Fun with Features

When we imagine gardens, our minds tend to go straight to the plants: those blossoms, colors, and leaves. Vegetation is at the heart of any landscape, after all. But let’s not overlook the invaluable role of non-plants – the practical, whimsical and eye-catching features that lend focus, definition and a stroke of extra beauty to our designs. It’s often those thoughtful touches that make our gardens memorable. You know, something people might talk about!

Take walls and fences, for example. They can be utilitarian, ornamental, or both. Andy Goldsworthy’s Storm King Wall is very much in the “work of art” category. It’s a glorious and painstakingly-created one, though, with practical antecedents in the “crinkle crankle walls” of Suffolk, England and Jeffersonian architecture. Those serpentine curves apparently provide stability.

Andy Goldsworty, Storm King Wall. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

W. Gary Smith had a similar idea, using fallen branches instead of stones, at the Native Plant Trust’s Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA. 

W. Gary Smith, Hidden Valley. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Can Goldsworthy’s and Smith’s sinuous curves find a home in your own yard?

Bethesda, MD residential retaining wall by Stone Art. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Speaking of stone, those rough, irregular shapes can be put to all kinds of handsome uses.

Rock sculpture at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boyleston, MA. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Bird bath at Garden in the Woods, Framingham MA. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Stone bench atop faux tree trunks at Chanticleer Garden, Wayne PA. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Speaking of benches, I’m a sucker for seating niches along paths, and also for adirondack chairs anywhere. How pleasant, while strolling, to come across an invitation to rest!

Garden in the Woods. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Neighborhood corner by Bees’ Knees Design, Bethesda MD. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Chanticleer Garden. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Also, what about adding containers to your garden beds? There’s no need to confine those pots to your patios and decks.

Garden in the Woods. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Your containers don’t even have to include plants to make an elegant statement.

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

Or, for some extra drama, add blossoms that can be seen only from above.

Chanticleer Garden. Photo by Lolly Jewett.

I’m not advocating for landscapes crammed with tchotchkes and garden gnomes, particularly if they’re made from synthetic materials. But perhaps there are ways nature-made, hand-crafted objects would add functionality, provide focal points, and generally elevate our plantings? Worth considering. Let’s give ‘em something to talk about.

If you live in the DC vicinity and could use assistance with sustainable landscaping, visit Bees’ Knees Design. I’d be happy to help you.