‘George, I thought you’d never ask’

Succulent envy: continuing Alice Jean’s occasional series of guest blogs from garden historian Richard Aitken

‘George, I thought you’d never ask’

 

 

I gave a lecture in Adelaide recently to accompany the opening of two shows I have curated as part of the AustralianGarden History Society touring exhibition Cultivating Modernism. There was a terrific response, with standing room only at the Bradley Forum of the University of South Australia’s Hawke Centre, so much so that Gloria couldn’t get in.

 

Gloria is one of my funkiest colleagues and the ‘full house’ sign suggested to me that garden history is alive and well in South Australia, and that a renewed appreciation of modernist gardens and design landscapes is in the ascendant. Gloria has form in this field as the author of two terrific monographs on modernist Australian artists, KathleenSauerbier and Jacqueline Hick, so I was sorry not to have her there.

 

But I had the pleasure recently of working with Gloria on an article for Australian Garden History on succulent envy (amongst other things). My co-editor Christina Dyson and I had selected Gloria to participate in the Australian Garden History Society’s editorial mentoring scheme, to work up for publication a lecture originally given to The Johnston Collection as part of TheGarden of Ideas exhibition and lecture series.

 

Gloria’s topic was the modernist interior, with a focus on the fascination for cacti and other succulents. ‘Make friends with the cactus’ she reminded us in the title of her article (quoting another unsung Australian modernist, Adrian Feint, writing in The Home magazine in 1928). Flower painting and interior arrangements allowed experimentation in the modernist interior, noted Gloria, and the spare crystalline forms of cacti were particularly appealing to interwar and postwar generations of floral artists.

 

 

The stark forms of these plants looked back to a primitive past, one that resonated with modernists keen to airbrush out any link with ‘decadent’ stylistic precedents. The same spare, primeval quality of many Australian plants also pervaded a modernist appreciation of local flora, especially the geometric beauty of banksias and bottlebrushes with their strong cylindrical shape and severe leaves: think Margaret Preston.

 

And so Gloria continued, linking the paintings of Thea Proctor and Adrian Feint (in contrast to acknowledged traditionalists such as Hans Heysen) with advances in floral art, led on one hand by British florist Constance Spry, and the adoption of a diluted orientalism on the other. It’s all fascinating stuff and these impulses have governed the ongoing floral festival at Adelaide’s Carrick Hill, Looking Glorious. Now I wonder if Gloria had anything to do with that?

 

Richard Aitken

(guest blogger)

 

 

 

‘Oh Brad, I’d love to show you my flower garden’

What’s not to like about gardens and their history.  

The plants they contain provide riches almost without limit, spanning an astonishing physical, social, and cultural spectrum. From utility to ornament, their almost inexhaustible patrimony has clothed, fed, warmed, protected, and inspired humans since the dawn of time.  

Gardens have profound significance to humankind. They have universal value as repositories of cultivated plants, maintained using the skills of horticulture, and ordered through diverse processes bound by tradition and innovation. They are intrinsically linked to organic nature and, through this bond, with the shared biological cycles of life cycles of humankind.  

Such associations have imbued plants and gardens with rich symbolism, venerated and celebrated in myth and tradition.  Gardens can also ornament, gratify, and inspire. In short, gardens and their plants are vital to human survival and spiritual wellbeing

Much more than art and architecture, gardening and garden-making have an egalitarian basis permitting these pursuits to be practised by a potential population many times greater than those who create other art forms. So while the spectacular gardens of Versailles, Stourhead, and Central Park are iconic destinations for garden lovers, the humble backyard vegetable patch, funky patio, arty pop-up installation, and tattered nursery catalogue are all of equal interest to garden historians.

And I’m fortunate to be in the thick of it, co-editing Australian Garden History (quarterly journal of the Australian Garden History Society), as author of books such as Gardenesque, Botanical Riches, The Garden of Ideas and Cultivating Modernism, and a passionate collector of gardening ephemera (see Brad and Janet above).

In my writing, I love the interaction between image and text, place and context, author and reader. These are all intimate and vital links that help place gardens at the forefront of Australian cultural and social history. Stay tuned.

Richard Aitken

(guest blogger)

 

Cultivating Modernism - an exhibition

 

Looking for something interesting, cultural and historical to do over the summer? What about this fantastic (and FREE!) exhibition looking at the rise of modernism in our approach to gardening? There really is a lot more to our gardening heritage than pink flamingos, tyre swan plant holders and hills hoists......get along to this exhibition to broaden your mind and your understanding of mid century culture in our fascinating country!

 

 

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.............

 

It has been a really REALLY long time since I have done a garden related post, mainly because, in truth, over the last couple of years since my marriage ended I have not had the drive to put into my rental garden in the same way I did my very own patch of earth. However, as part of my employment I had the tremendous privilege of going to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show this past March, and joy of joys, it rekindled the spark/love of gardening within me again. You may be seeing more posts about sustainable vegetable patches in the near future ! In the meantime, enjoy this wander through the gardens and displays of the recent MIFGS - and isnt it a delight to see the swing back to cottage garden plants in landscaping fashions again? I know as a designer I will be glad to see the end of yucca's in every new northern Victorian garden !!!! Happy virtual strolling everyone...............

 

 

The Garden at Overnewton

 

Last weekend I had the great pleasure to attend Becky's baby shower high tea at Overnewton Castle, and was once again mesmerised by the beauty of the buildings, trees, and grounds. So much so that I had to share some snaps here with you and remind you once again what a stunning place it is for any event - love love love !

 

Flower of the season - Hydrangea

Here in Australia we are fast approaching the end of Summer.....I must admit, I am not sad about that fact. Although I love swimming, BBQ's and daylight saving (long summer evenings), I am not a big fan of scorching heat that makes it too hot to be bothered going anywhere or wearing pretty clothes, crispy countryside (although it can have it's artistic look from time to time), and a general feeling of uncomfortableness every time I step out the door once it gets past 9 in the morning. That said, there are some redeeming things about the summer season. Despite the meteorological phenomenon of  sometimes getting entire weeks (and even months) with the temperature consistently above 38 degrees (thats 98F for those in the Northern Hemisphere), one plant always lifts my hot summer spirits....the ever so humble Hydrangea. It captivates right from December around Christmas time, all the way through till  Autumn when its showy flower heads start to fade to the darlingest green hue - perfect for drying or long term arrangements. And I have to say, they really are one of the most photogenic of all flowers too.... just take a look at these lovely images from pinterest and my sisters garden which prove my point.....

  

 As for their relevance to a mid century blog, does anyone remember, like I do, hydrangeas in their grandmothers garden? We would celebrate every Christmas at Grandma Jean's home and her front garden would always be heavy with big showy pink and blue blossoms. I always acquaint them with Christmas time and with Grandma Jean and all the old fashioned homeyness that was wrapped around the peaceful little green house on the forest and river's edge.

Research mid century and you will also find that hydrangea style adorned many fabrics, its hues were reflected in colours from porcelain bathroom fittings to crockery, and many hats were decked out in hydrangea blossoms....it was very much one of the flowers of the era.

Keeping hydrangeas:

Hydrangeas are actually quite hardy plants, but they will soon let you know if they are low on water !! A droopy flower head and leaves are the tell tale signs, but a good soak will set them to rights again. If you live in mountainous regions (where the soil is more acidic), your flower heads will inevitably be blue, or blue tones. If you live on the flats like I do, where the soil is more alkaline, you will have rosy hued flowers. To change the colour of your hydrangea flowers, you simply need to change the pH of your soil with a kit from a nursery.....I have tried the old wives tale of placing a steel pot scrubber in the soil to turn them blue and it doesn't work - get the kit from the nursery !

Some interesting info about Hydrangeas:

Hydrangeas are popular ornamental plants, grown for their large flowerheads, with Hydrangea macrophylla being by far the most widely grown with over 600 named cultivars, many selected to have only large sterile flowers in the flowerheads. Some are best pruned on an annual basis when the new leaf buds begin to appear. If not pruned regularly, the bush will become very 'leggy', growing upwards until the weight of the stems is greater than their strength, at which point the stems will sag down to the ground and possibly break. Other species only flower on 'old wood'. Thus new wood resulting from pruning will not produce flowers until the following season.

Hydrangeas are moderately toxic if eaten, with all parts of the plant containing cyanogenic glycosides.^[4Hydrangea paniculata is reportedly sometimes smoked as an intoxicant, despite the danger of illness and/or death due to the cyanide.^[5]

In Japan, ama-cha, meaning sweet tea, is another herbal tea made from Hydrangea serrata, whose leaves contain a substance that develops a sweet taste (phyllodulcin). For the fullest taste, fresh leaves are crumpled, steamed, and dried, yielding dark brown tea leaves. Ama-cha is mainly used for kan-butsu-e (the Buddha bathing ceremony) on April 8 every year—the day thought to be Buddha's birthday in Japan. Ama-cha is poured over a statue of Buddha in the ceremony and served to people in attendance. A legend has it that on the day Buddha was born, nine dragons poured Amrita over him; ama-cha is substituted for Amrita in Japan.

The pink hydrangea has risen in popularity all over the world, but especially in Asia. Pink hydrangeas have many different meanings, but generally means, "You are the beat of my heart", as described by the celebrated Asian florist Tan Jun Yong, where he was quoted saying, "The light delicate blush of the petals reminds me of a beating heart, while the size could only match the heart of the sender.

from wikipedia