Tuesday, December 23, 2008

When is a garden not a garden?

At the 30th Birthday where the marrow dip platter made its grand entrance (though its exit is as yet unknown, i never saw it later in the night) there was one of the best gifts given that i've witnessed in a long time.

Still in its 1970s-esque box was a Magic Garden, this miniature crystal set wherein the garden grows before your eyes. The first attempt to decipher the instructions were met with some confusion and a battering by the wind. The second attempt, held inside the country homestead was much more successful and the magic garden grew and grew throughout the night.

I popped back in sporadically, taking photos when I remembered (campfires, Moet, and citrus vodka don't aid the memory so well). These few shots were the best i could manage to witness its progress.



Such a lovely present, so kitsch yet fun, it kept us late-twenty-somethings (and the birthday 30 year old) mesmerised.

So the question remains - where is a garden not a garden? Is it a garden when there are no flowers? Or is a garden something which mystifies and mesmerises its audience? Or is this just an ersatz Mt Fuji in 'bloom'?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think a garden, at a minimum, requires live plants. ;-)

Nicci said...

Very interesting, but I really do not think it could clasify as a garden. How are you going with your spider mites? I have had them before and apparently they don't like being wet, or was it dry? As an organic gardener the answer to most bugs is to make your plants happy and healthy so the bugs won't like them. So perhaps a good liquid feed quite regularly might help as well as any insecticide.

PJ said...

Hi Fern, he he, yes, although at the end of this summer, non-live plants might be the only thing left!

Nicci and Craig, thanks for the tips, i have tried so many things, as they are in pots i've brought them inside and doused them in the sink, organic sprays, and the latest will be a concoction on the advice of my landscape gardener cousin, who i happened to sit next to at the Christmas Lunch table!

Fingers crossed, otherwise i suspect we might have to learn to co exist.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I remember those things, but not as gardens. It seems they were just lumps in glass containers. That's cool!