Saturday 14 June 2008

I ATTEMPT TO CELEBRATE BLOOM DAY


It has been a very interesting experience putting together my first Bloom Day post. My rationale? That it's always such fun looking at other people's efforts that I felt duty-bound (enjoying the high bounty of June) to actually take part this month. 

But what a learning curve. Aside from the almost-satisfying question of mastering a whole new lot of software (thanks to BBC TV's new star' Veg Plotting), there's the soul-searching which occurred after I got all my flowering pics together, and then thought "is that all I've got to show?"

Many sorts of meditation urge the practitioner to see themselves through the eyes of others in order to practice a connecting loving kindness, allowing people to become aware of where they are going wrong in life. Well, putting all the photos of my garden on the internet has definitely achieved that. 

I think this might be one of those things like opening your garden to the public, which lets you see what you are doing through the eyes of others - and then feel fairly disappointed. Hopefully to improve in future. (Please, Lord, hopefully.)

I look at my selection of blooms and feel total envy of Zanthan Gardens and Savannah Gardens, for example. I am at a disadvantage in that my garden is mainly foliage this time of year, with dahlias, cannas and gingers, as well as other more intriguing bulbs like Eucomis and Galtonias, all on the way but not yet there. 

Yet I can't help feeling that I'd have liked to have more to show off - even in my tiny weeeeeeennnnny 4m x 15m plot. And I'm really shocked to find out that almost all the flowers I grow are pink! I didn't know I was so girly. I really had to laugh when I collated all the images. 

So it's been a really interesting process, and I really recommend it for a steep learning curve about what you are actually doing in your garden, as opposed to what you think you are doing. A fairly important distinction. "Seeing through the eyes of others" - a short cut to enlightenment. 


 





14 comments:

Arabella Sock said...

I love it!! I think we must have about the same size garden. I was thinking today I should record what I like most in the garden. At present lotus hirsutus 'blue boy' is looking surprisingly good and sprawling. The blue penstemon actually looks blue as opposed to something like 'Johnson's blue geranium' which I have bought more than once forgetting it is actually purple.

Anonymous said...

Pink is good - and you have some great pink in your garden
Nice banana leaf too
Regards
Karen

Curmudgeon said...

Everything is lovely! Your first GBBD post is spectacular. I have to giggle because it struck me right away that most of your blooms are pink. A while back I did a post titled "Pink Odium" in which I ranted against too much pink. I don't really dislike pink. But I do have very little of it in my garden. --Curmudgeon

Love My Cottage Garden said...

Your flowers are spectacular. Great presentation. Thanks for sharing.

Carol Michel said...

Well put! When you post about your blooms, you are forced to look and really 'see' your garden. That's how I noticed last year that I have too many yellow flowers.

I enjoyed this post!

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

gintoino said...

Very nice post. All your blooms are lovelly but I really like the knophophias (thats what they are isn't it?). I also have lots of pink in my garden, I hope that doesn't make me a girly guy... :-\

Helen/patientgardener said...

I know what you mean and I also feel inadequate with the quality of my photos so I dont post quite a few of them as they are slightly out of focus etc!! It does make you look at your garden differently though.

Anonymous said...

I am very impressed with your Bloom Day thing.
I have always meant to do something similar but then forget or ramble off somewhere else. I also have a very small nervous twitch that develops at the word Bloom (similar to the one I develop on hearing or reading the word munch).

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the shout-out. I'm amazed that anyone would envy my garden at the moment given that we are 30 days into a heatwave with temperatures hovering around 100F/40C. Almost everything has turned to a brown crisp.

I love your tagline. I make a mean batch of baklava...if you're ever in the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

Great compilation of Bloom Day pics! This is my first visit to your site but it won't be my last. I love a sense of humor...and pastry! You are either a good looking man (picture at the top) or a lovely woman (picture on the profile page)! Whichever, entertaining and informative! LOL

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Do you have body image problems too? ;^D You have nothing to feel inadequate about in the garden. I have never seen Roses grown with Banana, but it looks so cool. And those Kniphofias as so great, especially the cream colored one. Hot pink & magenta are not 'girly' colors. The pale pink, maybe, but then I refuse to allow colors to be gender defined & restricted. Men should wear pink, girls can wear blue. (Sorry, I got a little carried away.) If your Peony is 'Sarah Bernhardt' then mine definitely is not. My Peony mystery will continue.

Anonymous said...

I have done the Bloom thing (sort of) - it is tempting to cheat but I have manfully resisted (or pinkly if you prefer).

Sarah Laurence said...

Emmat, the slide show was a fun new twist on GBBD. I'm slow to visit as your comment link didn't work until I copied and pasted it.

Your garden shows how many shades pink can come in and how much can be done with a small urban space - well done! I'm not a fan of pink except in the garden, then I love it. I like the inner Barbie label - ha!

I'm in England too.

VP said...

Brilliant Emma and thanks for the praise + link too :D

I see you've worked out how to get it onto a non-blogger blog too, so my pupil has now exceeded the resources of her teacher :)