Archives for the month of: May, 2013

Guest Post: Frozen Flowers

May 31, 2013 //

Friends are constantly sending me bits and pieces about gardens and flowers, so I figured it was time to give some a chance to guest post on the blog. So that brings us to our first ever guest post by the lovely Olivia Hantken. Liv works at innovative design and film collective Collider, and has a key eye for aesthetics. Please welcome her to The Secret Garden!

Frozen Flowers by Olivia Hantken

Tomorrow is the first day of winter, but in Sydney it’s feeling more like spring. Our gardens will be happy at least, and far happier than in Kiev, Ukraine, where winter can mean a freezing over of everything green.

Earlier this year the Ukranian’s embraced this notion and held their first frozen flower exhibition The Flowers of the Snow Queen. Inspired by Hans Christan Andersen’s children’s tale The Snow Queen, the event symbolises the coming together of summer and winter / warmth and cold.

The frozen artworks were created over seven days using 250 litres of distilled water repeatedly poured over the arrangements to create layers of ice.

Frozen Flowers Not related to this exhibition, but beautiful nonetheless are these pictures of flowers dripping in ice.

Tags collider, Flowers, frozen flowers, ice, olivia hantken, snow, the flowers of the snow queen, the snow queen, ukraine, winter

Categories Art, Design, Flowers, Nature

Moorten Garden

May 29, 2013 //

This one acre, family owned botanical garden and cactarium in Palm Springs is filled with 3000 varieties of desert plants. I would love to visit on my next trip to the States.

Moorten Garden Photos one, two, six and seven by Amy Merrick. Three, four and five by Chuck B.

More info on the garden here.

Tags amy merrick, botanical garden, cactarium, cacti, cactus, desert, desert plants, Flowers, garden, moorten cactarium, moorten garden, palm springs

Categories Design, Flowers, Garden, Nature, Photography, Plants

Babylon Light

May 28, 2013 //

This growing light fixture is designed by Ryan Taylor of multidisciplinary studio O\I. It usually sets you back $448 (Canadian) but they have 15% off until May 31st. Get it here.

Babylon Light Thanks to Mel for sharing!

Tags interior design, light fixture, O\I, plant design, plant light, plants, ryan taylor, urban garden, Urban gardening, white

Categories Architecture, Design, Garden, Interior Design, Plants

Chelsea Flower Show

May 24, 2013 //

Every May the Chelsea Flower Show sees the Royal Chelsea Hospital grounds turned into an array of flower and garden exhibits. This year, the 100th year of the festival, best in show was won by Australian Phillip Johnson.

Brent Elliot has released a book of archival images to celebrate the centenary. Below are some images from his book (available here) along with images from this years festival (via RHS Image).

Tags brent elliot, cactus, chelsea flower show, flower show, garden, phillip johnson, rose, royal chelsea flower show

Categories Design, Flowers, Garden, Photography, Plants

Who Wore It Better

May 22, 2013 //

Who Wore It Better is a blog curated by Alison Feldish and Derek Frech which compares similar artworks. Click on the image to view its creator.

Who Wore It Better

Tags alison feldish, art, derek frech, photography, who wore it better

Categories Art, Design, Flowers, Photography

Henry Darger

May 20, 2013 //

Henry Darger is an artist and writer with an unusual story. He was orphaned and institutionalised as a young child and spent his adult life living as a recluse in Chicago. It was only after his death that Darger’s landlord discovered an epic 15,145 page narrative titled The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion.

The story follows seven young girls as they fight against a variety of sadistic adults while being protected by a slew of fantastical animals. The writings are accompanied by several hundred drawings and watercolour paintings. Some of the images are calm and filled with flowers. Others a violent and tortured. It’s an incredible juxtaposition between innocence and extreme brutality, and gives us a glimpse into the mind of this mysterious man.

Jessica Yu made a film about Darger and his work The Realms of the Unreal (2004).

Tags art, artist, chicago, collage, drawing, Flowers, henry darger, painting, vivian girls, watercolour

Categories Art, Flowers

Potheads

May 17, 2013 //

Artist and ceramicist Kim Jaeger has been creating these super cute ‘potheads’ since 2011.

Historia Films (a collaboration between photographer Mike Smith and blogger Laura Quattrocelli) have made a little film about Jaeger’s work. You can also check out an interview with her on The Design Files.

My mother has a vase at home which reminds me of these potheads. It’s by Arab Australian artist Salwa El-Shaikh.

Photograph by Sophia Kaplan.

Tags ceramics, Flowers, historia films, indoor plants, kim jaeger, plants, potheads, pots, salwa el-shaikh, sculpture, the design files, vase

Categories Art, Design, Garden, Interior Design, Plants

Vanishing Elephant

May 14, 2013 //

A collection of enviable (and plant filled) interiors from the Vanishing Elephant blog along with my favourite pieces from their latest collection.

Download the first issue of the Vanishing Elephant Journal here and buy their clothes here.

Tags bathtub, courtyard, fashion, indoor plants, interior design, interiors, kitchen, lookbook, plants, succulents, vanishing elephant

Categories Architecture, Design, Fashion, Interior Design, Plants

Green Box

May 7, 2013 //

This so called ‘Green Box’ is situated in the Raethian Alps, Switzerland. It was created by architects Act Romegialli from a disused garage. The building houses a simple kitchen and entertaining space along with a spot for its owners gardening tools. The vegetation that covers the structure is largely deciduous – honeysuckle, russian vine, hop and golden clematis. While the base is surrounded by evergreens like valerian, cosmos, gem marigolds, and zinnias which provide a year-round variety of flowers.

Green Box All photographs by Marcello Mariana.

Tags achitecture, act romegialli, concrete, cosmos, garage, glass, golden clematis, green box, green design, green rooftop, honeysuckle, interior design, raethian alps, renovation, rooftop garden, russian vine, switzerland, tap, valerian, wood, zinnias

Categories Architecture, Design, Flowers, Garden, Interior Design, Nature

Aubin & Wills

May 3, 2013 //

I love the plants (and clothes, and styling) in this lookbook for (now defunct) English brand Aubin & Wills’ spring 2012 collection. The photographs feature Blur’s bass guitarist Alex James and Romanian/ Canadian model Irina Lazereanu.