The Artist's Garden

Check out some fabulous 'garden fresh art' seen in this contest now in voting mode! Your votes are welcome, btw.
http://fineartamerica.com/contests/garden-fresh-kitchen-art--photography.html?tab=overview

... no photos to show of them yet, but the gardens I made are not very artsy. They are more practical, ... more like agricultural engineering projects instead of landscaping projects.

... rusty concrete reinforcing wire shaped into seven-foot cylindrical tomato cages, three in a straight row, surrounded by a creature-control cage/fence, drip hose, mulch

--- a raised bed made of wood, encased on all sides, in ground, and on top by chicken wire, ... inside more rusty remesh on a 2 x 4 frame for growing and trellising cantaloupes (just planted those)

--- a raised bed made of ugly, jagged, used, ripped up concrete pavement -- this year designated for giant sunflowers and wild flowers

... a small wooden square bed made from used coffee containers overlaid with a sort of floating frame made of 2 x 6's

Most of what I grow, I ingest.

Again, ... practical, NOT exceptionally pretty to look at, although still soothing to behold.

Very artsy I think. We (my BF and I) are the gardeners for our flats (apartments) and have carte Blanche... This year we have gone countryside with them and have log piles and wild flowers. I'm hoping for a very, very bright canvas this year :)

I am hoping for a very, very tasty canvas this year. (^_^)

Robert & Abbie, post photos if you want! I love gardens of any kind, not just what some might consider 'pretty'. I've seen some amazing ones, both urban and country, each a work of art unto itself.

So, in that vein, Robert, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am with you on the practical part, as well, in the sense that we grow a lot of our veggies, herbs, fruit, even almonds. But, practical doesn't mean it can't also be artistic! The garden, for me, is like creating a painting; I never pre-plan a design, unless it's something we're building, like an herb garden that needs a border or a walkway with stones & gravel. Otherwise, I just start digging & arranging. Somehow, it all works out. Wish you 'good luck' with that canvas of yours!

Cool you are able to expand the garden this year, Abbie. Have fun! Looking forward to seeing some images re.

A southwest garden that's a bit different than your typical gardens in more northerly climates.



Acrylic painting

Bill Tomsa

http://billtomsa.blogspot.com/

Rock & cactus gardens can certainly be artistic & beautiful, Bill, as seen above in your very lovely painting of. Love the colors. Thanks so much for posting.

Here's one of my garden favorites.

Brooks
"Thanks so much for posting."

No. Thank you,


Bill Tomsa

http://billtomsa.blogspot.com/

Gardening is also a passion of mine, here is a photo of one of my Shasta daisy's

Hi Marie! Thanks for taking the time to share an image from your own garden. Nice to meet a 'fellow' artist-gardener. Between the two, gardening & painting, I figure my hands are either in paint, dirt or soapy water, most of the time, which doesn't bode well for healthy nails & smooth hands. I hardly ever wear gloves, so I'm always having to remove splinters or stickers, etc., as well. Lol. But, all our hard work is worth it to enjoy the 'fruits of our labors', both & all. Have a good night.

just took this two days ago.

Chives from my garden
Brooke, I have no grass in either my front yard or back yard, it is all gardens with rock pathways, and rocks all over as we love rock, a pond with waterfall and koi and goldfish, and of course trees, bushes and vines
It is still cold here but my spring flowers, daffodils, crocus are blooming and the tulips have started
My very favorite spring flower is the Iris in all colors
We still have to wait until mid May or later to plant the veggies and annual flowers in baskets and pots
We have done our yard cleanup so we are ready to get planting when the weather warms up!

This woman with 10 black thumbs, thanks everyone for all the beautiful posts!
I can kill a cactus....

so many carrots...easy to grow and yummy too.

Ditto on Marlene's post. I'm lucky that my garden is managed by Gnomes I can't even see.

Susan, welcome and thanks so much for sharing your red tulips with us. So lovely. What would we do without our flower gardens!

Debbie, you & I are on the same page re the amazing iris! Did you know it was named after the Greek goddess who rode rainbows because of its magical colors? Your garden sounds divine, btw. Wish I had koi ponds. Just manage a few fountains that the birds seem to enjoy splashing about in. Lucky you having the garden clean-up under your belt; we are still a work-in-progress. I have one huge sequoia tree that loves to dump her needles...everywhere. I've happily gotten most of my planters filled with baskets of annuals, but, like you, there is more to do. Love your chives & the title, too!

Dear Marlene, say it isn't so, ten not-so-green thumbs!? I thought you said your garden was faring well right before Nikolyn came for a visit! Hmm. I'm confused. Like Nancy said below you, carrots are ez to grow!

Hi Nancy! Appreciate the handful of carrots fresh from your garden, which you have displayed very nicely on that floral quilt! Love 'em, too, and you're right, they are easy to grow, like radishes, green beans, tomatoes, cukes, zukes; you name it. Good to see you.

Greetings, Lisa. Some of us are just more into gardening than others. I got the 'bug' from my mother who loved to 'piddle' in the garden before she passed early in life. It's good exercise and a great escape being outside getting down & dirty in the garden! For me, it's also an extension of my desire to create beauty. I design it, plant it, then tend & watch it grow, hopefully!

Greetings, Brooks
Your flowers are a must see for everyone!
Lisa

Very sweet of you to say, Lisa! Appreciate it very much. Am off to visit your gallery as well! Have a good night & weekend, too.

All the flowers in my gallery are from my own garden, except for the lavender fields. I'm thinking I might photograph more of the roses this year...

Such a lovely thread!

Once upon a time, gardening was my great passion, and I spent part of every day tending perennials, roses, and a thriving vegetable garden. Eventually, the extreme heat and ongoing drought conditions in this area took the fun out of that, but I still have a gorgeous Crepe Myrtle, a Texas Mountain Laurel, and a few Hibiscus, just beyond my front porch. Here, you can see the leaves of the Laurel and the trunk of the Crepe Myrtle --



and the lush gardens of my imagination. Like this one, which can take rain or leave it. :-)

I use my garden as a creative warm up exercise. It helps me to look close and get inspired.

The previous of owners of our property weren't really into gardening, but being English my wife and I (OK, mainly my wife!) have spent a couple of years of planting and will continue to do so...


- Richard Reeve
ReevePhotos.com

Pretty much all of my flower images are from my garden. I love how the flowers change with the seasons and old favourites return each year.
I have many "wild" areas too....maybe when I retire they will get more attention.
Also growing lots of fruit and veg.

I have many plans, just too many time constraints!

Landscape photography is my real passion, but the garden is a lot more accessible!

Love all of the garden talk, plans images!

My wife and I have been in our house for about 12 years...each year adding something to our yard. When moved in, it was just grass and a few very small flower beds. We now have, multiple flower beds, a small herb garden, a veggie garden, a low 4 foot by 12 foot cold frame (to plant in fall through winter) and put in a patio (with a planter wall of course) so we can sit and enjoy it all. We are waiting to plant the veggies since it has dropped down to the 30's overnight he last few days...but soon will I hope!

Below is one of my favorite tulip shots from a few years ago.


And here is a harvest of one of our favorite beans we grow every year.


Love seeing everyone's garden!
Matt

"Shaking things up" again with THIS one (thanks to NASA):

Natalie, your garden is lovely! The greenery & colors are delightful. Thanks for sharing. Hope you're having a wonderful day.

Wild & cosmic, Robert. Your garden may not be, as YOU say, 'designer pretty', but your newest floral creations are! Lol. Good to see you! Looks like you're having fun with these.

Here's a simple poppy upload from yesterday's garden.

Here is a picture that relates a little more precisely to your topic - showing yet another garden bed that I built after those others I already showed:



You can read a detailed description of it, if you click on the larger image and read the "description" there.

I have consumed all available space that I can possibly consume around me (in terms of adequate sunlight exposure) to make these things. Madness? Addiction? Obsession?

All the above, Robert! Lol. But, seriously, once you start, where we'll stop, nobody knows! I finally burned-out on the using-every-available-space-that-is-good-for-growing part, which, like you say, means sunlight.

There are always other projects, though, on paper & in my mind; I'm a project-oriented woman. Too bad the extra funds to create the rest of the yard-property the way I envision it are not appearing as planned. Hate that!

In the end, all it means is that I have more time to do something else that needs doing or fixin', the endless list of. Ha. Thanks for sharing your creations, both the expanding garden & some new abstract images from. Have a good evening/night.

... the yard-property the way I envision it ...

You mean waterfalls, gold-fish ponds, pond lilies, upscale stone benches, designer stepping stones, elite cut-stone raised beds and high-end wood fences, state-of-the-art irrigation system (remote controlled from your iPhone), oversized gazebo in a retro-classical style, vintage rooster weather vein, grape vineyard, etc., etc. ? (^_^)

All that..and more, Robert! Lol. And, wouldn't it be 'loverly'! Definitely would build an octagonal gazebo/deck on the slope behind the house next to the cottage, erect a fine-looking stone fire pit, add a few more fountains and, then, top it off with a cool hot tub in a private space where there is a view of the mountains across the valley...for starters! Ha. Hey, but I'm happy to finally get a grip on all the clean-up & planting. Now, for the most part it's tending, enjoying & taking photographs.

Let's see some colorful birds, bees & butterflies, everyone! The recent rains have happily revived our formerly over-heated & depleted gardens here in the PNW. Insects & flying things have returned in full force and the veggies & flowering perennials are thriving. How about you? Is it feast or famine where your garden grows?

No pictures of the latest developments yet, but cantaloupes and sugar pie pumpkins have successfully emerged on the sturdy trellises that I built for them, all supported in little net bags that I made from cut up panty hose and crude twine, ... or from produce net bags that I have saved over the past half year. Bees are all over -- carpenter bees, honey bees, wasps (scary, but coexisting with them), and other unknowns.

... tomato plants not so good this year, ... not sure why. The fruits that do arrive are very tasty and are okay in size, ... just not that many of them for some reason. The plants look wimpy compared to previous years, even though this year I tried to do everything right, ... giving them BIG, seven foot tall remesh cages that I built, homemade compost, rotated from the previous year's plot, planted with marigolds all around for extra protection, regular watering, .... and still nowhere near previous years' quantities, during the time when I was in a much cruder phase of growing them.

... giant sunflowers more successful this year, apparently since I relocated away from squirrels that were probably the culprits in eating through the bases of flower stems as soon as the flowers bloomed last year.

... bell peppers, ... well, ... I have never had much luck with them, and I have always done what I thought was right with them too. I've got a few runts and a couple of almost-decent-sized ones, but that's it, .... not much volume to speak of from nine plants. Oh well, ... keep on trying I guess.

Well, Robert, wow. Drama in the garden! Thanks for the update. Was wondering how things were going. Sounds like you are doing everything YOU can to produce a successful crop, so good luck. Yes, keep on trying!

One year my peppers are peppy, the next year not so much. What's up with that? Plus, all our pears-to-be were knocked out of their trees early on, so no pears this year. Never saw that before.

We are lucky to have access to our local irrigation, if needed, so water is not the issue. However, the big heat wave we had, up to 109 degrees, parched several of our longstanding perennials & some veggies, as well. Regular feedings & some TLC have helped restore some, but others bit the dust, literally.

Thanks so much for checking back in! Thought we might revive the thread, but looks like our fellow garden 'posters' are busy elsewhere. Was great while it lasted, eh! Have a great day.

P.S. What do you think of shower curtains on FAA?

Shower curtains?

Well, ... I think that I will design specifically for them OR choose designs that I offer very carefully. Not just any design or image is going to magically look okay on a shower curtain. So far, I only offer one image on one. I think that the designs should tend toward light colors, maybe muted colors or pastels, generally cheerful. Don't just slap a photo on one with deep saturated colors. Are they an appropriate product? Yeah, I suppose, ... as appropriate as throw pillows or duvet covers. I have no objections to the concept of them on this website.

Flowers and such, as is the subject of this thread, would seem to be very appropriate subjects for shower curtains. Keep the colors light, muted or de-saturated, though, would be my suggestion. Bathrooms should be kept towards the bright side, I think.

I do not mind at all if inadvertent human grime splashes onto a copy of my art. But I draw the line at custom-printed toilet paper. (^_^)

Hey Robert! Just saw your comment in the back pages. Sorry I'm late to reply. Yes, the shower curtains, I agree, we need not to post just any or all of our images, but, perhaps, design specifically for, as you say. I have yet to order one to check for quality or how our images look, but here's a piece I uploaded yesterday that I think would make a pretty cool one. Plus, I'm always hosting contests to showcase our work-on-products, if you or anyone reading this is interested in joining.


Back to the garden...with all the hotter-than-normal temps & smokey skies due to nearby fires of late up here in southern OR, I'm pleasantly surprised that my veggies, flowers & all have done SO well. The phlox, Black-eyes Susan's, Rose of Sharon & others are blooming profusely, which makes this gardener very happy. Last evening I sat on the front porch snapping a ton of green beans fresh from the garden for roasting on the grill. Added a zuke [from the garden], lots of onions, garlic & curry...and it was simply delish! So, how does your garden grow?

Robert, regarding your tomatoes, I've heard a lot of similar reports from people in the U.S. and Europe - it does not seem to be a year for nightshades in general.

Speaking of bathroom colours... "Marsala" is Pantone's "Color of the Year 2015": https://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=21168&ca=10

These mums are from my front garden. In this part of the U.S. mums bloom repeatedly most of the year. This is a summer bloom, however.

Thanks for the post, Frank. Maybe Robert will check back in & see/reply?

Welcome, Kathy! Yes, the mums are so lovely. Ours have just begun to appear for the year in a beautiful array of colors. The last daylily blossom of the season is hanging in there, however, the puffy white balls of phlox, Black-eyed Susan's & Rose-of-Sharon are in their prime! Delightful.
Thanks SO much for sharing your garden flowers. Great title! Have a wonderful day.

A very high percentage of the flowers used in my artwork were grown in my garden and painted from life - it's a lifelong dual love!!! Unfortunately, we are in the dregs of summer and have spent several weeks over 107 degrees so... well... let's just say the garden is looking a little frazzled and weary. I also grow 90% of all our veggies year around.

I can't remember exactly how to post, hopefully this is correct:


I absolutely LOVE my hydrangeas and have several different varieties in blues, blush pink, lavender, white and even some green ones.

xxx

Good to see you & your garden flowers, Audrey! Thanks for stopping by to share with us. So lovely. Thanks for downsizing!!!

Ram, love your Bougainvillea capture. Amazing flowering vine! Appreciate you posting.

I love my garden, even though I really can't work in it anymore. It's still my sanctuary, tho.



Classic FAA punctuation fail, btw. It's: "I Bloom Only for You," She Whispered

One of my favorites of yours, Susan! Just love the light & soft pastels...so romantic. Great title, too.
What's the deal re the punctuation, or lack of, anyway. Wonder if that can be updated? Probably not.
If it's not too personal a question, why can you no longer work in your lovely garden sanctuary? I understand as we age, we may not be as able to lift & dig like we once did, but we can 'piddle' around, as my mother used to say.

Speaking of my phlox [further up a few posts]...

I have myofascial pain syndrome. Think fibromyalgia on steroids. It, uhhh... SUCKS. But enough about me, LOVE phlox, especially when there are great big swaths of it!

Feel for you, Susan! Must be a real pain...or more like PAIN! Do you have someone who tends the garden for you? Hope so! I have 'issues', as well, but can do what I need to on 'good' days...and hubby is a big helper, most all the time. Happy you have a garden sanctuary that gives you pleasure, as well as some fabulous images to share here. Yes, phlox, big puffy white balls of phlox, are decorating the garden right. So lovely, especially when the afternoon sun makes them glow & their delicate aroma wafts about on the summer breezes.

Let's just say I have developed into a world class pointer ;)

Don't I know about the pointy thing as well, Susan! At least you have a great sense of humor about 'it' all. That's what comes through to me, anyway.Hope there are 'things' you can do to not only ease the pain/discomfort, but perhaps halt or reverse the condition's progress?

Hi Allison! Lovely garden space. Thanks so much for posting your 'birdbath' with us. Was just sitting outside with my husband, John, reading the paper and enjoying some tea when several small finches flew in to enjoy our birdbath/fountain nearby. Had the camera within reach, but decided to just sit & observe, instead of trying to 'capture' and, maybe, ruining the moment. They had such fun splish-splasing!

Have a wonderful day and week ahead, everyone! In southern OR, we are blessed with an almost smoke-free sky & the temps that are bearable. That means the doors & windows of my studio are wide open, for a change, the birds are singing & I smell the flower's perfume, not the smoke!

Hi Brook,

I have several clumps of these flowers. I think they are call Spiderworts. There are lavendar, purple, pink and white and they spread easily.
I have cut down on my garden beds, as the weeds were winning.....
Now that my husband and I have put down fabric and Missisippi river rocks in most of the garden beds, I will not have to weed as much.
These flowers will stay in the same garden bed, and I will use bark mulch instead of the stones.
I have a bird bath in the same area now, along with hanging pots.
I plan to take some photos of the birds on my bird bath and create a painting from the photos.
We have many birds that come for a drink and a bath daily.
Regards,
Gay