garden | annekata

Gardening is not my thing, though I love flowers. Who doesn’t? I never developed much of a green thumb, because working in the garden seems overwhelming – here in the Northeast, specifically. When I rip out a weed, 3 more grow in its place as soon as I turn my back. The concept of “weeds” is strange to me; take dandelions for example. They’re pretty and make a nice salad, when used in spring. I wouldn’t consider them a weed.

And then, there are bugs. Big bugs. American bugs. Honestly I’m a bit afraid of bugs, they always seem to hold the upper hand whenever we meet. The can often fly or sting or both. Unfortunately I can’t.

But then I saw these images of string gardens.

I believe they’re made in Holland; the website doesn’t tell, but has many exquisite images to look at. And while these plants are far from practical (think watering and weight), they are so unique that I’m thinking of making one over the weekend. Admittedly it feels strange, to have plants floating in space this way, probably because they are not connected to soil or to each other. But then potted plants aren’t either. It just perfectly reflects how we live in today’s world, where everybody is connected through their electronic devices and not directly with each other. Not sure, how I feel about that. On the other hand, there are potted plants and wild flowers. They don’t have to exclude each other. In short, I might give it a try.

Here are the instructions, on how to make a “Kokedama“, a planted moss ball, popular in Japan. There are also instructional images on the string garden website.

And if I have leftover time this weekend, I’ll be dreaming up new skirt projects and doodling.

This was playing with crocheted button hole thread, secured with a running stitch to t-shirt fabric. It works up quickly and makes a nice raised surface. I tried to “write” with it, but it just looked messy. I wonder what I can do with this. Any ideas?

Have great weekend everybody.

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Aus dem Archiv um 1948:

Ah die Schreber Gaerten. Sie sehen ein bischen aus wie die Luxusversion asiatischer Slums, wenn man aus dem Zugfenster schaut. Das taeuscht natuerlich auf den zweiten Blick, wenn klar wird, dass das, was nach ein bischen Frieden und Freiheit in der Natur aussieht, doch in Wirklichkeit eine sehr ordentliche Angelegenheit ist. Ohne Unkraut, mit kurz geschorenem Rasen und praezise gesaeten Blumenbeeten.
Das Bundeskleingartengesetz (in Kraft getreten 1983) reguliert in 9 Seiten alles, was potentiell ein bischen Anarchie sein koennte. Wie das Haeuschen auszusehen hat, wie hoch und gross es sein darf und wie oft und wann man den Rasenmaeher benutzen darf. Und ehrlich gesagt, muss das wahrscheinlich auch so sein, wenn man auf so engem Raum die Natur geniessen will. Und dennoch sind einige Schrebergaerten ziemlich idyllisch.

Here a little “Schrebergarten-Introduction” for the english readers. But first, imagine you are sitting in a high-speed train:
“…A lazy glance out the window, though, comes as a shock. Rather than the well-ordered suburbs or well-kept factories you have come to expect, the image is more that of a luxury version of a South Asian slum — miniature houses tucked in next to the train tracks as far as the eye can see.

It’s a sight that greets visitors on the approach to almost every city in Germany — and the tiny little structures are not, of course, slums. A second glance reveals that, beyond the clutter of ladders and rakes leaning against the back of the structures, neatly ordered flowerbeds, well-tended fruit trees and picture-perfect picket fences are lined up like regiments of tin soldiers. The phenomenon is known as a Schrebergarten — an area outside the city where the gardening-obsessed Germans can rent out a small plot and plunge their fingers into the soil.

What looks like a slice of outdoor freedom — or free-form nature kitsch — though, is actually far from it. In 1983, the German government passed the Bundeskleingartengesetz (“Federal Small Garden Law”), which regulates just how big a small garden is allowed to be and includes nine further pages describing, in German legaleze, every other aspect of what the “Schreber-gardener” is faced with. In addition, each colony has a formal leadership structure and a book of rules that regulates everything from the exact dimensions, color and style of the shack to when one is allowed to mow the lawn or use other noisy gardening machinery. Unkempt gardens are also frowned upon….” read the article

Herr Schreber war auch kein wirklich genussfreudiger Mensch. Kein Freund der Masturbation (er erfand mechanische Vorrichtung um die Freude daran zu verderben…mit maessigem Erfolg uebrigens), meinte er, dass Kinder mehr in der Natur sein muessten. Recht hat er. Mit den Kindern in der Natur, meine ich.

Und deshalb will ich auch keinen Schrebergarten (obwohl mein Garten die Groesse dazu haette), sondern so einen:

Aber da ich nicht in Italien wohne, sondern im Nordosten der USA, wuerde ich auch mit einem Tasha Tudor Style Garten vorlieb nehmen.

Die letzten drei Bilder sind aus Tasha Tudor’s Garten Buch:
# ISBN-10: 0395436095
# ISBN-13: 978-0395436097

And then I love Dan Pearson’s garden in London, which you can find on his website under “private projects”.

The unfortunate part of gardening for me is that I don’t like it. That’s why my tiny garden is overgrown with weeds and pretty crappy looking. Because I’d rather look at gardening magazines than to go out and get my hands dirty. But maybe this year….I will….

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