Eclectitude: Gardens

Showing posts with label Gardens. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Orchid Vertical Garden by Patrick Blanc

Every time I look at one of Patrick Blanc's creations I start planning my own vertical garden for the back wall behind the garage.

Then I realize just how hard that project will be and I move on to easier tasks :) Art is always like that, no? It looks easy until you try it yourself and realize the skill involved.

Patrick Blanc, it should also be noted, has a really cool website that's worth the visit.
http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/

This particular exhibition was done for the New York Botanical Garden's Orchid Show and features 7,000 orchids in the display.

Vertical Garden by Patrick Blanc for the NY Botanical Gardens Orchid Show

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Inorganic Flora Art - Macoto Murayama

Artist Macato Murayama has created these gorgeous images by dissecting flowers, sketching their parts, and then modeling them in 3D Studio Max. We don't often think of what marvels of engineering flowers are (and we also don't tend to view them as what they really are - the reproductive organs of plants...)

I found these flower images breathtaking even when deprived of their normal color and I found myself still imaging their scent.

Satsuki Azelea, modeled by artist Macato Murayama

Chrysanthemum, modeled by artist Macato Murayama

Japanese Lily, modeled by artist Macato Murayama

Spider Lily, modeled by artist Macato Murayama

Monday, March 11, 2013

Garden of Cosmic Speculation by Charles Jencks

This weekend I tripped over another lucky soul who had his own 30 acres to play with and create his dream garden.

Landscape Architect Charles Jencks took his 30 acre playground and built a sculpture garden inspired by mathematics and science.

I LOVE this first image of the open air pergola. Oh, the things I could do with 30 acres and a generous budget...

Garden of Cosmic Speculation by Charles Jencks

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Guitar Forest, Argentina

So much beauty and art is created from sadness. I ran across this over at Inhabitat the other day and the images stuck in my mind, along with the story. India may have the Taj Mahal as an everlasting symbol of the deep loss of a love, but Argentina has it's own equally beautiful tribute in the Guitar Forest, planted by Pedro Ureta.

Guitar Forest of Argentina

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Namba Park, Osaka

While, I'm not much of a fan of shopping, I do love a terraced garden. So, when offered an 8 story shopping center with terraced gardens running throughout, I'd have to give that an emphatic "YES, PLEASE."

This looks so unbelievably lovely from every possible angle and I love the way the inside looks like canyon walls carved from rock. Well played, Namba Parks Shopping Center, well played.

Namba Parks, Osaka, Japan

Namba Parks, Osaka, Japan

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Wisteria Tunnel - Kawachi Fuji Gardens, Japan

When this popped up in my feed the other day I rushed to show it to a friend in the landscaping business and it sparked a 20 minute discussion of the pros/cons of Wisteria for home landscaping.

I covet Wisteria vines but jeesh you need a lot of space and a nuclear bunker support system for the weight and I already have a massive bougainvillea vine about to swallow my yard & house.

So, bask in the loveliness of what you can do with Wisteria in the landscape when you have lots of room and structural support.

Wisteria Tunnel - Kawachi Fuji Gardens, in Kitakyushu, Japan

Original images found here.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Las Pozas - Edward James

Ah..50th post!

Our adventure today takes us deep into Mexico where poet and artist Edward James gifted us with the fruits of his eccentric imagination in the form of Las Pozas (the pools.)

I honestly can think of nothing that would be better than having 80 acres at my disposal and enough cash to just go wild with art and sculpture. If I ever hit the lottery, that's what I'm going to do with the money.

Many more wonderful pictures here at Kuriositas.

Las Pozas - Edward James, Designer

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Supertrees in Singapore - Vertical Gardens Go High Tech

I think we've well established by now that I love a vertical garden! I also love the flat land kind, so you can imagine how enthralled I am about the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The installation is set to become the "botanical capital of the world" which means that I'm going to have to put my tukas on a plane and go see it.

I'll blog the gardens at a later point, right now I want to oooh and ahhh over the Supertrees. These structures range from 9 to 16 stories tall and some of them have been outfitted with solar panels to power night lighting. The Supertrees also harvest rainwater to re-use on the plantings.

Bonus points for beautiful night lighting and projection. These remind me of the Boston Treepods I blogged a few weeks ago.

Supertrees under construction in Singapore

Designer rendering of night lighting effects

Supertree bromeliads and ferns

Supertrees lit up at night - lovely!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Vertical Gardens - Replay Store, Barcelona

As if all the Gaudi in the vicinity wasn't enough temptation, I'm ready to pack my bags for Barcelona so I can ogle this vertical garden installation by Michael Hellgren for Replay Stores in person.

The artist/designer notes that this vertical garden installation was a little more challenging because the top half of the wall receives lots of direct sun while the bottom half receives none, requiring a whole different set of plants in each area.

Visit Michael Hellgren's website for more lushness.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Naturwall - Vertical Gardening

Today's bit of coolness comes in the form of another vertical garden concept called Naturwall. Yay! Gardens.

This vertical garden concept uses throw-away plastic coffee cups to create a wall of greenery - a great way to recycle AND grow fresh herbs for use in cooking!