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| lichens! |
Showing posts with label texture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label texture. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Monday, October 21, 2013
Garden Designers' Roundtable: Principles of Design
The "principles of design" as applied to the landscape may mean different things to different people (behold the power of the Roundtable!); my take on this topic is informed by my professional training which was based on a fine arts perspective. The artist's approach incorporates a vocabulary of elements and principles to be used as the building blocks for any type of design — landscape or otherwise. Mastering these concepts is on-going, but they do provide an excellent rubric for both creativity and analysis/critique.
The elements of design: line, direction, shape, form, size, texture, value and color. They're the features that are most typically referred to when landscapes and gardens are discussed. The principles of design are a bit more abstract, and consist of: repetition, pattern, harmony, gradation (which I wrote about here), contrast, dominance, unity, and balance.
For this discussion, I'll focus on contrast, because I think it's the most powerful and important principle as regards landscape design. Why? Most landscapes are comprised primarily of plants (repetition) and are, therefore, very harmonious (lots of similar items). By placing plant materials with strongly contrasting characteristics next to one another, you bring their differences to the fore and strengthen them as individuals. The plant "characteristics" that I refer to are the elements of design that they present. Here are a few examples:
This simple planting of yucca and nasturtium is visually arresting because of the strong contrast in foliage texture (size and shape) and plant form (upright and rounded vs. low and horizontal).
The high contrast in flower colors (yellow and purple are opposites on the color wheel) in this photo helps the eye distinguish between similar plant/flower forms.
Contrast in foliage textures and colors are crucial to a garden's success.
In a mass planting like this monochromatic perennial garden, contrast in flower value, form, and size, as well as plant form and size, and foliage texture, make for a visual delight rather than a boring mess.
The principle of contrasting elements should be applied to landscapes of any scale and design style, and should be applied to hardscape components as well. I hope you'll join my fellow members of The Garden Designers' Roundtable for more insights into the principles of design:
The elements of design: line, direction, shape, form, size, texture, value and color. They're the features that are most typically referred to when landscapes and gardens are discussed. The principles of design are a bit more abstract, and consist of: repetition, pattern, harmony, gradation (which I wrote about here), contrast, dominance, unity, and balance.
For this discussion, I'll focus on contrast, because I think it's the most powerful and important principle as regards landscape design. Why? Most landscapes are comprised primarily of plants (repetition) and are, therefore, very harmonious (lots of similar items). By placing plant materials with strongly contrasting characteristics next to one another, you bring their differences to the fore and strengthen them as individuals. The plant "characteristics" that I refer to are the elements of design that they present. Here are a few examples:
This simple planting of yucca and nasturtium is visually arresting because of the strong contrast in foliage texture (size and shape) and plant form (upright and rounded vs. low and horizontal).
The high contrast in flower colors (yellow and purple are opposites on the color wheel) in this photo helps the eye distinguish between similar plant/flower forms.
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| Design by Denver Botanic Gardens |
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| Canna and kale design by Denver Parks and Recreation |
In a mass planting like this monochromatic perennial garden, contrast in flower value, form, and size, as well as plant form and size, and foliage texture, make for a visual delight rather than a boring mess.
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| Design by Denver Botanic Gardens |
Monday, August 26, 2013
Garden Designers' Roundtable: Bold
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| Canna spp. |
I hear you.
Use your voice to create something powerful and beautiful — not just noise. Create bold notes in the landscape to develop focal points that can lead the eye through the space and unify it, too.
Two simple ideas to employ when you want to be bold: big and bright.
A big object is a bold presence that demands our attention, whether it's the overall plant size (relative to it's surroundings), flowers, foliage, or an in-organic item that's been introduced to the landscape:
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| Hibiscus spp. |
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| plume grass, Erianthus ravennae |
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| giant silver mullein, Verbascum bombyciferum |
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| an eight foot tall bronze sculpture by Kevin Robb |
A bright object catches the eye and is easy to see in a world of green. Think red, yellow, and white — the colors most easily discerned by the human eye, even in low light:
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| Bold red tulips in Spring demand that we "Wake up, already!" and leave Winter blah behind. |
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| Acid yellow flowers and foliage is are not to be ignored. Design by DBG. |
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| white glows even on a cloudy day |
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| This brilliant blue hue, unusual in nature, demands our attention. Design by Carol Hines. |
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| purple smoke tree, Cotinus coggygria and Achillea at Denver Botanic Gardens |
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| Canna and kale |
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| Hesperalo parviflora. at Kendrick Lakes. Design by Greg Foreman |
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Cranbe cordifolia
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| holiday light extravaganza at Denver Botanic Gardens |
Dare to be bold — you may find a voice that you never knew you had.
For more inspiration on the bold landscape, click through the links below:
Garden Designers' Roundtable
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Meet . . . Sedum middendorffianum!
That's a darn big name for a sweet little sedum! The common name, Chinese mountain stonecrop, is just as long, but not quite such a mouth full. This low growing evergreen is fairly new to my garden; I planted it in a tough spot between the street and driveway just a few years ago. It's flourished on neglect, crummy lean soil, and little water.
The color show is spectacular in late spring when red stems emerge from the rich green foliage and explode with bright, yellow flowers and red bracts. The overall effect is a multi-colored WOW!
The succulent foliage hangs tough during the summer, looking fresh and green. Don't you love those cute serrated edges?
And if you leave the flowers / bracts to ripen, you'll be rewarded in the fall with this beautiful star-like texture.
Sedum middendorffianum is hardy in USDA zones 4-8 and needs full sun to thrive. Plant it in a well draining, infertile soil. Mature size is 4" tall by 12-18" wide. The plants I've chosen to partner with this sedum include Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow', Helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass), and 'Hidcote' English lavender (not shown).
Yucca, Hesperaloe, Russian sage, and blue mist spirea would also work well with this sedum. I hope you'll give it a try!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Garden Designers' Roundtable: Art + Garden
Art may be the ultimate focal point in the garden. Unlike plants, which are ephemeral throughout the seasons, art can be used as a permanent statement to express one's personal identity or enforce a sense of place. The garden itself can be used to set the stage for the artwork and provide the backdrop, frame, and foreground. Here are a few examples of art in the landscape, and why they work so well.
Representational artwork may best represent / reenforce a specific place. Nothing is left to the imagination; the association between object and place is clear, and the artwork contributes additional information about the space to the viewer.
This life size bear trio looms over the entry court of a private residence in Vail, Colorado. They look like they've just emerged from their woodland home. Notice how the white trunks of the aspen trees create a nice contrast with the dark patina of the bronze. The colorful flowers at the base of the sculpture catch the eye (as if the bears aren't enough!) and bring them into scale. The large size and prominent location make this a major focal point for this home.
A Japanese quince (Chaenomales japonica) paired with a Japanese lantern reinforces the identity of the Japanese Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Again, a bright flower companion may initially catch the eye, but the dark, evergreen background in contrast to the pale stone sculpture is key.
This statue does not reinforce its urban Denver location but is, instead, a memento or symbol of a specific time or place that's important to the owner. This small piece is part of a vignette within a garden — a treasure to be discovered. Here, the gardener has used a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) with dark foliage as a contrast and color echo to the clay. I also like the way that the water's reflection has been used to magnify the presence of this little piece.
Abstract artwork may be viewed as the self-expression of the owner. It represents an emotion or a memory — perhaps related to a specific person, place or time — that's meaningful to the owner.
This joyful sculpture of stainless steel by Denver artist Kevin Robb, is reaching up to the clear, blue sky. It's hard, shiny, geometric form is wonderfully contrasted by the organic, undulating forms (lavender? rosemary?) beneath it. Perfection is the color echo of matte gray foliage to the steel.
Another whimsical art piece is this sculptural gate by Denverite Dennis West. The lively, nature-based forms bring a hard, impersonal entryway to life.
Sinuous curves feature in the simple, repetitive design of this sculpture (perhaps originally part of an architectural detail), which is the perfect focal point of a small meditation garden. Note how the fine textures and limited selection of the companion plants create a calm and relaxed setting.
Last, but not least . . . my favorite art piece in my garden is this tile mosaic that hangs on our patio wall, adjacent to the place that inspired it. It was made by our daughter when she was 10 or 11 years old (sadly, it's not dated) and is simple titled "Pond." Erin went on to earn a degree in apparel design and production from Colorado State University and became a talented textile designer. She recently opened her own business and is the proud owner of Super Good Art Stuff in the Tennyson Art District of Denver.
Art is a wonderful investment (at any price) in improving one's quality of life. Buy (or create) what you love, and integrate it into your garden. Read more about art in the garden from my fellow members of The Garden Designers' Roundtable, or click on the direct links to their blogs here:
Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ
Mary Gallagher Gray : Black Walnut Dispatch : Washington, D.C.
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK
Jenny Peterson : J Petersen Garden Design : Austin, TX
Deborah Silver : Dirt Simple : Detroit, MI
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In The Garden : Los Altos, CA
Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX
Representational artwork may best represent / reenforce a specific place. Nothing is left to the imagination; the association between object and place is clear, and the artwork contributes additional information about the space to the viewer.
This life size bear trio looms over the entry court of a private residence in Vail, Colorado. They look like they've just emerged from their woodland home. Notice how the white trunks of the aspen trees create a nice contrast with the dark patina of the bronze. The colorful flowers at the base of the sculpture catch the eye (as if the bears aren't enough!) and bring them into scale. The large size and prominent location make this a major focal point for this home.
A Japanese quince (Chaenomales japonica) paired with a Japanese lantern reinforces the identity of the Japanese Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Again, a bright flower companion may initially catch the eye, but the dark, evergreen background in contrast to the pale stone sculpture is key.
This statue does not reinforce its urban Denver location but is, instead, a memento or symbol of a specific time or place that's important to the owner. This small piece is part of a vignette within a garden — a treasure to be discovered. Here, the gardener has used a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) with dark foliage as a contrast and color echo to the clay. I also like the way that the water's reflection has been used to magnify the presence of this little piece.
Abstract artwork may be viewed as the self-expression of the owner. It represents an emotion or a memory — perhaps related to a specific person, place or time — that's meaningful to the owner.
This joyful sculpture of stainless steel by Denver artist Kevin Robb, is reaching up to the clear, blue sky. It's hard, shiny, geometric form is wonderfully contrasted by the organic, undulating forms (lavender? rosemary?) beneath it. Perfection is the color echo of matte gray foliage to the steel.
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| photo courtesy of Kevin Robb Studios |
Another whimsical art piece is this sculptural gate by Denverite Dennis West. The lively, nature-based forms bring a hard, impersonal entryway to life.
Sinuous curves feature in the simple, repetitive design of this sculpture (perhaps originally part of an architectural detail), which is the perfect focal point of a small meditation garden. Note how the fine textures and limited selection of the companion plants create a calm and relaxed setting.
Last, but not least . . . my favorite art piece in my garden is this tile mosaic that hangs on our patio wall, adjacent to the place that inspired it. It was made by our daughter when she was 10 or 11 years old (sadly, it's not dated) and is simple titled "Pond." Erin went on to earn a degree in apparel design and production from Colorado State University and became a talented textile designer. She recently opened her own business and is the proud owner of Super Good Art Stuff in the Tennyson Art District of Denver.
Art is a wonderful investment (at any price) in improving one's quality of life. Buy (or create) what you love, and integrate it into your garden. Read more about art in the garden from my fellow members of The Garden Designers' Roundtable, or click on the direct links to their blogs here:
Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ
Mary Gallagher Gray : Black Walnut Dispatch : Washington, D.C.
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK
Jenny Peterson : J Petersen Garden Design : Austin, TX
Deborah Silver : Dirt Simple : Detroit, MI
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In The Garden : Los Altos, CA
Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX
Friday, July 13, 2012
Got Stone?
Last Saturday was cool and cloudy, a perfect day to visit Tribble Stone. Located at the base of the foothills between Boulder and Lyons, Tribble is a great resource for Colorado flagstone (sandstone). They carry both the rose and buff colors, and do custom cutting right on the site.
Here's a flagstone slab right out of the quarry. It's about 10" thick and will be split into 3 or 4 pieces by chiseling along the edge and exploiting a natural fault line.
Or it might go straight to the cutter. This is a pneumatic chop blade. Awesome! This is how dimensional stone is cut; 2'x2', 3' x 2' 18" x 18" or whatever you need, it's made to order.
Left over bits and bobs? Not great for structural building, but beautiful as a textural element when applied as a veneer to buildings, columns, fireplaces,
or...pots!
Their chokecherries were in fine form, too!
Note: This article was not endorsed or compensated in any way by Tribble Stone.
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| cut stone in the foreground, "random" (as in shapes) in the back |
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| Jim, for scale! Note the natural cracks/faults in the slabs |
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| 8" thick slab ready to be cut. Any guesses why this equipment is buried? |
Left over bits and bobs? Not great for structural building, but beautiful as a textural element when applied as a veneer to buildings, columns, fireplaces,
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| Odd sizes await the creative builder. |
Their chokecherries were in fine form, too!
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| native chokecherry, Prunus virginiana |
Note: This article was not endorsed or compensated in any way by Tribble Stone.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Cool Art in the Gardens
Has the heat got you down — feeling a bit wilted, drained, limp? Our garden is looking a bit on the crispy side these days (and that's how I feel, too), so after a very hot day last week, a picnic at Denver Botanic Gardens sounded like a refreshing treat. We were not disappointed.
The gardens themselves were lovely — full to bursting with flowering plants, shady alcoves, and cooling water features. And I really loved the fantastic art installations. Not only are they large-scale abstract sculptures (not everyone's cup of tea, I know) that were built on site, they are made out of plants — bamboo, specifically.
Tetsunori Kawana created organic pieces that speak to the rolling prairies and foothills; billowing clouds and winds of the Denver region.
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| Contrasting lines and shapes, hard textures and soft. Stone sculpture by Colorado artist Frank Swanson. |
Stephen Talasnik 's more architectural creations bridge water and sky. Sky, we have a lot of; water, we crave. A conduit is what we need, indeed.
I will enjoy watching these sculptures weather over the next few months (the installation lasts through November 4). Already, the bright green bamboo of spring has taken on the golden hues of summer.
Visit Denver Botanic Gardens (check their website, as hours vary daily) and see what you can see. I'd love to hear about your discoveries!
Note: this review is my express opinion and was not authorized, endorsed, or paid for by Denver Botanic gardens nor the artists mentioned.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
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