Garden Flaneuring: Try it you might like it!
Why wait until you are on holidays to have flaneuring fun? For many people, one of the fun things to do is visit gardens when they are on holidays. Even those who aren’t into gardening, often love to “stop and smell the flowers” when on vacation.
Bird baths create a wonderful sense of place in a garden.
Standout Front Yards
While it may not be the equivalent to visiting Vancouver Island’s Buchart Gardens, Chicago’s Botanical Gardens, Hamilton’s Royal Botanical Gardens or Portland’s Japanese Garden, most of us can go for a walk in our neighbourhood and enjoy the lovely front gardens of our neighbours. For those who love art, garden flaneuring can be like going to Santa Fe and visiting the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. In our neighbourhood one or two homes on every block have a "standout" front yard or perhaps a special flower.
Iris Eroticism
The irises were lovely this year. Every time I see an iris I can't help but think of Georgia O'Keeffe. Link: Georgia O'Keeffe
Found this guy hidden under a large shrub in our front garden.
Irises have to one of the most erotic flowers.
Need I say more....
Meet The Neighbours?
Wandering the neighbourhood checking out the gardens is often full of unexpected surprises. While out gardening flaneuring, we will often say “lovely garden” when we see someone working in their yard, which always elicits a smile and sometimes even a brief chat.
Fun With Colours?
Poppies have the most wonderful colour and shapes, especially in the morning light.
It looked like these lilies were on fire one morning in June.
It has been a great year in Calgary for roses.
Dying Flower Art
Sometimes I think flowers are most interesting as they are dying, they become more asymmetrical and sculptural.
Found this work of art on the next block, couldn't resist taking it photo.
This peony captured my eye as I was finishing up the blog, more and more I am appreciating the beauty in the dying flower.
Deep Purple
Found this huge clematis (6+ inches wide) in a forgotten side garden near the end of our garden flaneur vacation. It was perfectly formed and totally open.
This is perhaps my favourite flower from our garden this season.
I didn't even know they made speckled petunias. Found these in a pot a few blocks away, while garden flaneuring recently. Next year!
Everyday Gardening Fun
Or if you are like me, you can create your own garden, which you can flaneur every day as there is always something new to experience in a garden.
Just like a tourist, wander the garden with your iPhone or camera and take pictures every day. I have often thought it would be interesting to post a “garden pic-a-day” from April to October and see what kind of response I get. I will often tweet out a photo from one of my morning garden flaneurs with the text “Goooooooood Morrrrrrrrrrrrrrning Calgary!”
Gardening is not only therapeutic but it can also be a fun way to get to know your neighbours. In our case, we have bonded with our neighbours on both sides over our gardens, so much so that we have integrated our front yards into one large garden. (Backstory: This is ironic as the three houses sit on land that was one lot until the early ‘90s when an infill developer bought the 100-foot lot and subdivided it into three lots.)
The pathway to our secret garden was littered with rose pedals after a recent rain, create a romantic sense of place.
Daycare Fun!
One of my little pleasures in life, it taking my morning coffee and wandering the garden while parents drop off their kids at the “Honey Bee” daycare across the street. The kids wave and the parents smile; the start of another perfect summer day – that is until the first double bogie on the golf course.
In our front yard we have two old pieces of playground equipment. The hamburglar looks out from an old fence we rescued from a house across the street that was being torn down for a new infill. The daycare kids love it.
We also have Tommy The Turtle hidden in the front yard jungle. There are two daycare kids who have found it and ask if they can sit on it, if I am in the yard.
Note the golf clubs?
Flaneuring gardens at night is a totally different experience from day time flaneuring. You should try it.
Try It! You Might Just Like It!
So if you want to try being an “everyday tourist” this summer, grab your camera and go for walk taking pictures of the neighbours’ gardens. When you get home, grab your favourite beverage and have a look at your pics and relive the beauty of your travels, just like you would on vacation.
If you like it, consider taking a “garden flaneur” vacation every week.
Black and white garden photography lets you see your garden in a whole different light (pun intended).
This image is taken of grass mound with the frosted glass patio fence in the background. It is amazing all the things you see when you take out your camera and start looking.
Gardens are fun places to experiment.
Our other bird bath.