Garden Art

For many years, I planted my garden using no decorative ornaments of any kind. No statues. No benches. No fountains. Even the birdbaths were selected with only function in mind. The plants provided all the ornamentation needed in my garden.

Then one day, I was walking down the street and came upon pile of picket fencing lying along the curb -- the flotsam and jetsam of someone's new landscaping. The sections of fencing were gently aged and nicely proportioned. I selected two of the sections and with some difficulty, I got them home, where the pickets looked perfect standing among the mayapples and columbine and Solomon's seal. After that, I began thinking about garden art.

Last month, I commissioned a garden sculpture from a young artist from Winston Salem. I didn't have a particular design in mind but I wanted the piece to be interactive with birds. The artist sent me a drawing through email and I liked it immediately. When the artist came to install the piece, he told me that he had made it at his grandfather's house. He had enjoyed working with his grandfather, welding, nailing, painting. Grandfather, grandson, working side by side. There is love in the creation.

I hope their creativity will spawn pro-creativity among the birds who live in my garden. Two different generations working together to encourage new generations in my garden.