THE GARDEN MUSEUM…..UK

An Evening of Gardens and Architecture Journalist Evan Davis will chair this event which explores the relationship between architects and landscape designers. How does an architect meet the right garden designer? Can a landscape architect influence the city of the future? Is there ever such a thing as a truly landscape-led project in the modern world? We’ll be exploring what each profession can give the other in a set of four short presentations celebrating successful partnerships, and then Evan will explore how to get the chemistry right in a partnership, and what architects and landscape designers can learn from each other. Presentations will be given by: Cooke Fawcett Architects and garden designer Dan Bristow Landscape designer Kim Wilkie and architect Ben Pentreath on their collaboration on a new sustainable “landscape-led” town in Faversham Landscape Architect Jo Gibbons of J & L Gibbons Garden designer Charlotte Harris of Harris Bugg Tues 4 October, 7pm £15 Standard, £10 Friends, £5 Young Fronds / Students £5 Livestream Book now A London house and garden by Cooke Fawcett Architects and Dan Bristow Speaking at our upcoming talk on gardens and architecture, collaborators Cooke Fawcett Architects and garden designer Dan Bristow will present their transformation of a Victorian terraced house in Tufnell Park (pictured above). At the heart of the project a new double height space is oriented to the garden. Tall rear windows framing a dramatic portrait view of lush greenery, terracing, and trees, inviting the garden into the house and making a strong visual connection through the building. Planting close to the façade of the building creates animation of light, shadow, and texture, making the garden feel like a true extension of the living space. Deciduous creepers take on an important environmental role providing shading to an outdoor seating area and to the west facing glazing. Book now Squash & Pumpkin Festival Celebrate squash and pumpkin season this autumn with the Garden Museum Learning team in collaboration with Incredible Edible Lambeth, Border Crossings and Rootz into Food Growing. There will be opportunities to watch cooking demos, tasting, seed sowing, a film screening and discussion. And take part in a pumpkin competition to win prizes! Sat 15 October, 1pm – 4pm Free entry, pre-booking required Book now New Talk! Lucian Freud’s Plant Portraits What is a plant portrait? How does it differ from a picture of a plant? About Two Plants (above), Freud said: “They are lots of little portraits of leaves, lots and lots of them, starting with them rather robust in the middle—greeny-blue and cream—and getting more yellow and broken”. Drawing from the research for his book Lucian Freud Herbarium (2019, Prestel) and inspired by the exhibition Lucian Freud: Plant Portraits which he guest curated, in this talk Giovanni Aloi will explore Freud’s ability to tease out the individual character of the plants he painted. Tues 18 October, 7pm 20 Standard, £15 Friends, £10 Students / Young Fronds £10 Livestream Book now Join our Garden Visits Committee Our Garden Visits Committee is seeking two new members – could it be you? The Garden Visits Committee is a group of energetic and passionate volunteers who organise the popular and successful series of garden visits which have been part of the Garden Museum’s events programme since 2011. Recent garden visits have been to the homes of designers such as Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart-Smith, and some of the finest country houses and gardens in the UK. Being a committee member is a fantastic way to support the Museum and contribute to fundraising to ensure its future. It is an excellent opportunity to develop a network of contacts within garden design and horticulture as well as meeting the owners and makers of some very interesting and beautiful gardens. Find out more Plant of the Week: Atlas poppy (Papaver rupifragumvar. atlanticum) By Matt Collins, Head Gardener A ‘rare colour’ — a ‘soft orange’, is how Beth Chatto described this brilliant southern poppy, which could have been ‘plant of the week’ many times over throughout spring and late summer. Back in May it flourished among the pink cranesbills and campanula (as in the below image); now in the approach of autumn its luminous orange brings warmth to the cooling days. This semi-double, sometimes single flowering perennial came to us a couple of years ago from London garden designer Jane Brockbank, who gifted an envelope of collected seed suggesting it might do well at the museum. Quite right: it has thrived. Thomas Rutter, then our horticultural trainee, had great success in raising a large number in 9cm pots; once brimming with glaucous green, hairy leaves, these found homes in and around the dry garden, forming robust clumps that have since withstood a summer of heatwaves and meagre rainfall with next to no sign of stress. Found wild in the harsh climate of southern Spain and Morocco, it is a plant that can prosper from the smallest crack in a wall or paving stone gap. I am a big fan of orange plants, all the better those feral spirited species like Pilosella aurantiaca (‘fox and cubs’), California poppy and Chinese globeflower (Trollius chinensis). It is a colour far too often dismissed, but one that, as an accent, ‘pops’ like no other, particularly when placed among silver leaf Mediterranean subshrubs like lavender, artemisia, teucrium. Permitted to self seed within this structural evergreen context, Papaver rupifragum var. atlanticum (‘atlanticum’ relating to its homeland range in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa) offers a fantastic ephemeral layer, repeat-flowering in three or four stints across the growing season — even more if diligently deadheaded. Its tissue paper petals are lifted surprisingly high on slender architectural stems, the many resulting seed heads easily gathered and resown, or siphoned into an envelope to be shared once again. Explore our gardens Object of the Week: ‘Rare Plants at the International Horticultural Exhibition, South Kensington’ This press clipping from Illustrated London News dated 9 June 1866 depicts a group of “rare plants” (the likes of which you might see at our upcoming Houseplant Festival!) which were displayed at the International Horticultural Exhibition that year, including: Anthurium magnificum, Cycas revoluta, Pandanus Veitchii, Phormium Tenax, Lilium auratum, Saracenia flava picta and Lily of the Valley. Book Houseplant Festival tickets Images: Victorian terrace in Tufnell Park images courtesy of Cooke Fawcett Architects; J & L Gibbons with Carmody Gorake © Sarah Blee, J & L Gibbons, High Weald rewilding; Two Plants, 1977-80 (oil on canvas) Freud, Lucian, Tate Modern © The Lucian Freud Archive, All Rights Reserved 2022 / Bridgeman Images; Garden Visit at Helmingham Hall © Beckie Egan Photography; Atlas poppy © Matt Collins Garden Museum 5 Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB gardenmuseum.org.uk

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UK, The Garden Museum….sharing

THE GARDEN MUSEUM New Talk! Darryl Moore: Gardening in a Changing World Faced with the challenges of the climate crisis and increasing biodiversity loss, we are at a crucial crossroads in our engagement with the rest of the natural world. In an event to mark the launch of Darryl Moore’s new book Gardening in a Changing World, he will be part of a conversation with Nigel Dunnett and Arit Anderson, discussing our past and present relationships with plants, and how we need to rethink our attitudes to them. This challenging and important conversation will be essential for anyone interested in making plants and gardens part of the solution to the current and future challenges we face, in a rapidly changing world. Tues 11 October, 7pm £15 Standard, £10 Friends, £5 Young Fronds / Students £5 Livestream Book now Gravetye Manor: A Week in the Wild Garden By Caroline Cathcart, Horticultural Trainee As part of her Horticultural Traineeship at the Garden Museum, Caroline has the opportunity to work with experienced gardeners across the UK. This traineeship has been generously funded by The National Gardens Scheme and the Museum’s Friends Group in Leicestershire and Rutland. Her first placement recently took her to Gravetye Manor in Sussex, the former home of William Robinson: “The reputation of the place precedes itself, but nothing could have prepared me for the beauty that assaulted my senses when I stepped out of Gravetye Manor into the garden. I found myself flanked on all sides by flowers, spilling out of the mixed borders onto the paths in a voluptuous swell, their vigour unchecked by the lingering drought.Burgeoning with more flowers than I could count, the borders give a stunning impact, but their most precious treasures were not discoverable at first glance. It was only upon close inspection, while I waited nervously to meet Tom Coward, the head gardener, that they offered themselves up to me. First, the dahlias; the most beautiful was Dahlia merckii, a delicate little thing with tiny lilac flowers held on tall, wiry stems. This diminutive species found its opposite in the giant ‘Emory Paul’, with its ruffled deep pink flowers as big as my head. I was lucky to arrive just as it had unfurled to its most perfect bloom – the following day it had begun to wither…” Keep reading

A Discourse on Spaces Inspired by our Sowing Roots project which explored the gardening cultures brought to the UK by Londoners of Caribbean heritage, we have invited horticulturist, writer and artist Edward Adonteng to curate this series of talks, A Discourse on Spaces. What is the importance of space to humanity? How do the spaces that we inhabit define us? What happens to these spaces when different worlds collide? In London, intersections and cultural exchange place the city in an ever-evolving state of hybridity. No two streets are quite the same. This reflective series, influenced by the contributions of the Sowing Roots exhibition, will explore gentrification, immortality, conflict, heritage, sustainability and the movement amongst peoples through a plethora of stories, conversations and perspectives. Explore the programme How to Grow the Flowers: Seed Sowing Ahead of their book launch on 27 September, organic flower growers Wolves Lane Flower Company share an exclusive extract from How to Grow the Flowers: A sustainable approach to enjoying flowers through the seasons. Here are Marianne and Camila’s seed sowing tips to set yourself up for growing successful cut flowers: “A brown speck burgeoning into a fully fledged plant in one short season is miraculous, and the rush of success addictive. Once you’ve mastered a few easy varieties and been able to cut armfuls of sweet peas or calendula, it’s easy to be totally seduced by the seed catalogues and order everything like a kid let loose in a sweet shop. Growing from seed is a thrifty way of filling your plot but not if you buy more seeds than you have room for or time to nurture. Be selective and remember, there will be future seasons to try new, alluring varieties…” Keep reading Plant of the Week: Viola hederacea By Matt Collins, Head Gardener A key feature of the planting within the museum courtyard is the creation of pocket plant communities: three or more species that in partnership form distinct zones within the overall scheme. It’s a rather brilliant ploy by designer Dan Pearson, establishing zoning within such a contained little garden, so that you walk a series of overlapping yet contrasting spaces when circling the central planting. In one area, a loose grouping of poet’s laurel (Danne racemosa), velvety Persicaria virginianaand dark Asarum europaeum; towards the gardener’s shed, canna lily, Geranium ‘White Ness’ and the autumn fern, Dryopteris erythrosora. Invariably, the underplants (here, asarum and geranium) are abundant and spreading by habit, and are encouraged to drift freely below the taller species, knitting plants together. But of all the courtyard underplants, probably my favourite is the Australian violet, Viola hederacea. It’s the plant I get asked most often to identify (until our giant dahlia flowers in December), and the one I’m frequently, politely, asked to lift a little section of, “just quickly, while nobody’s looking?”. Planted in swathes, to commune with the thornless bramble shrubs (Rubus lineatus), perennial actaea and disporum, and spilling out over the walkways, its near perpetual flowers are a subtle, welcome presence until capped by the cold: tiny scented blooms like purple ink on a sugar cube. Explore our gardens Benton Iris ‘Strathmore’ This peachy iris variety bred by Cedric Morris at Benton End was named after The Queen Mother’s home Strathmore. Images: Dry garden by Olivier Filippi, image (c) Olivier Filippi; Gravetye Manor photo by Caroline Cathcart; Wolves Lane Flower Company seed sowing (c) Aloha Bonser-Shaw; Viola Hederacea (c) Matt Collins, Iris ‘Strathmore (c) Claire Dawson

Garden Museum 5 Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB gardenmuseum.org.uk

magic…….

….. ending day sky. I think about 20 minutes to darkness. So breathtaking. 7:25 pm.  It’s a frame capturing sun, cloudy air, high humidity and the bluish sky fading. Today had it all. Sun, rain, clouds and blue sky.  Once it decides…. it fades quickly. Thinking about my day. My “Reflection” in a photo. Amazing…..

 

Sharing…THE GARDEN MUSEUM

The Garden Contessa subscribes to this online publication. May we share today. You too can subscribe. We’ve been following for a while. Sometimes the content would be more conducive to those living in the UK, but in our world of growing and gardening, there are always new things to learn.  ENJOY! 

The City That Sold the Sun Creeping buttercups, oxeye daises, field poppies, yarrow, lavender, daffodils, sedum, verbena, sunflowers and paeonies are some of the flowers which will vanish from London’s parks if a proposal by the Greater London Authority to allow over-shadowing by high-rise buildings becomes official policy for the city.  On Monday 21st March 2022, the spring equinox, we released our publication ‘The City that Sold the Sun’, as part of our campaign to protect outdoor spaces from being overshadowed by tall buildings. We are grateful to the National Garden Scheme who has funded the publication which includes contributions from: Sue Stuart-Smith – psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author of The Well-Gardened Mind Mathew Frith – Director of Policy & Research at London Wildlife Trust Dr Sam Everington – Professor and GP Samia Qureshi – Garden Museum Science Learning Officer Read ‘The City That Sold the Sun’ Watch this explanation of our sunlight for London campaign – presented by London Assembly Member for the Green Party Sian Berry, Garden Museum Director Christopher Woodward, Director of Policy & Research at London Wildlife Trust Mathew Frith, and George Plumptre, CEO of the National Gardens Scheme. Exhibition catalogue available now! Wild & Cultivated: Fashioning the Rose The rose and fashion are inextricably entwined. Roses, like fashion, are a luxury and they are ephemeral. They are both ‘shown’ seasonally, their appeal is multi-sensorial, and they each incite passion and obsession. This accompanying catalogue to our new exhibition Wild & Cultivated: Fashioning the Rose is written by curator Amy de la Haye and set designer Simon Costin. Discover how artists, designers and writers throughout history have explored the symbolism of this fragrant flower and its deterrent thorns – a conjunction of opposites – to draw out illusions to love, beauty, death, gender and sexuality, sin, and rites of passage. Illustrated with images of the fashion, photography and floral ephemera shown in the exhibition. £20 (plus postage) Order your copy Livestream this week Marian Boswall: Sustainable Garden Join us for a talk with landscape architect Marian Boswall to celebrate the launch of her new book Sustainable Garden, in conversation with garden designer and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Arit Anderson. In Sustainable Garden, Marian walks us through the process of creating and managing a sustainable outdoor space, offering insights and projects designed to help you lead a more low-impact lifestyle: whether it’s by harnessing natural energy, converting to peat-free compost, reducing your consumption of plastic, saving seeds or creating garden areas from reclaimed materials. Tickets to attend in person are now sold out, but the event will be livestreamed online to enjoy from home! Those who book the livestream can either watch live or enjoy the recording later at a time that suits you.  Tues 29 March, 7pm £10 livestream only Book tickets Vogue: ‘The Garden Museum’s Wild & Cultivated Exhibition Is A Potted History Of The Rose In Fashion’ ‘There is perhaps no flower on earth that holds more symbolism – and more fashion influence – than the rose, as the Garden Museum’s latest exhibition makes beautifully clear.’ Curator Amy de la Haye picks six fabulous fashion highlights of our new exhibition Wild & Cultivated: Fashioning the Rose in this interview with Vogue. Keep reading Object of the Week: The Perfect Watering Can (1897) We can’t help but wonder why this didn’t catch on! This advert published in 1897 in The Horticultural List extols the virtues of an inventive new watering can, with which “a bed fifteen feet in diameter can be watered with the greatest ease without treading on the soil”. Explore our collection Images: The City That Sold the Sun photo by Rachel Warne; Primrose Archer Dressed In Flowers From My Garden, Hackney © Tim Walker Studio; Sustainable Gardens book cover courtesy of Marian Boswall; ‘The Perfect Watering Can’, Garden Museum Collection Garden Museum 5 Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB gardenmuseum.org.uk

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It’s going to be a good day!

CARPE DIEM

“siege the day”

words……todays thought

Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 16:24
*AMEN*

Gods Love

1 John 4:19

WE love because….he first loved us.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

LOVE is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…..

 

SOLD Today on ETSY……Volume

Picturing Nantucket reveals a complete spectrum of the islands artistic heritage. Complete with 125 color and 180 black and white reproduction photographs from the Nantucket Historical Associations extensive collection. If you treasure Nantucket Art, this book is an essential reference for your personal collection.

Pristine copy. Measures 10.5” x 12.5” x 1”
A beautiful coffee table book. 253 pages.

A true Art History of the Island.

THIS  Sale just came through via our ETSY SITE. Our buyer lives in Chandler, TX.  Selling Total is $46.

“CONTESSA” says……”it’s all good.”

Indoor and Outdoor Design

So many ideas. We have a huge interest in so many different venues. Gardening is our number #1 passion, but today we were reminiscing so many different things we enjoy and our photo library is so large,  we decided to share some “favs” with you. It’s interesting that once you have design in your blood it seems to carry  over into so many avenues of interest. From time to time we will share from our photos collection.  ENJOY!

 

Bur Oak Tree

 

Deciduous trees go into state of dormancy during winter.  Their leaves have fallen, but new buds have already formed in preparation for next year’s growth.  In the case of this young (about 50 year-old) bur oak, we can easily see its branching arrangement and general shape.

This fifty year old tree is very large. I received this photo just now from my cousin at the farm. So interesting to view it completely bare of leaves. The branch structure is interesting and highlighted by the color of the sky and beginnings of the setting sun. Lovely……