Garden Discoveries: Waterliles

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Titan of the Pond

For all of the times that I have visited Phipps Conservatory I just recently wandered around the aquatic garden. Since this garden is outside of the conservatory it can be explored by anyone walking down the street or through Schenley Park. Two large ponds display water lilies and other aquatic plants while beautiful flowers such as the orange cana lily, line the edges. At the end of the ponds with a backdrop of pine trees stands a statue of Neptune. This titan watches over the aquatic garden giving a central view point and focus to the design.

View of both ponds

Overview of the second pond

Close up of water plants.

The difference in flower and plant heights give a look of a second border along the pond.

Beautiful Cana Lily

Statue of Neptune; god of the Sea

Phipps Conservatory: Aquatic Garden

Friday, September 2, 2011

Salvaged Wood in a Feng Shui Room

The Serpentine Room is the first room you enter when you go around right from Palm Court of Phipps Conservatory. The one thing that I usually love about this room is that it is created in a way where you can take the same ideas and apply them to your own backyard or garden; it is displayed as a livable and functioning garden room. Currently this room showed how you can live Harmoniously with Nature (The theme of the exhibit) by using salvaged barn wood for your structures such as a bench or trellis. Feng Shui which is the notion of creating a living space which is in balance between the elements of fire, water, earth, metal and wood. Warm and cool colored plants were placed in balance to represent fire and water. A pond and a fake fire where also included in this space with the salvaged wood and of course earth. I couldn't quite find the element of metal except for the small wind chimes hanging from the pergolas in fire and water colors.
Hope you enjoy these pictures and are inspired to use some old wood pieces and create your garden to be in the Feng Shui style.