Art in the Garden at Kiwi Gardens

Articles by Master Gardeners, Garden art, Ottawa

Photo:

Credit: Judith Cox

The cool thing about these sculptures was that many of them would move with the wind. Lots of ideas for art in my own garden. In addition to the stand-alone sculptures, I loved all the colourful glasswork.

Greetings fellow gardeners,

Today it is warm and humid. This is great weather for mildew to form so be sure that there is good air flow going through your plants. I am always mindful of my roses, and also be sure that your pots are not too close together.

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend Art in the Garden at Kiwi Gardens in Perth. (June 16 to 18, Friday, Saturday Afternoon and all-day Sunday.) We were able to get tickets for Friday morning and off we went. This has been on my bucket list for some time, but I had always been too busy to go. This visit was such a treat!

We were directed to a large parking area and made our way through the paths to the venue. As we entered the Art show there was colour everywhere and sculptures done in many different media and lots of inspiring ideas.

Sculptures of butterflies and dragonflies and colourful flowers.

The cool thing about these sculptures was that many of them would move with the wind. Lots of ideas for art in my own garden. In addition to the stand-alone sculptures, I loved all the colourful glasswork. The little glass sculptures for birds were just beautiful. Chris Van Zanten creates mouth-blown glass and hand-worked metal sculptures.

Glass bird feeders as art for the garden — Glass bird feeders.

My favourite display was the wood-workings of Deni Forest. Deni is a maker of boxes, bird houses, bird feeders and gnome houses. Each one is different. I picked up a little box with a drawer. Once you open the drawer, there is a tiny secret door. How amazing is that? Deni Forest is very approachable, which adds to the magic of his creations.

There were delicious offerings of lunch and desserts as we ended the art tour. The food and beverages were provided by the Brooke Valley School as a fundraiser. My falafel wrap was stellar, and I loved the pickled turnip and butter tart square.

After our break we approached the greenhouse of succulents. Many of the plants were ones that I had never seen before. Now I know where to go for succulents. After the succulents we prepared to explore the rest that the nursery had to offer.

We were looking for interesting plants that we do not usually see, and I found a Voodoo lily! My friend added to her miniature hosta collection and the light variegated leaves of a heuchera were hard to ignore.

What a wonderful morning. Perfect weather, beautiful art and so many fascinating plants. I had a glorious day.

Remember to water. I know this sounds repetitive but if you are growing plants in pots, they dry out very quickly, within a day. I am deadheading my roses now as well and have noticed a rise in those nasty little green worms. Squish them! Enjoy your week. Judith. (Email: sghorticultural@gmail.com) Veggie Bites are available at https://sghorticultural.wixsite.com/website or https://gardeningcalendar.ca/category/veggie-bites/

More Information

Kiwi gardens (kiwigardens.ca), 687 Harper Road, Perth, Ontario

About the Author

Judith Cox

Judith Cox is a Master Gardener and President of the Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society . The many topics covered in her blogs include starting a garden, planting seeds, selecting the best seeds, identifying specific plants, and growing produce other than what is found at the grocery store. Every issue offers solutions to common issues faced by gardeners, including wildlife, whether to water, pests, snails, and other issues. During the winter, Judith writes for local journals and newspapers, give talks at local horticultural clubs on a range of gardening topics. She also finds time to run a small business selling watercolor and pen and ink cards.