638-04:002012-06-03T19:12:45.638-04:00I have allways regarded well designed gardens as e...I have allways regarded well designed gardens as exciting,evolving and involving works of art... Frivolous no doubt... but life is made better by them... If they are useful that is a perk...Rosarionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-64258785750990680062012-05-29T19:12:23.482-04:002012-05-29T19:12:23.482-04:00You know what's funny? Even in the valley we ...You know what's funny? Even in the valley we lived in in Panama where by government standards the people were living in poverty, there was lot of free time. Folks worked maybe 20 hours a week in the fields at most. They were happy and healthy (but for Western diet influences). <br /><br />Once they found out I was into plants, I would regularly have orchids or bromeliads show up on my porch. Something someone saw while out walking that caught their eye, or a storm blew down. <br /><br />Beauty is something we are innately drawn to, something everyone wants to share.Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15806422800093554729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-9582339028288659362012-05-29T13:55:36.799-04:002012-05-29T13:55:36.799-04:00Blather away, Thomas. It's poetry in our ears!...Blather away, Thomas. It's poetry in our ears!<br />Kenneth C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-45506188525282263112012-05-28T13:03:00.714-04:002012-05-28T13:03:00.714-04:001000 words per picture is about my ratio, Betsy ;)...1000 words per picture is about my ratio, Betsy ;). I've long given up my original plan of making this a picture-gallery-of-my-garden blog. I have too many pent-up rants to give up the real estate to pictures. My garden is only partially planted anywas, so perhaps in a few years I'll use more photos. Until then, you're stuck with my blatherings.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-33641777665584005862012-05-28T10:47:37.992-04:002012-05-28T10:47:37.992-04:00Wonderful, as always. But a picture is worth a 100...Wonderful, as always. But a picture is worth a 1000 words my friend. I'm still waiting for your entry in the Metro DC Green Gardener photo contest. http://gardening.mwcog.org/<br /><br />Maybe some of your clients will enter, too.Betsyhttp://gardening.mwcog.org/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-58171297065786487352012-05-28T07:26:55.190-04:002012-05-28T07:26:55.190-04:00Good to know about your blog and thank you such a ...Good to know about your blog and thank you such a wonderful post, And so true. Yet again, you got to the right words perfectly.<br />Thank you for sharing with us.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.gardencenterguide.us/under-the-sun-garden-centers" rel="nofollow">Under the Sun garden centers</a>US Garden Centerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06407690322587447931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-36044524811626332802012-05-27T21:28:40.222-04:002012-05-27T21:28:40.222-04:00Here, here, Greg.Here, here, Greg.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-32812523569307752222012-05-27T21:22:08.317-04:002012-05-27T21:22:08.317-04:00You just made my point about a million times bette...You just made my point about a million times better than I could. I've seen some pretty wonderful gardens in third world cultures created out of such poverty. You realize both the extravagance of gardens and in that purposelessness . . . purpose and meaning. Thanks for the comment! I enjoyed it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-31515465456541153282012-05-27T10:34:16.853-04:002012-05-27T10:34:16.853-04:00I have a degree in horticulture. I did five inter...I have a degree in horticulture. I did five internships, three at public gardens and I loved being part of gardens that inspired home owners. Then I did Peace Corps and did some serious soul searching. There's lots of time to think in the jungle. I started to feel guilty about growing frivolous beauty. I should be teaching people how to grow foods to boost the nutrition in their diet. <br /><br />In the end I found I was doing both. I can't help it, I want the plants to be pretty too. <br /><br />We just got our first house and I have my first shot at my own garden. It will be beautiful and it will have herbs, vegetables, fruit and flowers. I will not maximize my yield but I will maximize my enjoyment.Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15806422800093554729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-36687618625371815172012-05-26T22:36:08.709-04:002012-05-26T22:36:08.709-04:00Yes, in a sense, they are all frivolous. What I&#...Yes, in a sense, they are all frivolous. What I'm trying to say is not that they don't matter. What I'm trying to say is that the second we realize that gardens (or art or music) are not necessary, then we can liberate them from all those pressures that try to tame or commodify them. The professionalization of garden design, or art for that matter,commodifies the garden. It's only when we remember that garden making is an extravagance do we free ourselves to create something that "lifts one soul.". Then we can make something not just for a patron, but for the sake of beauty.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-16272030485008834262012-05-26T19:12:40.997-04:002012-05-26T19:12:40.997-04:00Hi Thomas,
What a terrific discussion. I'm a...Hi Thomas,<br /><br />What a terrific discussion. I'm a landscape designer and I always like when I walk into a new client's place and see a sense of fun in their surroundings. I know we'll have a great time working together and will come up with something that is truly theirs. In a way, I look at myself more as an instigator than designer.<br /><br />I also think "precious" gardens are less ecologically sound. To work, they need to be clean to the point of sterility and have no room for dead material, overgrown plants or brush piles that are the favorite elements for the non-human garden users.<br /><br />Another thing I find is that formal, serious gardens are beyond most gardeners' capacity for maintenance. So any time they're in the garden, they are overwhelmed by what needs doing, and not enjoying the space.<br /><br />Here's to letting loose. I hope your message goes far and wide and helps people reconsider their gardening habits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-58378592028136882062012-05-26T08:08:33.823-04:002012-05-26T08:08:33.823-04:00Is art frivolous? Is music frivolous? Is plant arr...Is art frivolous? Is music frivolous? Is plant arranging frivolous? Or, are all of these activities a necessity for human expression and the lifting of the human soul? In war torn countries all of these are the first to go in favor of survival. They are the joys of life. What is a life without joy?Layaneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03711709343178927400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-43992471093737713772012-05-26T00:00:10.758-04:002012-05-26T00:00:10.758-04:00"one way romance", brought to mind Auden..."one way romance", brought to mind Auden:<br /><br />How should we like it were stars to burn<br />With a passion for us we could not return?<br />If equal affection cannot be,<br />Let the more loving one be me.<br /><br />:^)Hoover Boohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03083294821646284424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-27707341099815076002012-05-25T21:41:05.799-04:002012-05-25T21:41:05.799-04:00Wish I could reply with poetry...no such luck. Jus...Wish I could reply with poetry...no such luck. Just, "yes, we need to lighten up and just go for it!" Good approach to be reminded of...Desert Dwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00952727692048782529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-40774000005530698522012-05-25T20:07:28.737-04:002012-05-25T20:07:28.737-04:00It seems appropriate here to quote the poet James ...It seems appropriate here to quote the poet James Oppenheim: "Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!" -JeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-44633116609290985092012-05-25T16:01:29.047-04:002012-05-25T16:01:29.047-04:00If you're larger premise is man does not live ...If you're larger premise is man does not live on bread alone so buy a hyacinth to feed your soul, you're preaching to the choir here.Hallerlakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13784757606812886451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-342576151312190652012-05-25T15:34:52.762-04:002012-05-25T15:34:52.762-04:00I remember reading once that the first step toward...I remember reading once that the first step towards ornamental gardening was the planting of trees in the warm climates where civilization first started. Trees are the heart and soul of a garden. Everything else is frills.<br /><br />I sound like some kind of tree worshiper. I would probably feel differently if I'd grown up on a prairie.Hallerlakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13784757606812886451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-39389141821120850282012-05-25T13:39:56.824-04:002012-05-25T13:39:56.824-04:00I agree. And there are many practical aspects of ...I agree. And there are many practical aspects of gardening (screening, climate control). It's the larger premise of gardening that I find extravagent, and in that extravagance, liberation.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-24725529223508945592012-05-25T13:37:36.986-04:002012-05-25T13:37:36.986-04:00Yes, music is a perfect analogy.Yes, music is a perfect analogy.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-37615964330365967122012-05-25T13:36:32.898-04:002012-05-25T13:36:32.898-04:00That's exactly it, James. Thanks for the poem...That's exactly it, James. Thanks for the poem. I didnt know it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-27473640739221747412012-05-25T13:35:17.504-04:002012-05-25T13:35:17.504-04:00Thanks, Becca!Thanks, Becca!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-57494995366257548802012-05-25T13:34:34.345-04:002012-05-25T13:34:34.345-04:00Pat,
Thanks for stopping by and the comment. Hop...Pat,<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and the comment. Hope you do bookmark! Happy gardening!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.com