Saturday, April 17, 2010

A Wamboldtopian Spring



Where garden meets art meets life.



One of my co-committee members for the West Asheville Garden Stroll 2010 had an open garden tour today at her place. I couldn't resist.



The stone work, sculpture and layout of this steep hillside garden is truly inspired.



Damaris Pierce together with her partner Ricki Pierce, who crafts living art as a stone mason, have created their own utopia in a quiet suburban neighborhood of West Asheville.



Spring is in the air. A good time for a garden tour.





An old rocking bench gets a second life. I know my grandparents had on of these metal rocking benches. I don't think it is around anymore.



The varmints didn't eat their tulips.



This looked like a Cape Honeysuckle, Tecomaria capensis being trained as a standard. If it is, it is way far out of its zone. That ID could be my tropical bias. It is more likely to be a Trumpet Vine, Campsis radicans.



Welded metal sculpture played a large part in the garden art. I will be needing more of it in my own gardens to be.



Wamboldtopia is now on facebook. I think you can go there without joining. I had to join because I am on the Web committee and the garden stroll has a facebook page that I may need to toy with.

Mmm, the lilacs smelled heavenly.



The lair of the Rock Pirate.



Metal rings stacked neatly.



Flat bricks, flat rocks, you can do a balancing act with flat. I have no flat rocks. Very, very few anyway. I can still be inspired. Ricki even gave me a thumbs up on my stone walls when they came for the Bulbapaloozathon tour last week. That felt good.



I hope you enjoyed a Wamboldtopian Spring.

10 comments:

Ben said...

WOW that's a beautiful place I can only imagine what it is like in person.

chuck b. said...

That's a cool arch, but I would not walk under it! And I wouldn't let my cats on it either.

Les said...

I love gardens that don't look "landscaped", but that a lot of very personal work has gone into. I thought the shot of the metal rings was a wicker basket.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Oh my goodness, this place is full of inspiration. I can't wait to see what sorts of metal sculpture you do in your garden. With all your rocks I bet you figure out something else interesting to do in the garden too. Yes, I enjoyed the tour.

Anonymous said...

How cool, Christopher! It is good to know you have nice friends in town. A good source for nourishment for the soul, the garden and art! The metal work is fabulous.
Frances

Anonymous said...

I think I have seen this fabulous garden (or its twin?) somewhere quite awhile ago, maybe on Garden Rant? The stonework is wonderful. I just wish I had an imagination.....

bev

Christopher C. NC said...

Ben it must be seen in person to fully appreciate it. I left out a lot.

Chuck the kitties could walk under that last arch. You might be too large.

Les I am in the business like you. Even I appeciate a real garden over a landscape.

Lisa, Wamboldtopia is a ten year work in progress. I bet my own endevours will take decades as well. Keep coming back.

Frances the Garden Stroll people are a very good group to infiltrate.

Bev, yes you have seen it before, not at Garden Rant, but here, from last year's West Asheville Garden Stroll.

Wamboldtopia

I got better pictures this time with fewer people and distractions.

Anonymous said...

Ah, yes; I remember now! And you didn't duplicate any photos, amazing!

bev

Damaris said...

Christopher,
thanks so much for coming to visit us... for showing up wide-eyed and curious, with cookies, plants to share and the ever exploring camera!
We really appreciate your presence and feedback and are very, very grateful for the fabulous posts here on your garden blog. I'm excited about working with you on the West Asheville Garden Stroll committee for this September, can't wait!

Ricki says that your stone laying skills for dry stack are A+, and for the record, what you did with all that -very rugged!- field stone at your cabin could pass for professional work any day!

Damaris

Christopher C. NC said...

Damaris your and Ricki's garden offers so much food for thought when it comes to thinking about my own garden on a steep hillside. It is so nice of you guys to share it.

I'm actually very excited about being on the Garden Stroll committee. It will be fun and open so many new doors for me.

If I wasn't of a certain age maybe I could work for Ricki doing stone work and learn even more. Ha!