Sustainable ? Aesthetic ?

I appreciate that you don’t want to stage gardens for photographs! It’s very hard to make a garden perfect…. and I believe the beauty lies in the imperfections.

Perfection is not really a goal of a garden anyway. If achieved, the gardener would not be needed. – Saxon

I’m pretty tired of picture-perfect gardens, or picture-perfect anything these days, for that matter. Give me a nice wabi sabi garden that looks lived in and comfortable and easy to maintain any day.

— then getting close to sustainable I do believe — Saxon

I enjoyed this post very much. Thank you for your honesty; I could feel it was heartfelt. You are right that we are going to have to change some of our current aesthetic as we transition to a sustainable way of life.

I hope and believe that it will happen naturally as more and more of us get involved and add our two cents. As a professional photographer, your two cents might end up speaking very loudly indeed, which is why I’m so pleased to read you won’t be photographing faked landscapes anymore.

Meredith – I haven’t photographed any faked landscapes for many years, at least not in the obvious sense. But to some, the Hermit perhaps, any garden is faked – and not really a landscape. – Saxon

This was an enlightening post for me, Saxon, because while I knew gardens are often ‘groomed’ for photo shoots, I didn’t realize some were primped and propped to the extent you show in that first deck photo. Who wants a ‘perfect’ garden, for real or in articles/books? They tend to discourage and intimidate many a budding gardener who is limited by time, energy, dollars, climate, etc.
I like your concerns about sustainability, and look forward to seeing what you bring to the conversation next.

Jodi – It is rare to prop a garden as much as that first one, mainly because it is expensive to do so. Covers of some splashy nursery catalogues are built sometimes but for me, I rarely do more than a raking and deadheading. Of course I am careful about what gardens I visit to begin with. I don’t visit too many low maintenance gardens. After all, no garden is sustainable without a gardener. – Saxon

I too appreciate your honesty about that top photo, but knowing the extent to which magazine gardens may be fakes is certainly uninspiring. Call me naive, but I never knew there was that much “fluffing” going on. I like your current approach and wish you success with it.

Geez – Everyone is commenting as if a lot of garden shoots are staged. It is really rare to go to the extent of that first photo. I was commissioned by an ad agency to create a single photo for the cover of a big water agency’s brochure. Few publications have the budget to set up such a shoot. – Saxon

I found the Hermit’s Garden very compelling. I could imagine as the plants grew it would become a nice hideaway. I also can imagine though that this type of garden would scare the neighbors.

You make such good points that sustainable does not mean no maintenance and that each gardener should find their own aesthetic. I think a start is to find plants that like our own climate and soil.

I enjoyed the your photos of the Late Garden tour especially the smashed gas can (looked like red rock) and “The Oak and the Olive”.

I couldn’t figure out the purpose of the ice sculpture melting into a bog around the cactus. Was that supposed to imply an extreme of unsustainable?

I am not sure any of the gardens have a purpose other than to make you think. My take on the ice block garden, “The Grow Melt Project” was a reminder how quickly the ice caps are melting. We best do something about it or all we will have is cactus gardens.

Glad you enjoyed the Late Show Gardens tour. – Saxon

Thank you Saxon. Your explanation clears it up. I was thinking those must be unhappy cacti in standing water there.

I very much enjoyed Hardy Succulents and yours and Nan’s grass book. I would gush but don’t want to sound like a rabid fan. I do enjoy this blog though. I will definitely look for the Meadow garden book at the bookstore.

None of us here at GGW mind if you gush over our books. I absolutely want you to support your local bookstore and ask them to stock quality garden books. But if you want to pay a little bit extra fror shipping and an autograph this is the link to my site:
http://www.saxonholt.com/american_meadow.php
thanks for the comment – Saxon

As someone who is just learning about taking photographs (with my little point and shoot) I am fascinated by the ways professional photographers work, from finding a scene, to ‘grooming’ or more, to the actual camera mechanics. It has made me think about light! One of the nice things about so many garden blogs is the photos of real gardens with all their problems, quirks and beauties.

After visiting California upon returning to New England I was struck by how comparatively green it was here. California, to me, was a collage of browns, tans, and beiges, and I loved that it was so different from New England.

I would like to see our landscapes and gardens reflect the true natural conditions of the region in which we live. That sense of vibrant health and balance we find in a landscape that fits in to its surroundings is hard to describe but I think you are helping this aesthetic re-definition with your photography.

Hopefully necessity will now dictate how we design and maintain gardens resulting in truly sustainable, truly beautiful landscapes. The American obsession with the emerald green golf course quality lawn will fade away. It is all about re-educating our clients, one by one, group by group about what makes a landscape truly satisfyingly beautiful!

thanks, Julia Houriet

Every time I fly East in the summer I feel like I am flying into the tropics – it is so green compared to California summers. But then, this time of year California is becoming green from winter rains and the East is a stark and barren. Our regions are so very different and there can be no one aesthetic. Thanks for your comments – Saxon