04/10/2011

Living Art


For many years our house had been a rental and when we bought it the garden reflected the lack of care and neglect that is so typical in such properties. Our first job was to remove all the plants and start with a blank canvas. We added high jarrah sleeper beds to the garden proper and planted such fruit trees as the Tahitian Sapote or Chocolate Pudding Tree, longan, mango and many more. In a closing down sale we found a pair of Indian gates studded with brass flowers and this wonderful garden gate opens onto a small walkway where I have begun to plant a succulent garden. It has become a great adventure trying to source new specimens for this garden as I adore the sculptural qualities of these hardy plants. Until now I had held a conservative view of what could be achieved with succulents but as one search lead to another I found a whole world of inspiration from other artistic succulent lovers. The idea of succulent topiary can add such charm to a garden, especially one which has to deal with Perth's harsh summer climate. 

You can use this simple method http://lenkindesign.blogspot.com/2007/09/succulent-topiaries.html to make all kinds of wonderful objects:

The Rusty Trowel



As succulents are so easy to propagate I am going to give this a go, it looks like such fun and can be really effective.