When did it become popular to redirect items scheduled for landfill and place them in a garden?
Toilet bowls, fluorescent green interior doors, and plastic food containers have been recently found in neighbourhood gardens that have a reputation for being a cut above. Are the owners incorporating elements of whimsy?
Historically, whimsical gardens are capricious, eclectic and perhaps eccentric. Although they may not be for everyone, they are becoming more popular. Some traditional gardeners refuse to mix plants with any other material that can be a distraction to their overall beauty.
Staunch horticulturalists insist each garden stand on its own and anything else would be unacceptable or tacky. The difficulty comes to the forefront with the word “tacky.”
Barry Vanderveer, career gardener, blogger, and public speaker, candidly discusses placing “discards” in the garden. “There seems to be a trend that ties in with conscientious recycling that a broken toilet can find a second life as a container in a garden. People – flush that thought out of your heads right this very moment.”
Perhaps the major issue is a matter of taste and the reason for placing a particular vessel in the garden. Gardens are the living spaces for plants. As window decorators use “props” to sell a particular arrangement, the addition of non-plant material maybe used to highlight a plant grouping. Perhaps, that is what designers call display.
Gardens can be whimsical with a fresh grouping of plants and other material. Those ideas challenge or redefine ways gardeners use growing spaces. The trick when developing a whimsical garden display is to develop a positive relationship between plants and other material without allowing either to become overbearing. The total arrangement should never appear overdone or cluttered.
As with all the elements of design there are simple guidelines to follow when creating in-garden groupings. Some who successfully transform a growing space always have the “knack” of keeping presentations in just the right order. The major challenge is to know when to stop. The old adage “less is more” must be applied.
“It seems that I am not alone when it comes to dissecting the phrase tasteful whimsy,” continued Vanderveer. Some gardeners openly discuss how a particular garden is a willy-nilly collection of whatnots.
Whimsy can be successfully added with a few guidelines.
Try starting small and add similar items with similar textures. A larger piece can be easier to work with than many unrelated smaller items. Always consider the overall effect. Avoid loud colours. Choose neutral shades or white. Consider the total space when choosing items.
Choose items of a related theme. Birdhouses, terra-cotta items or weathered wood all present a unifying vision.
Natural items are much easier to coordinate. Grapevine wreaths, tree branch constructions, bird nests, or water features will complement plant presentations.
“Adornment of any kind should compliment or accentuate a garden but not overpower it. A garden should reflect its caretaker. This has always been one of my key philosophies whenever I am assisting someone with a design. Is one’s personality measured with whimsy?” wondered Vanderveer.
Ron Stevenson is a member of the Fergus Horticultural Society
