White

I started thinking about this when all of my white shrubs bloomed at once this spring. They are supposed to bloom in a kind of sequence. The absence of color was just as, if not more powerful, than a garden full of color.

Just the spireas--lilacs & fothergilla were blooming too

I know the idea is not new, but white has a symbolic power beyond the absence of color and I think it's appropriate for our times.

The staircase at Chanel for the 2009 Haute Couture collection
photo via Chanel

A puff of dandelion seeds (plenty of those around here)

A lace table cloth

Santorini

Nautical ropes

Weathered Picket Fence

Dodecatheon meadia--native and beautiful
Photo via Vanderbilt.edu

White wicker

The White Garden at Sissinghurst
photo via Meade/flickr.com

Stuck in the Mud...Ugly Shoes

Spring is approaching in my part of the world and that means...MUD!

My favorite pair of rubber and neoprene garden shoes have sprung a leak and need to be replaced. I have tried different types of garden shoes. I don't like the waterproof work boots that the guys wear--they're too heavy and definitely unfashionable unless you're a grunge gardener. I find most rubber clogs impractical because they get pulled off my feet in the muck. Even with a hardcore lifelong shoe fetish I don't like the flower printed light weight garden shoes--although I've been tempted to try a pair of Bogs (above). Practicality is going to win over fashion this time if I can replace my current favs so shopping around for replacements is not a burden, it is a challenge.

The first pair of garden shoes I bought were red Jollys clogs--definitely a bold choice. Great color and cork insoles, but they made me feel ridiculous. These same red shoes now languish at the bottom of the basement stairs in case of a flood. They've been worn once in 10 years.

Next, as sometimes happens, the pendulum swung towards practicality and I had a pair of Muck Boot Company (left) shoes that I wore out but definitely weren't fashion forward like the clogs. I liked the neoprene liner that kept my feet warm and let them breathe. They lasted for two seasons before the treads wore down and they became dangerous to wear.

On a trip to Vermont I found a pair of Sorels (below). I'm not sure if the style name 'Garden Mules' is appropriate, because they are decidedly unmule-like and UGLY, but I know that mine, after four years of wear and tear, need to be replaced and they are very difficult to find. They might even be discontinued since those I have found in my size are only available in one color. No choice for a shoe addict is not fair. My Sorel Garden Mules thick clog-like sole and neoprene insert keeps my feet warm and dry and they have great traction. I've even worn them to walk in and they have great support. They have only come off my feet once in deep mud--and I wear them every day for 2-3 months. They're ugly, unfashionable and have no pretty flowers on them but they get my vote and my money again.

Gardens & Couture..Kindred Spirits?

This week's couture shows in Paris reminded me how much I love fashion. Specifically, I have long been an admirer of the creative tour de force that is the Paris haute couture. Experimental, hand made by highly skilled artisans, and fitted specifically to each client, these one-off creations are not dissimilar to fine garden design.

Like custom-made Parisian garments, a well designed landscape is created specifically for one client, space and time. A haute couture garment is made from the best materials available in the world and is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. With the same underlying philosophy, a well designed and constructed garden depends on what the onlooker can't see -thoughtful use of the highest quality plants and materials, healthy soil, and skilled planting and hand crafted construction.

Each made-to-order couture garment is fitted specifically to its owner just as a custom garden is designed in response to specific site conditions and is unique to that piece of land and its owner.

With the right client, as with those who buy couture, a designed garden is celebrated for its intrinsic seasonal beauty, creative use of materials and artisinal craftsmanship.

Since it is the middle of winter and the couture has just shown in Paris, these images celebrate the couture's creativity and craftsmanship--hopefully couture designers' unyielding dedication to quality and craftsmanship will inspire new gardens for spring!