Sunday, July 18, 2010

The Bold Choice

There was one garden on the Buffa10 garden tours that resembled mine in the lay of the land and site conditions and only one. That was the fairly new garden of Michael and Kathy Guest Shadrack being carved out of a forested track of land with an unusual geological feature.



He likes hosta. She likes daylilies. It may have been the shrubberies that helped draw them together to start a new garden in a new home out in the country deep in the woods. They graciously served 70 plus garden bloggers a proper English tea and allowed them to romp around their gardens.



The house spans a rather steep ravine. A stream tunnels directly through the house. Oh my Gawd!! That lower window....



Looks directly up the streambed. Is that the home office window for a pair of writers or a replacement for a big screen TV? I sure hope that lower room is built like the outer layer of a stripper's costume.

It takes some nerve to buy a house like that. It takes some grit to envision a garden and create it out of raw wilderness.



I'd like to think I have a bit of that in my character. And I want that reflected in the interior colors of the cozy cabin. The Bleck! colors were rejected. Time to try again. Have you had enough of my color troubles?

This time I went to the designer colors and just picked colors I liked based on color themes that have been explored ad nauseam. Then I brought them home and sat them with the settled upon elements.



Contrary to most opinions, I picked the much bolder, less neutral green and brown 1 x 1 glass tiles. They appear more wavy/blurry than they are because of the plastic film that holds them together in a sheet. Those two little black samples



are the choice for the laminate counter top. I have got to spend less money some where.



The last of the tile floor is coming close. The wall colors must be chosen. Hmm, which one will it be? Red, yellow, orange or green?



A large collection of hosta finds a home in the forest garden of Mike Shadrack.



I wonder how much he weeds out the wild things. His understory is certainly much tamer than mine.



Michael poses for an adoring flock of gardeners.



Is there any resemblance to the head in the stump?



Pat of Commonweeder noticed a lot of mirrors in the gardens of Buffalo. Me, I seem to be finding pot heads or just heads in gardens all over the place.



I think my garden may need a really giant head deep in the forest down a long trail, something that might make you think you were lost. With a holographic clock.

10 comments:

Barry said...

Aloha,Chris, look back to Maui, and put a lucky tiki somewhere. Eh,mahalo for your thoroughly enjoyable blog. I'm going try living Maui next year. Wish you still kept shop there.
A hui hou

Lola said...

What an amazing couple. Their home & gardens are showing their love of land. Taking something completely in the way back & making such beautiful gardens is quite an accomplishment.
I like your choice of colors--bold or not. When you get it finished it will be gorgeous & inviting. I rather like the idea of a water garden/pond somewhere near the Basement Patio. Sitting there {if you do sit any} listening to the gentle flow of water would be heaven.

Siria said...

Hi Christopher! You sure have been busy since you got back from Buffalo. What a gorgeous home and garden you feautured in this post. It would scare me to have that water rushing through my home! A small water feature, like one in your last post is more to my liking.

I am very confused about your colors. Are the greens from yesterday's post out? I love your glass tiles and quite a few of the new colors you have chosen. I was at a party a few weeks ago and the room was a bold burnt orange/red and I thought of you. It was really striking! I might have a picture from that party/room that I can send you.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I love the glass tile you have chosen. I will bet those people worked their buns off chasing the wild back. What a lovely stream.

Les said...

I can only imagine how cool the view out that window must be from inside the house, but I would constantly be worried about flash floods.

commonweeder said...

I can't believe I missed the fact that the stream does goes right below the house. Great photo! Were you in the stream when you too it? It was a great visit it a great garden. And I love your 'pot heads'.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

I like the green tiles. In keeping with that, I'd go with green for the walls of the bathroom, but then I'm a big fan of color echoes.
I missed the window looking out on the falls at the Shadracks'. That was an amazing garden.

Annie in Austin said...

The green glass tile is beautiful, Christopher - equally as cool as the one that was discontinued.

I'm still getting used to the idea of Buffalo as the mecca of gardening but the avalanche of blog posts is convincing me that it's true... this hosta garden is so beautiful.

We've seen some houses on the Austin Pond Tour where a stream runs in a channel next to the house and a window overlooks it, but don't remember one running through a house.

Years ago one of the Gatlinburg Hotels had a small river running through it and you could hear the tumbling water from the guest rooms - wonder if it's still there?

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Anonymous said...

Oooh, I know where such a head exists for sale, in an Orlando nursery, Christopher! There were two of them, a male and female, huge, looked like stone but were plastic. I will search out the photos if you like. As for those colors, sorry to say I don't like any of them. But they might look better in person. I do like the glass tile and countertop. Imagine working inside looking out that lower window, what inspiration! Lovely to see you and Ani again. :-)
Frances

Cindy, MCOK said...

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you choose for the walls. I love the green and brown tiles ... I think they're much more interesting than plain tiles would be.