Throwaways

Trimming, snipping, pruning, raking and dead-heading; all are enjoyable aspects of gardening. But all of these activities lead to piles of plant debris that must be dealt with. As a creative person — an aesthete, if you will — I love these garden byproducts, these piles of dessicated or dead plant material. If someone were watching they might see me sifting through these heaps of what most consider trash. And if they were to ask, I’d say I was in search of  a particularly attractive seed pod that had caught my eye earlier; my imagination taken by a dried-yet-graceful stalk, a dead but still lovely flower, by a leaf with spots in a surprising color. These five photographs are of plant material I waylaid on the way to the green trash can. Each was shot against a neutral background of corrugated cardboard, then treated to Photoshop enhancement. Each has been titled and sourced as well.

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THE OVERSEER

(Discarded agave cores; found in neighbor’s trash area)

—O-O—

THE MILLINER’S APEX

(Dessicated aloe ferox stalks; gift of R. MacGregor)

—O-O—

SYNONYMOUS: SURFACE

(Fallen eucalyptus bark; Rancho Reubidoux)

—O-O—

TRIBUTE TO THE TORCH

(Dessicated aloe ferox stalks; gift of R. MacGregor)

—O-O—

LA REINA & HER CONSORT

(Dessicated Queen of the Night blooms; Rancho Reubidoux)

—O-O—

I don’t limit my debris scrounging to my own garden; I found the elements for these photos in places other than my own property. But whether I dragged it home from the neighbor’s or it was delivered by a friendly nearby propagator (after I begged for it), I have no pride when I want to get my hands on some good looking garden debris. Most of these elements have gone on now, but I love that they will continue to exist here; well beyond their own lifespans and certainly longer than my own.

See you next Saturday, June 20th, at Rancho Reubidoux’s Open Garden

Click here for details!