My mother always said, “Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery”. Of course, I wasn’t flattered when my sister dyed her her red, (I wanted to be unique), but I hope that my friend Barry Parker is flattered.
If you read my post on Monday, you will have seen pictures of his delightful garden. I just love all of it, he is especially talented at building “objects” in his garden. And when I visited my dad on the weekend, and he had a load of bricks that he didn’t want I knew what I could do with them, (or at least what I would have Ian do with them, lol).
My inspiration:
Another view:
So, I had the free bricks, 2 free round paving stones, 2 free urns (my mums) and 2 free agaves (from work). Are you sensing a theme here?
The before, so sorry, terribly bad picture!
Can you see the pile of bricks on the right hand side of the picture, just behind the urn?
During-Ian hard at work.
The After!
Although I would love a stone wall a la Barry, I have cedars planted here already. One day, the clipped cedar hedge will meet this pedestal.
I love being a copycatio!
I am a floral designer living in a tiny condo in downtown Toronto, Canada's largest city. But on the weekend, I am a gardener/frustrated architect trying to keep up with a 3/4 acre garden in Owen Sound, Ontario, a warm (to Canadians, Zone 5b, and a cold (to Americans, Zone 4b) garden.
Green Theatre 
Valerie said,
July 9, 2010 @ 7:04 AM
Fabulous. You did a great job and it looks so good.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 8:58 AM
Thanks Valerie, I love it, thank goodness for Barrys brilliant idea.
Amy/goawayimgardening! said,
July 9, 2010 @ 7:40 AM
What great added touches. Your garden looks beautiful!!
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 8:59 AM
Thank you for the compliment Amy.
Laurrie said,
July 9, 2010 @ 7:57 AM
it’s amazing what a little bit of hard structure does. The bricks and urns really anchor the spot in your garden. It helps when you can see it first, as you did in your friend’s garden, then interpret it (um, copy it) for your own use.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:00 AM
Copy, for sure, Laurrie, I am a master at it, lol. Hard structure makes a huge difference.
Racquel said,
July 9, 2010 @ 8:16 AM
I’m sure he will be quite flattered and your version is very nice. Thank goodness for handy hubbies huh? 🙂
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:00 AM
I hope he is flattered, lol. Ian just rolls his eyes, everytime I come up with another idea.
Turling said,
July 9, 2010 @ 10:01 AM
That’s fantastic!! Dry stacked, I take it? That looks like sand in the second to last picture and not mortar.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:02 AM
It was drystacked Turling, you never know if I might want to move it. It was actually limestone screening.
Stone Art Blog said,
July 9, 2010 @ 10:05 AM
Looks good, great that the bricks get reused too!
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:03 AM
Thanks Sunny, I was happy to get the bricks, would love to have had stone though.
Wendy said,
July 9, 2010 @ 11:56 AM
ooooh, I may have to get my hands on some free bricks, free urns, and free agaves too!!!
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:03 AM
Go for it Wendy! I do love the word free, lol.
Barbara H. said,
July 9, 2010 @ 12:56 PM
Fantastic. It’s always amazing how an OK area turns into someplace special with a little dressing up!
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:04 AM
Too true Barbara, it really needed something to define it.
Jean said,
July 9, 2010 @ 2:52 PM
This looks great! I think Barry will be flattered that you used his garden as inspiration. (I know I would be!) And we all know that your greatest inspiration is Sissinghurst; who could complain about being placed in the same category as Vita and Harold?!
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:07 AM
Jean, I do not think a single thing in my garden is original, everything is inspired by another garden or gardener. (Especially Sissinghurst).
Rebecca @ In The Garden said,
July 9, 2010 @ 5:04 PM
WOW Deborah, they look amazing!! Well done!! I may steal this idea too…I love the way the cedars are trimmed in the first picture. I wish I was that brave (sigh).
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:08 AM
Thanks Rebecca, I am not sure what “trimming” you are referring to, the curved hedge is boxwood, and the tall obelisks are actually beech, they keep their leaves all winter, turning brown for the season.
barry said,
July 9, 2010 @ 8:54 PM
Hi Deborah,
I am at once feeling imitated, interpreted and definitely flattered. Also envious of your free Agaves! It took me an age to grow mine to this size in order to achieve this effect.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:09 AM
Barry, glad you are flattered, you were absolutely imitated and I interpreted as best as I could. The free agaves are great, I was lucky to get them.
Helen at Summerhouse said,
July 10, 2010 @ 12:23 AM
This looks wonderful and was a perfect way to recycle all the freebies. The entry to the garden is striking now.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:10 AM
Thanks Helen, it makes the entrance a lot more noticeable. (I love freebies).
heather @ what's blooming this week said,
July 10, 2010 @ 12:27 AM
These look terrific!
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:11 AM
Thank you Heather, I was quite proud of Ian.
dorsetmichael said,
July 10, 2010 @ 1:29 AM
its this poor husband of yours that i’m concerned about, hope you thanked him afterwards for all his hard work?
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:12 AM
Believe it, over and over again. When I mentioned working the following weekend on another project, he claimed to still be exhausted from this one, lol.
Kassie said,
July 10, 2010 @ 6:40 AM
Your urns and agaves look wonderful! Nice to see what you’ve been up to. I love how you improvise but remain classical at the same time!
By the way, just bought the James Lees-Milne biography to prepare to read the diaries, which I already know are wonderful. Yesterday we went to Knole, but unfortunately the garden is only open on Tuesdays. Best! Kassie
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:13 AM
Kassie, I have been busy. Too bad about Knole, we did get there, an amazing property. First time we saw English deer (in their park) and were so surprised at how small they were.
Kyna said,
July 10, 2010 @ 9:19 AM
Huh! That’s pretty cool! 😀 I never know what to do with leftover garden bricks….
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:14 AM
We have to find more projects as I am always finding bricks buried in the garden, not too sure how they got there.
ricki - sprig to twig said,
July 10, 2010 @ 5:41 PM
I think it was Picasso who said that good artists borrow, but geniuses steal.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:15 AM
Love that ricki, I have stolen lots for this garden!
Grace said,
July 10, 2010 @ 7:14 PM
Deborah, First, no apologies for the “Before” photo to be so “terrible,” okay? Before photos are supposed to look terrible. LOL
Second, I swear I could hardly tell the “After” photo depicted the same place. Seriously, those bricks made a huge difference. I love the pillars, the edging, the healthy agaves and the pots you chose.
Third, the Foxtail lilies in the back…. ooh, la, la! They’re beyond gorgeous!!!!!!
Fourth, there is that antennae turned obelisk that I love, right where it belongs. My compliments, dear friend. The use of your muse, Barry is paying high dividends. Your garden looks wonderful.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:17 AM
I think that I should try and make them look even worse, so my after looks brilliant!!! I am very proud of my eremurus this year Grace, they have doubled in the number of flowering spikes, and boy did the bees love them, they were just humming with activity.
Rosie@leavesnbloom said,
July 11, 2010 @ 4:47 AM
Deborah I love it – what a wonderful entrance to that part of the garden now.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:17 AM
Rosie, it made a huge difference, really defines the entrance.
Melanie said,
July 11, 2010 @ 10:05 PM
It looks fabulous! You have a lovely garden.
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 9:18 AM
Thank you Melanie, it is very kind of you to say so.
puppyparents said,
July 12, 2010 @ 6:07 PM
Looks amazing Deborah!!
kilbournegrove said,
July 13, 2010 @ 10:01 PM
Thanks Kel, I was very proud of Ian.
A Birds Eye View 2012 « Green Theatre said,
May 25, 2012 @ 3:34 AM
[…] way it looks just 2 years ago. If you want to read about me (Ian) building the pedestals, you can here. Rate this:Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this […]