Let Someone Else Judge Your View

This particular shot of my garden was taken on the south side of the house. It's not extremely colorful. It doesn't necessarily dazzle the viewer. But, I think its a great garden photo. I'm curious to know. What do you think?

Let me tell you why I like this photo so much. It captures the bones. This photo was taken in September when almost all the plants were done blooming. And yet, I think the garden looks as good then as it did when it was awash with color. That's because all the structural elements (the bones) work. The fence provides a good visual line and backdrop for the garden inside the fence. I've planted several large perennials, shrubs, and grasses to act as anchors. Because cottage gardening can border on the side of visually messy, these larger plantings or anchors provide breaks or focal points. In this photo, the two snowball viburnum (viburnum opulus sterile , large green bushes at center top) break the rambling fence and garden bed into thirds. Large spiky grasses outside the fence (upper left corner) soften the line of the fence by intruding ever so slightly. Then its all tied together by commingling smaller spiky and bushy plantings throughout the beds. The black rolled edging defines the flow, how one will move or be moved through a garden. Imagine stepping into this garden on the left side of the photo. Where would you go? What if you followed the flow and moved to the upper right side? What is just out of view around the corner? The final element of good design is surprise. The surprise could be in finding a bench or a fountain but in this case its a large wisteria arbor.

Have I done a good job designing this garden? I think so but who of us doesn't need validation? Even top garden designers need validation or they wouldn't have prestigious landscaping awards. Okay, having said that, where to get this validation? The two forms of criticism I value highly are 1) unsolicited compliments and 2) recognition by professionals.

Unsolicited compliments are a very genuine form of criticism. This past summer we had a window replaced. The man who came to estimate the cost for the new window was extremely complimentary about my gardens. It wasn't that he was just trying to sell me either. He and I started talking and I found out he was really into bonsai and Zen gardening. Another time, a complete stranger rang my door bell just to let me know how much she admired my gardens as she drove past every day on the street. You know you've made a visual impression when people you don't know are complimenting you.

Recognition by professionals is great as well. Here's my advice. Get to know your local nursery people on a first name basis. Let's face it, for the most part, people who work in nurseries do so because they love gardening. After purchasing my large cone baskets from Farrand Farms (as mentioned in my post about container gardening ), I sent a photo of my baskets with all their glorious foliage and blooms so that Keith, the owner, could see them. He emailed me back with his comments. Another way to acquire professional feedback is to enter gardening contests. What better way to know you are doing a great job than by being rewarded for what you do? I won my first gardening contest on Memorial day of this year from Johnson Farms, a family owned nursery just south of metro Kansas City. In the springtime they have a huge selection of annuals and perennials. And just last week I was notified that I had been chosen as the August 2008 garden contest winner for VanBourgondien, a mail order nursery located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. From both, I won $100 gift certificates.

Sweet!